Giulio Romano’s House, 1546, Italy

Giulio Romano was Italian painter and architect in Rome during 16th century. He was a student of Raphael and  help define the 16th-century style known as Mannerism. Mannerism is a style of 16th-century Italian art preceding the Baroque, characterized by unusual effects of scale, lighting, and perspective, and the use of bright, often lurid colors. Giulio Romano’s house built in Mantua, Italy, in 1546. The house represents the Renaissance period, because of the use of brick. Having a rusticated stone work, the architrave, and the molding. It's not like the Palazzo Farnese in Rome because it has less details in the façade. But Giulio Romano put more of his focus on the high window area. Unlike the Palazzo Farnese the first floor is very dull and no depth to the detail. But because it was his home, it makes sense that the building only beautiful on the second floor. The historic building was destroyed in the capital 1661 to make way for Bernini's colonnade. Today the house is restored but only the west hall and the façade still stands.

Santi Luca e Martina, 228 AD, Rome, Italy

The church was initially dedicated to Saint Martina, martyred in 228 AD during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus. In 625 Pope Honorius I commissioned construction of the church. Restored first in 1256 during the reign of Pope Alexander IV, it was a simple rectangular structure surrounded on three sides by other constructions until it was rebuilt by the painter and architect, Pietro da Cortona, in the seventeenth century.

The plan of the upper church is almost a Greek cross with nearly equal arms and the center is crowned by the dome. Large Ionic columns, supporting a large entablature, band around the crossing and inhabit the wall spaces of the apsidal transepts, choir and nave. The windows in the apsidal vaults are each surmounted by a split pediment with a head in a scallop shell with octagonal coffering above, motifs which Cortona used in his fresco painting. However, apart from the altarpieces, the interior is white stucco, built for the painting academy in Rome and by a painter who had decorated some of the most opulent church vaults in Rome such as Santa Maria in Vallicella. The interior dome decoration has been attributed to Cortona's pupil and collaborator, Ciro Ferri; ribs and coffering are combined as they are at Santa Maria della Pace but here the forms of the coffering are far more fluid and almost shimmer with movement.

Two stairways from the upper church lead down to the lower church that has a corridor connecting to an octagonal chapel directly below the dome of the upper church and the chapel of Santa Martina below the high altar. A circular opening in the vault of the octagonal chapel allows a view through up to the dome of the upper church. In contrast to the white spatial expansiveness of the upper church, the lower church, and particularly the chapel of Santa Martina, is richly decorated with color, marbles, gilt bronze and has relatively low vaults. In the Chapel of Santa Martina, the Ionic columns in the corners have been placed on the diagonal, giving the chapel some orthogonal tensions in the center of the altar to S. Martina.

The gentle curvature of the façade is contained by a double story of paired pilasters. The columns of the ground story are pressed into the wall rather than projecting as a spatial entity like the entrance portico at Santa Maria della Pace. Other elements such as pediments and moldings allow the columns to create spatial tensions

Source:

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Basilica di San Vincenzo, 1007 AD, Galliano, Italy

The Basilica di San Vincenzo is a church in Galliano, in Lombardy, northern Italy. An example of local Romanesque architecture, it was founded in 1007. The church has a simple and undecorated façade, in rough cobblestones. In the center is a portal with an architrave and an oval lunette. The apse protrudes substantially from the main body. It features an archaic type of Lombard bands, with isolated arches characterized by pilasters that connect them to the ground. There are three windows which give light to the crypt: these are slightly different from those of the nave, due to the presence of a slight internal slope. The only remaining side apse is partly visible at the right. Next to the church is the contemporary Baptistery of St John, which was built at the same time. Its plan is inspired by that of the 9th century Santa Maria presso San Satiro in Milan, although in a simplified form: a cruciform shape with a square hall limited by four isolated columns and four perpendicular arches, and four semicircular niches. The western niche opens to the interior, from which stairs lead to the matronei, which are not present in San Satiro. The interior ends with a dome, externally covered by an octagonal drum with four windows and small arches.

Source:

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Reims Cathedral, 1211 AD, Reims, France

Reims Cathedral, also called the Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Reims, cathedral located in the city of Reims, France. Reims was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France, from Louis VIII in 1223 to Charles X in 1825, including the crowning of Charles VII in 1429 in the presence of Joan of Arc. The cathedral, which was begun in 1211 under the support of Archbishop Aubry de Humbert and designer Jean d’Orbais. The main construction was overseen by four different architects and lasted some 80 years; expansions and decorative work continued the church for centuries.

. Reims Cathedral incorporated several new architectural techniques, notably bar tracery. It has a total finished length of 489 feet—with an interior length of 455 feet and a nave reaching 377 feet. The twin towers in the west façade have a height of 266 feet. The cheviot (eastern end), with its five relatively large chapels, is nearly the same width as the transept giving the cathedral an unusually compact, unified appearance. This unity is emphasized by the use of nearly identical window types in the aisle and clerestory stories, as well as the complementary rose windows in the west façade and central portal and those in the transepts’ facades. Reims is richly decorated with elegant masonry sculpture and exceptional stained-glass windows, making it one of the artistic masterpieces of the French High Gothic period.

In 2011, the city of Reims celebrated the cathedral's 800th anniversary. The celebrations ran from May 6 to October 23. Concerts, street performances, exhibitions, conferences, and a series of evening light shows highlighted the cathedral and its 800th anniversary. In addition, six new stained glass windows designed by Imi Knoebel, a German artist, were inaugurated on June 25, 2011. The six windows cover an area of 128m² and are positioned on both sides of the Chagall windows in the apse of the cathedral.

Source:

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Lillich, Meredith P. The Gothic Stained Glass of Reims Cathedral. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 2011. Print.

Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Plazzo Medice Riccardi, 1460 AD, Florence, Italy

The palace was designed by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for Cosimo de' Medici, head of the Medici banking family, and was built between 1444 and 1484. Michelozzo di Bartolomeo was influenced in his building of this palace by both classical Roman and Brunelleschian principles. During the Renaissance revival of classical culture, ancient Roman elements were often replicated in architecture, both built and imagined in paintings. It was well known for its stone masonry, which includes architectural elements of rustication and ashlar. The palace is characterized by clearly defined floors and a huge cornice crowning the roofline, the palace stands out for the arched windows arranged along its front and the partially closed loggia on the corner of the building. Two asymmetrical doors led to the typical fifteenth century courtyard. In 1517, the original building was altered by closing the loggia and adding the two "kneeling" windows per Michelangelo's project. Originally designed as a sort of cube with ten windows for each ground and three big doors in the façade.

The most important section of the palace is the Chapel frescoed in 1459 by Benozzo Gozzoli representing the Procession of the Magi. The frescoes explicitly referred to the train of the Concilium that met in Florence in 1439. Many of the personalities portrayed are wealthy the protagonists of the time and members of the Medici family.

 Since 1972 the exhibition area of Palazzo Medici Riccardi has become a tourist attraction of temporary exhibitions dedicated to the modern and contemporary art. Now the exhibition has been focused on giving the public a greater understanding of the historic and artistic context, consequently proposing exhibitions which are consistent with the Renaissance and Baroque identity of the palazzo.

Source:

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

"Medici Riccardi Palace - Florence." Medici Riccardi Palace - Florence.Web.

Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

San Lorenzo Maggiore, 313 AD, Milan, Italy

The Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore is an important place of catholic worship located in Milan and has a startling originality. In plan, it is a square with an annex projecting from each side, producing a quatrefoil shape which is echoed internally by the two- storied colonnades separating the central space from the surrounding ambulatory. It is an early adaption for ecclesiastical purposes of centrally-planned Roman building such as the early- fourth- century pavilion in Piazza d' Oro of Hadrian's villa at Tivoli. Over the centuries, the church has been ravaged by fire several times, and it was last rebuilt in the sixteenth century. Most of the walls, including those of the three chapels, date from the late fourth century. In the middle of the plaza, hemmed in by the church and colonnade, stands a bronze statue of Emperor Constantine, who ended persecution of Christians in 313 AD with the edict of Milan.

The building had a central plan approached by a four-sided portico and surrounded by two connected structures. Access to the portico was through a colonnade which in turn gave access to three portals leading to the main body of the building. This consisted of a square hall inscribed as a building with four apses, whose semicircular hollows overhung by semi-cupolas were articulated by four columns.

In the tenth century, probably in the Ottonian era, reconstruction took place possibly involving the participation of a Byzantine workforce who had retained knowledge of the classical techniques of construction and decoration. Little is known regarding these restorations, but it is assumed that the dome had been reconstructed using pipes made of terracotta, making it lighter than the previous one, perhaps already damaged to the extent of justifying a reconstruction. After the disasters of the eleventh century, the restorations of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries focused on providing stability to the whole complex, rebuilding the pillars that supported the cupola and carrying out other interventions on the load-bearing structures.

Source:

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

The Pantheon, 125 AD, Rome, Italy

The Pantheon was the greatest dome structure built during the Roman Empire and the architect of this project was Apollodorus of Damascus. The structure relates to the Treasury of Atreus in Egypt built 1,400 years before the Pantheon. Also, the Greeks and Romans had built numerous circular buildings, the one closest to the Pantheon is the Arsinoeion, a tholos dedicated to the great god in c.270 BC on the island of Samothrace in the northern Aegean. The Pantheon was built on the exact site of two earlier Pantheon buildings, one commissioned by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (27-25 BCE) and the second by Domitian. The first was destroyed by fire in 80 CE and the second was struck by lightning in 110 CE and again burned down. The third Pantheon was probably begun in the reign of Trajan (98-117 CE) but not finally finished until around 125 CE when Hadrian was emperor. The Pantheon was first built as a temple to all gods, which is why the dome span to 142 feet. The perfectly balanced proportions of the interior are since the inner diameter of the dome is exactly equal to the height of its oculus from the floor.

Treasury of Atreus

Pantheon

The actual construction of the building was complex and original: with inspirations from other structures. There's a series of six constructional layers, starting with the heaviest for the foundations and finishing with the lightest, pumice, for the upper portion of the dome. The seventh layer consisting simply of air, since the top of the dome is open to the sky through an oculus 28 feet in diameter.

The whole building stands on a 1.3 meters high base which originally extended a further 7 meters in front of the colonnade. The building consists of two principal parts - the porch, which is very Classical Greek in presentation, and the circular main building which is much more Roman in style. The circular building is built with brick and concrete but was originally faced with white marble stucco to match the porch in appearance.

The interior of the Pantheon may well be the first building from Classical architecture where the interior is deliberately made to outshine the exterior. The dome is made from mix of concrete and its interior is further lightened by five rings of 28 coffers which reduce in size as they rise towards the center of the dome. The Pantheon was beautifully engineer for the religious purpose it has, which was to all the Gods.

Source:

Cartwright, Mark. "The Pantheon, Rome." Ancient History Encyclopedia. 09 June 2013. Web.

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. PrintWatkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia, 640 AD

One of the major architectural significance of the Arab invasion of North Africa was the construction of massive and often magnificent mosques constructed around military style courtyards along the court coast of the Mediterranean. In 670 CE, conquering general Sidi Okba constructed a Friday Mosque in what was becoming Kairouan in modern day Tunisia. A Friday Mosque is used for communal prayers on the Muslim holy day, Friday. Known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan, it is an early example of a hypostyle mosque that also reflects how pre-Islamic and eastern Islamic art and motifs were incorporated into the religious architecture of Islamic North Africa. The mosque contains a large prayer hall, a dome, an arcaded courtyard and three story tower believed to be the oldest in the world. Bordering the courtyard are the horseshoe shaped arches that are one of the characteristics of Islamic architecture, supported by Corinthian columns that trace their stylistic origin back to Ancient Greek temples.

In fact, many of the columns and stones forming the structure of the building were stolen from ancient Roman buildings in and around Kairouan. The interior of the prayer hall, however, is decorated with detailed painted and carved ornamentation of distinctly Islamic origin, including motifs based on designs from naturals world, such as acanthus, vine, and palms.

The dome is an architectural element borrowed from Roman and Byzantine architecture. The small windows of the dome above the mihrab space let natural light in. The stone dome is constructed of twenty-four ribs that each have a small corbel at their base.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan was a public structure, set along roads that served a city with a vibrant commercial, educational, and religious life. As such, it assumed the important function of representing a cosmopolitan and urbane Kairouan, one of the first cities organized under Muslim rule in North Africa. Even today, the Great Mosque of Kairouan reflects the time and place in which it was built.

Sources:
Apelian, Colette. "The Great Mosque Of Kairouan." Khan Academy. Web
Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. Print

Arch of Constantine, 312 AD, Rome, Italy

This was the last of many triumphal arches built over the centuries in Rome. The monument stands a grand 21-meter-high and 25.6-meter-wide rectangular block of grey and white marble consisting of three separate arches: one larger central arch with shorter and narrower arches on either side. All three arches express the same ratio of height and width. Dividing the arches are four detached Corinthian columns, each stood on a pedestal and topped with an entablature. In the shadows of the coliseum, the Arch of Constantine is one of the most influential examples of arches, used not only to celebrate victories but to bring order to the crowded streets of Ancient Rome- which at that time had a population in the region of 1.25 million.

The arch of Constantine was built to commemorate the Emperor Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. Scenes of the battle are depicted on a rather coarsely sculptured band over the right- hand arch. The Arch is a huge conglomerate of imperial Roman sculpture as many parts of it were recycled from earlier 1st and 2nd century CE monuments, notably the marble panels of the attic which were taken from the Arch of Marcus Aurelius (c. 176 CE). There are 8 marble panels in total, four on each façade, showing scenes where the emperor, is either at war (south side) or conducting his civic duties (north side).

There is a Latin inscription, above the central arch, is a long one and is repeated on both sides of the arch. It reads:

IMP CAES FL CONSTANTINO MAXIMO
P F AUGUSTO SPQR
QUOD INSTINCTU DIVINITATIS MENTIS
MAGNITUDINE CUM EXERCITU SUO
TAM DE TYRANNO QUAM DE OMNI EIUS
FACTIONE UNO TEMPORE IUSTIS
REM PUBLICAM ULTUS EST ARMIS
ARCUM TRIUMPHIS INSIGNEM DICAVIT

To the emperor Flavius Constantine the Great
pious and fortunate, the Senate and People of Rome
because by divine inspiration and his own greatness of spirit
with his army
on both the tyrant and all his
faction at once in rightful
battle he avenged the State
dedicated this arch as a mark of triumph.

The monument suffered in later times, becoming a part of a fortress under the Frangipane in the Middle Ages before being restored in the 15th century CE. Also, an extensive cleaning in the early 21st century has restored the monument to some of its former glory.

Sources:

Cartwright, Mark. "The Arch of Constantine, Rome." Ancient History Encyclopedia. 09 June 2013. Web.

Glancey, Jonathan. Architecture. London: DK, 2006. Print

One World Trade Center, 2013, New York, NY

September 11, 2001 will forever be a tragic event to ever happen in New York City. But it changed our nation for the better. We have new security in placed and new building construction development. By examining the collapse step-by-step, experts are learning how buildings fail, and discovering ways we can build stronger structures. Like most buildings, the Twin Towers had redundant design, which means that when one system fails, another carries the load. They needed to design a building more secure, so this event can be less damaging if were to happen again.

The new One World Trade Center building itself is 1,362 feet, the height of the original WTC South Tower. The building and the observation deck is 1,368 feet, the height of the original WTC North Tower. The whole building altogether is 1,776 feet, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. The base is 200 feet square, the same as the original twin towers. The building is 104 stories high. With gigantic triangles in each façade to create a circular wind motion.

In fall 2001, The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) formed to plan the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site. By August 2002, the LMDC invites architects from around the world to submit ideas for the World Trade Center site. On February 2003, Architect Daniel Libeskind's "Memory Foundations" is selected as the new design plan for the World Trade Center site. On May 4, 2005, New York Governor George Pataki announces that Freedom Tower will be redesigned due to security concerns. By April 27, 2006, the construction begins on Freedom Tower. On March 26, 2009, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announce that the skyscraper will no longer be referred to as Freedom Tower. It will be called by its legal name and address, One World Trade Center. On May 10, 2013, construction workers bolt the last pieces of a 408-foot spire into place, bringing the building to a height of 1,776 feet. On May 29, 2015, The One World Observatory opens the three upper floors of the tower. The Observatory is a 360 degree view of New York and New Jersey from about 1,250 feet up in the air.

The One World Trade Center is a remembrance of a tragedy, but also that we can come together as a nation to pick up the pieces. The reconstruction of the One World Trade Center reminds us of strength and our hope.

Source: Dupré, Judith. One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building. New York: Little, Brown, 2016. Print. "One World Trade Center Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 4 Aug. 2016. Web. 02 Oct. 2016.