Point: FOUNDATIONS

Ancient civilizations introduced the foundations of what we know to be empires of progress, passing on knowledge to each proceeding civilization. Across regions, we see architectural development borrowed, improved and elaborated on. Not immensely distant from Ancient Egypt, Minoan Greece incorporates structural columns in the Palace of Knossos in Crete. Design expression in the form of artwork becomes seen vividly throughout structures by tile work and mosaics. In civilizations to come these forms are used to tell stories and advertise retail goods and services to the illiterate mass. Ancient Greece develops a distinct idea of the temple design or first interactions of the megaron and its development. For instance the temple of Hera I (530 BC) has a row of columns in the middle of the four sided rectilinear shape, supported in a post-lintel style fashion with a four sided colonnade lining the outer side, while the temple Hera II (460 BC) advances to two rows of parallel columns guiding the occupant.. Having linier navigation comparable to the hypostyle hall, temple features from between the two societies gives light to cultural and religious differences between the two ancient societies while showing development in architectural form. By and large, Grecian architectural design concentrated on the aspect of symmetry, balance, and order. Creating the perfect proportion in each structure from insights in geometrical studies, this style deemed in history as “classical” was the basis for many of the Roman and Medieval architectural feats to come. Strategies such as building to a scale so monumental, the structure engulfs its occupants in building types like temples, are passed down to each of civilizations following afterwards in the Foundations unit. However, these massive houses of worship mold to the needs and beliefs of the societies constructing them and therefore in no way exact copies, but rather “riffs”. Grecian examples such as the Parthenon could be seen to serve as a kind of template for later societies to style into their own form of excellence. “The Greeks cared little for immortality on a spiritual plane, but rather, they sought to ensure their immortality in human memory…The Parthenon is proof they succeeded in living forever”. (Roth) The basic Megaron was molded as new innovations were discovered, an example being the Roman creation of the arch, which in turn allowed domes and vaulted ceilings. Transitioning from Acropolis to Rome, we see the temple and its basic system of navigation change dramatically as a different culture has its own take on it. The addition of a triangular shaped gable roof and one set of steps opposed to the three equal sided steps of the Grecian temple designate a clear entrance to an occupant. Budding again from this basic post and lintel system though, Mankind was able to create incredible structural improvements as mathematics and play of geometry (symbolism attached) allowed for the “trappings of an empire”. Roman being one of the major empires of progress, some of these “trappings” include the bath, market, aqueduct, villa, dome, road, arch, coliseum, and basilica. Architecture had long since molded to provide basic shelter, but rather conform to the needs of a growing society. Baths oriented to Roman neighborhoods show the development of mankind conforming to what we now consider to be “civil” ; a water united society, rich in learning. The Basilica perhaps was one of the most influential of the Roman designs, becoming a template in itself to create architectural master pieces in the Gothic Cathedral architecture of the high middle ages. Although the overall theme of cathedrals could be considered entirely different than the concept of Greek and Roman temples and Basilicas, the contrast only resides because of the developments made on the basis of the Greek and Roman innovations that Gothic cathedrals elaborated on to create such emphasize on verticality and light throughout the Cathedrals that went up such as Amiens in France and Cologne in Germany. The flying buttresses created at this time allowed the extreme verticality to enter the landscape. Architecture throughout the foundations unit became more innovative taking ideas to build up and out interpreting previous designs in new ways, while still following a similar chain of design elements.

In my own design, I try to step back from all the land statements made to figure out why these altercations took place. Although these ancient societies copied the architectural forthcomings of each civilization prior, no structure is identical from one society to the next for good reason. Molded by developments and beliefs, the concepts of architecture changed in each era of time. I have learned that no belief or design principal should be ignored or possibly just as worse- grouped together. Societies and structures should be analized for what they are individually as each form as a specific story and reason behind it. I must have reason to hide, conceal, build up down, or around emphasizing thee story of design and what it took to get to the final product.



I choose the picture below to sum up the foundations unit as it serves as both a reminiscent look into Roman developments and segway into a different outlook of these developments in a new era. Peeling back the layers of the Florence cathedral, this photo depicts how each innovation allowed this design. The architect Brunelleschi drew back on the foundations of Rome to construct the tallest dome since the pantheon.


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