Architecture
Reading a building, and the vocabulary for it.
Architecture is the design of buildings, judged on structure, function and appearance together. A style is a recurring set of choices — proportion, materials, ornament, structural approach — that identifies a period or place.
Western periods
| Style | Period | Recognise by |
|---|---|---|
| Classical | Greek and Roman | Columns and orders, pediments, symmetry |
| Romanesque | c. 1000–1150 | Round arches, thick walls, small windows |
| Gothic | c. 1150–1500 | Pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, large glass |
| Renaissance | 15th–16th c. | Revived classical proportion and symmetry |
| Baroque | 17th–18th c. | Movement, curves, drama, rich ornament |
| Modernism | 20th c. | Ornament rejected, structure expressed, steel and glass |
The Gothic innovation
The pointed arch, ribbed vault and flying buttress work as a set. A pointed arch directs thrust more steeply downward than a round one; ribbed vaults concentrate load onto points rather than along whole walls; flying buttresses take the remaining outward thrust away from the wall. Together they freed the wall from carrying load, which is what allowed the enormous windows. Gothic light is a structural consequence.
The classical orders
Doric is plainest, with a simple capital and no base. Ionic adds scrolled volutes. Corinthian is most elaborate, with acanthus leaves. The order sets proportions for the whole building, not just the column — it is a system, not a decoration.