What is architecture? Load, structure and the four big ideas
Architecture is designing buildings and spaces that stand up (firmness), work for people (use) and look and feel good (beauty), an old idea from the Roman writer Vitruvius.
Gravity pulls every part down. The structure carries this load to the ground.
- Post and lintel (beam): two uprights hold a horizontal beam. Simple, but stone beams crack if long, so columns must be close.
- Arch: wedge-shaped stones push on each other along a curve; the top stone is the keystone. Wider spans, but the arch pushes outwards, so the sides need support.
- Vault and dome: an arch pushed along a line makes a vault; an arch spun round makes a dome.
- Frame: a skeleton of steel or reinforced concrete carries the load, so walls can be thin or glass.
Ancient styles: Egypt, Greece and Rome
Ancient Egypt (about 2600 BCE onwards): massive stone pyramids and temples with rows of thick columns carved like papyrus or lotus plants. Built to last forever and to show the power of the pharaoh and gods.
Ancient Greece: temples on a raised base with columns all round, a horizontal beam (entablature) and a triangular gable (pediment). Columns follow three orders: Doric (plain cushion top, sturdy), Ionic (two scrolls, slimmer), Corinthian (leaves of the acanthus plant). Proportion and symmetry were key.
Ancient Rome: used Greek orders, but its big step was the round arch, the vault, the dome and concrete. This gave aqueducts, amphitheatres, baths and the great domed temple of the Pantheon.
Later revivals: the Renaissance (15th–16th century) brought back columns, domes and perfect proportion; Baroque added drama, curves and light; Neoclassical buildings (18th–19th century) copied Greek temple fronts.
Early Christian, Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic
Early Christian: churches took the shape of the Roman basilica, a long hall with a central aisle (nave) and side aisles, ending in a rounded apse.
Byzantine (eastern Roman empire): a huge central dome over a square space, held up by curved triangles at the corners (pendentives), with shining gold mosaics inside.
Romanesque (about 1000–1150): round arches, barrel vaults, very thick walls, small windows, sturdy towers. Inside it is dim and solid.
Gothic (from about 1140): pointed arches send the load more steeply down; ribbed vaults gather it into thin piers; flying buttresses outside take the sideways push. So walls can be tall and thin, opened up with huge stained-glass windows and round rose windows. The aim: height and light.
Modern architecture: from the industrial age to digital forms
New materials changed everything. Iron and glass made railway stations and exhibition halls. Steel frames and lifts made skyscrapers possible. Art Nouveau (about 1890–1910) used flowing plant-like lines in iron, glass and furniture, treating a building and everything in it as one total work of art.
Modernism (20th century) said 'form follows function': simple shapes, no added decoration, open plans, flat roofs, long windows, concrete, steel and glass. Today architects use computers (CAD, 3D modelling) to design curved and folded forms, test light and energy, and build parts by machine. Sustainable design uses sun, shade, wind and local materials to save energy.
Designing space: drawings, light, movement and access
Drawings and models
- Site plan: the building on its plot, with paths, trees and north.
- Floor plan: a slice through each floor seen from above, drawn to scale (for example 1:100).
- Elevation: each outside face seen straight on.
- Section: the building cut through, showing heights, floors and stairs.
- Perspective sketch, physical model and CAD to see the design in 3D.
Space, light and people
Zoning: put quiet rooms (sleep, study) away from busy ones (kitchen, living). Circulation: the paths people take should be short and clear. Light: windows facing the sun, high windows and light colours brighten a room; artificial light can be general, task or accent. Feel: high ceilings feel grand, low ones cosy; warm colours feel close, cool ones calm. Accessible design: ramps, wide doors, lifts, handrails and clear signs so everyone, including wheelchair users and older people, can use the space.
Geometry
Buildings use symmetry, repeated modules, golden-ratio-like proportions, circles in domes and arches, and today curves and folded shapes designed by computer. Good architecture also fits its site, climate and nature.
Key formulas and definitions
- Vitruvius: firmness + use + beauty
- Post and lintel → arch → vault/dome → frame
- Greek orders: Doric (plain), Ionic (scrolls), Corinthian (leaves)
- Romanesque = round arch + thick walls; Gothic = pointed arch + ribbed vault + flying buttress + stained glass
- Plan = from above; elevation = from the side; section = cut open
- Scale 1:100 → 1 cm on paper = 1 m in real life
Worked examples
1. A column has a top with two spiral scrolls. Which order is it?
Ionic. Doric tops are plain; Corinthian tops have leaves.
2. Why could Gothic churches have much bigger windows than Romanesque ones?
Pointed arches and ribbed vaults send the load down into a few piers, and flying buttresses outside take the sideways push. The walls no longer carry the main load, so large parts can be glass.
3. A floor plan is drawn at 1:100. A room is 4.5 cm long on paper. How long is it really?
1 cm = 100 cm = 1 m. So 4.5 cm = 4.5 m.
4. Name the style: huge central dome on a square base, gold mosaics inside.
Byzantine.
5. You design a small library for a school. Give three space-design choices.
Put it in a quiet zone away from the playground; use north light or high windows for even daylight without glare; add a ramp and wide aisles so wheelchair users can reach every shelf.
6. Why could a skyscraper not be built in stone like a Gothic cathedral?
Stone walls would have to be impossibly thick at the bottom to carry many floors. A steel frame carries the load in a light skeleton, and lifts make the height usable.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the Greek orders. Look only at the capital: plain, scrolls or leaves.
- Calling every pointed arch Romanesque. Romanesque = round arch; Gothic = pointed arch.
- Thinking a plan shows the outside of the building. A plan is seen from above, sliced; an elevation shows a face.
- Thinking architecture is only about looks. It must also stand up and work for the people who use it.