Middle English Renaissance

One of the most famous English architects to live was Sir Christopher Wren. During his life time he built as many as 52 churches in London after the Great Fire. The Great Fire lasted 4 days in September of 1666 destroyed most of the city. 13,2000 house and 87 churches were taken by the fire. The fire started on Pudding Lane at a bakery owned by Thomas Farriner.

Sir Christopher Wrens most famous work is St. Paul's Cathedral located at the highest point in London. The church was designed in the English Baroque style. The dome feature on the structure is 365 feet tall one of the tallest domes in the world. Until 1962 it was the tallest building in London and remains the second largest church in the United Kingdom. The tallest is the Liverpool Cathedral.

St. Paul's was home to many famous services and events like peace events after each world war, Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria and funerals for people like the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill.

Now when visiting the cathedral you can experience the amazing interiors with a touch screen media tour guide to explain the different features of the building. While on the tour you can see the tombs of the people listed above as well as others. Another favorite of visitors is the Whispering Gallery and the Garden Gallery that has an amazing view of London. 

Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b42eSEdEtFs (the whispering gallery)

responses: Emma- I thought it was interesting how you explained the design tastes of Queen Anne. 

Lisa- I like how you included the bit about comfort being a big design focus and how the furniture reflected this. 

Neoclassical

The Petit Trianon is located on at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. IT was designed by Ange Jaques Gabriel for Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour. The structure began being built in 1762 and was finished in 1768. Madame de Pompadour unfortunately died during the building process so it was given to Madame du Barry her successor.

Gardens

In 1774 Louis XVI took the throne at age 20 and ended up giving the land and the buildings on it to Queen Marie Antoinette. The queen used the chateau and the park for her exclusive enjoyment.
The Petit Trinon is a great example of the transition from the Rococo style to the Neo classical style. Marie Antoinette used the Petit Trinon as an escape from her royal responsibilities and their formalities. When not at there she was under constant pressure and judgement by her family and the court.

Post revolution, in 1792 all of the furniture, art work and other valuables of the Petit Trinon were given to auction due to the the over throw of the monarchy. Since the property was now national property there were many changes made to it. In 1801 the land was being used for things like dances and festivals. These sorts of events led to neglect and vandalism. 

Extra Credit : http://www.biography.com/people/marie-antoinette-9398996#synopsis

Responses: 

Scott: I like how Scott mentioned the first use of a hired designer and described what it is they were hired to do exactly. 

Madelyn: I like how Madelyn went into detail about the use of wallpaper instead of tapestries and explained what the motifs looked like. 

French Baroque Period 2 with responses

During the reigns of both Louis XIII and Louis XIV french architecture was classified as the french baroque style. One of the most famous works of this time period was the Palace of Versailles designed by architect Louis Le Vau of Paris, Italy. Along with the grand living for the king and queen he designed thee stone facades of the chateau that face the garden, stables and grand common buildings. The roof of the Palace of Versailles was not like a traditional French slate roof and instead Le Vau designed a roof that was hidden by a balustrade.

Other works done by Le Vau included town houses for the rich parliamentarians. The most famous and expensive of these homes was the Vaux-le-Vicomte. It was designed for Nicolas Fouquet and looks like a smaller Versailles.

Another famous piece of architecture of the time was the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, Italy. It ws first built between 1615-1645 by architect Saloman de Brosse but in later years changes to the original design were made and additions were added. The building is now used for the French Senate of the Fifth Republic, this started in 1958.Architects responsible for the refashion and enlargements were Jean Chalgrim n the years 1835-1856 and Alphonse de Gisors from 1835-1856.

Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It3KU87iupw

Responses: 

Angie: I like how Angie discussed the different types of rooms that made up the Vaux-le-Vicomte and the material that made up the furniture made during that time period. 

Savannah: I thought Savannah did a great job of discussing the different works made for each building and the the artist that was responsible and what material each worked with or what type what work they did. 

responses

Angie- I like how Angie mentioned the weather in France and how the structure was built accordingly. 

Rachel- She included so much information in her blog. I thought it was helpful how the bullet points were ordered by years, peoples and events.

French Period

The Chateau de Chambered is one of the most famous pieces of architecture in all of France. It is also the largest Chateau of the Loire Valley. The construction began in 1519 and took twenty-eight years to complete, it was built as a hunting lodge for Francis I. The chateau was designed with many walls, towers, and even has a moat but was never designed with the intention of being a defense against enemies. Other design features include are large open windows, a large outdoor area on the top, 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 84 staircases. Styles from both the Italian and French were used when designing.

The centerpiece of the Chateau is the double helix staircase that is three stories high. Although it has not been confirmed it is said that Leonardo da Vinci designed the staircase for the structure. 

After Francis I died in 1547 the chateau wasn't used for a century. The building was abandoned and started to decay until 1639 when King Louis XIII and his brother Gaston dOrleans started restoring it. They added furnishing fit for the royals and added in 1200 horse stables. The Chateau was then abandoned again in 1685.

extra credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HziwBRrFqY4

responses

Emma- I think Emma chose great example of modern day applications for the Spanish style. They display the simple brick and concrete exteriors like the castles.

Lisa- I like how Lisa went into detail about the interiors of the spanish design like the iron work, plasterwork, and tapestries.

spanish period

The classical Spanish design was influenced by the Moorish, early Christian, midivil and Italian renaissance. Until this unit I had not heard of the Moorish people and was interested in finding out more about them.

During the middle ages the Moors were Muslim people of Maghreb, Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta. The name Moors was applied to those from sub-saharan africa, Arabia, Berber people and Muslim Europeans by medieval and modern Europeans.

In Medival European decor the Moors were often displayed in crowns. There are also instances where the Moors were represented as blindfolded heads, this is said to represent the Moorish emirs who were killed in the 11th century by Peter I.

Moorish architecture is Islamic architecture from North Africa, Spain and Portugal where the Moorish people lived from 711 to 1492. The Alhambra of Grenada and the Giralda in Seville are the best examples of this style. 

Extra credit:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEseJViidy8

responses

Katie- I thought your information on "the Renaissance man" was interesting.

Keira- I liked how you went into detail about the palazzos.

Italian Renaissance

The architecture design during the Italian Renaissance period was based off of the Classical Roman style. Most famous Italian Renaissance architect and engineer was Filippo Brunelleschi of Florence, Italy. He was the master mind behind the dome of the famous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore also known as the Duomo. The building was built with machines that he invented just for the project.

Brunelleschi also known for designing and the rebuild for military fortifications in Pisa, Rencine, Vicopisano, Castellina, and Rimini. He also designed a mechanism that helped hoist things around stages in Florentine churches during theatrical religious performances like flying angels.

The dome of the Florence Cathedral is made up of 4 million bricks. The dome doesn't rest on the roof but on a drum. This made it so that there was no need to have scuffling from the the ground. The work on the cathedral started in 1420 and ended in 1436.

extra credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JRoa47D3NQ

The Americas responses

Claire- I also think it is very interesting that the civilization was not discovered until 1911. It makes you wonder if there is more to discover.

Holli-I like how you included information about the peoples social life. 

India and China responses

Katie- I thought your fact about China being the longest living civilization is interesting.
Hailey- I thought your picture of the current use and application was very fitting for the Chinese design, good choice.

The Americas

Most of Aztec pyramids were constructed with very steep stair cases. On the tops of these structures would sometimes be temples. Pyramids were often sometimes used for things like religious gatherings and human sacrifices. This was a time that was very brutal for people and was very violent. People would often sacrificed or killed for sport. People could compete in sport and the loser of the match would be sentenced to death.

Materials used for the ancient Mexican people would vary. Often times construction for the common house structure would consist of wood, straw, stone, sand, lime and clay. For the roofs they would combine straw and lay it over the structure. Floors would either be dirt or stone. The size of these houses would depend on your economic status. There was often one cut out in the wall per home for the display of a religious symbol or artifact. 

extra credit

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2813097/Filled-artifacts-ancient-Mexican-tunnel-lead-royal-tombs.html

China and India

Most people of ancient china could not afford to live in elaborate houses so they instead lived in simple structures made of mud brick. The houses would often face south so that the door would not let in the cold air.

During the Han Dynasty in 200s BC the religion of Buddhism had first come to China from India. The Chinese people began building "pagodas" to house the scared religious artifacts. Shortly after the 200s architects began building temples that were modeled after the design of the "pagodas".

During the Sond Dynasty people began designing the pagodas taller and thinner, they also had fancier finishes with wooded lattices around them. 

The Buddhist religion on India was practiced in structures called stupas. The oldest stupa that still remains is in central India and is from around 250 BC. (Sanchi Stupa)

Some of the buddhist temples in India were carved into the rock along side of cliffs. The temples would have columns along the front of them to withhold the structure. The rooms in the back of the structure would house statues of Budha in them. 

extra credit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgBA1veRlH0

responses to romansque

Holli- I liked how you went into detail about the different types of vaults that were designed and used during the time period. 

 Lisa- I thought the paragraph about the different colors used in the churches. Compared to the outside of the buildings the colors are much brighter. 

responses

savannah- your discussion about the minbars was nice I was not familiar with what those were.

Madelyn- interesting that the first mosaic was Mohammeds farm. I did not know that.

Islamic

Inside of Islamic architecture there are a lot of very detailed mosaics that line the interiors. These very detailed surfaces are often times many different colors. These mosaics could be made of different materials like glass and marble. The very first religious building with the detailed mosaics was the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It was built between 688-692 of glass on both the inside and outside.

The Dome of the Rock is in the shape of a octagon, which was not a designed that had been frequently if at all been done before its time. One modern day example of similar structure would be the Pentagon in Washington DC. Not exactly the same amount of sides but influence of the geometric shape could be taken from the Dome of Rock. Mosaic designed faded out of fashion in Islamic cultures after the 8th century. Work was sometimes done in tile work that was painted but did not have the same great look of the earlier mosaics. 

Romanesque

One very famous romanesque styled piece of architecture is the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore of Florence, Italy. The building sit in the center of Florence and was finished being built in 1436. The cathedral has a large dome at the top of it that was designed by engineer Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the building is covered in green, pink and white marble slabs connected to brick. The cathedral is made of three separate buildings and stretches 502 ft and is 376 ft tall at the highest point. 

Designed much like the Pantheon the done of the cathedral is very large but has no opening.  Designer Brunelleschi had trouble figuring out how he could get such a large structure to stand freely. He decided to build with brick rather than stone in order for it to be light enough. The shell was then made of sandstone in marble.

extra credit: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/early-renaissance1/sculpture-architecture-florence/v/brunelleschi-dome-of-the-cathedral-of-florence-1420-36

Erin- I thought Erin's extra credit video on the Byzantine Empire was very informative and went well with her information provided.

Emma- I thought your information about the chest was interesting. It is amazing that they were able to construct such strong locks during that time.

Byzantine

The Hagia Sophia is the most famous Byzantine monument to be built. It was once a church and now serves as a museum in Istanbul. It began being built in 537 and has served many different roles since then.  It is famous for its massive dome at the top of the building and was the largest cathedral until the Seville Cathedral was finished in 1520.

 In the building there are four pendentives that support the large dome. On the pendentives there are mosaics that are known to be older than 700 years. In the late 1840s architect Gaspard Fossati was working to restore the Hagia Sophia and covered 4 seraphim mosaics. These seraphim mosaics were of God's protector angels with 6 wings were covered with 6-7 layers of plaster. With the work of experts the layers of plaster were able to be removed and the faces of the seraphim were revealed after many of years.

Another interesting thing about the Hagia Sophia are the hidden tunnels underneath the building and covered the city of Constantinople. In the tunnels were secret rooms were treasures were hidden away for safe keeping over the years. There are also burials underneath and the first person known to be buried in the tunnels was Patriarch Athanasius of the 13th century. 

Prehistoric Rome

Here are some photos I took of the colosseum while visiting Rome. The first three photos are of the Colosseum and the second two are of the Pantheon. The Colosseum if an amphitheater build of concert and sand. It is located in the center of the city and is the largest amphitheater that has ever been built. It is estimated that the Colosseum could fit between 50000 and 80000 people at once. The Colosseum was used for different types of entertainment like gladiator combats, wild animal fights, and races. The building techniques of the Colosseum are still used in todays designs. 

The two photos below are of the Pantheon that is also located in Rome. This was the first building of its time to use the dome shape design. At the top of the dome there is a hole to let in light. This hole is known as an oculus. The Pantheon is the worlds largest unreinforced concert dome in the world. The building is one of the best preserved building in all of Rome. This is thought to be because over time it was very frequently used as a church. I remember the inside being one large room and although it was day time it was still some what dark inside. 

Prehistoric Greece

Below are pictures I took of the Elgin Marbles while visiting the British Museum in London. The pieces were detailed parts of the architecture in Greece. The sculptures are now known as the Parthenon sculptures. The sculptures were removed from the Parthenon and other buildings then transported to Britain by sea. To date there is controversy as to who the sculptures rightfully belong to and Greece has demanded for the sculptures to be return many of times. The arrangement of the sculptures being removed from Greece and moved to England was done by Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord Elgin. He was the British ambassador of the Ottoman Empire from 1799-1803. The Parthenon is a sculpture located in Athens dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. The building is about 228 feet by 101 feet in size. The temple was constructed from 447 B.C to 432 B.C.

Pediments: Pediments were found at the top of buildings and were triangular shaped slots for holding large sculptures. The picture above is one of the sculptures that was in a pediment on top of the Parthenon. The pediment on the east of the building tell a story of the birth of Athena. The pediment of the west tell the story of battle between Athena and Poseidon.  

extra credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeEdQFHmDJI
Here is a video of more of the pieces.

Response 2

Responses for Ancient Civilization time:
Becca- Your pictures with the diagram of paths showing how people moved throughout the pyramids was very interesting.
Emma- The pictures you used are great for your discussion about the fine detail that was used on the tombs and furniture.
Erin- Your information on the Ziggurat was very interesting. It is crazy that people were capable of building structures as tall as seven stories high like the Ziggurat.

Response 1

Responses for Pre Historic time:

Amanda- I enjoyed her examples of the stonehenge building techniques used today.
Angie- I liked how you discussed how the different patterns were used in constructed.
Anna- I love the piece of furniture you found that was inspired by the walls of the caves.

Ancient Civilization

Ancient Egyptian lived in constructed rectangular houses made of wood, sun dried bricks, and mud from the Nile. The climate in Egypt is very hot and almost rainless, this made the labour of building very intense. The rooms in larger houses were constructed around a courtyard. Windows in the houses were small and covered with a mat or shutter to keep out the dust and heat. Many houses of the time were multiple stores with a flat roof.  During the summer people would sleep on the roof to feel the breeze from the Mediterranean and stay cool.

Egyptian people often times had gardens at their homes. These gardens could include fruit trees, botanical gardens, exotic trees, and ponds. In tombs there were depictions that gardens were very formal. It is estimated that there were 18 different types of trees grown by the Egyptians. 

Above is the layout of an estate belonging to a nobleman. The gardens and agricultural yards were separated by a wall. Servants lived in separated quarters than the main house with the kitchen and workshop nearby them. Women had their own place in the home that was called a "harem" (different than the harems associated with Muslims). These grand estates were built as close to the river as possible but still a safe distance if flooding occurred. Being next to the water mad transportation easier. 

Furniture of the time was very minimal and homes would only consist of a few items per room. The people did not have many things to keep stored so baskets and chests were used when needed. Tables were hardly ever used, even when writing on scrolls people would squat and write on them using the ground. People slept in beds constructed of wooden legs with leather cloths fastened to them. 

Extra Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGQczWQoExI

Here is a video of ancient Egyptian furniture.

Prehistoric Periods

I was interested in learning more about the primitive igloos. The word "igloo" actually means house. The inuit would build these houses during the winter to live in while they hunted. The Inuit people didn't stay in one location very long so the structures they built as homes were very temporary.  Up until the mid 1950's there were still people living in these sorts of structures. The winter months were long and very cold with very few hours of daylight. The top layer of soil was so frozen it made digging beneath the soil almost impossible.

To build the igloos they would stack the snow ice blocks cut from a special knife. The blocks were stacked inwards to create the dome like structure. Loose snow was then used to fill in the cracks between blocks, this helped insulate the home. It only took the inuit people about 20-30 minutes to build the structures. Inside the home they would stack ice blocks then cover them with fur to create a sleeping structure.

During the summer months they would pack their things and relocate. The summer homes were tents constructed of caribou or seal skin. The skin was hung from wood pieces in the middle. Wood was very hard to come by so they were heavily guarded by its owner.

extra credit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-x5QOSqP3E
here is a short video on how the igloos are constructed