ARCHITECTURAL ASPECTS OF BUILDING SERVICES

EARLY CIVILIZATIONS RELATES TO THE

B U I L D I N G C O N S T R U C T I O N S.

EARLY SUMERIAN CITIES

The dominant city of early Sumer was Uruk

Kings of the Sumerian Dynasties lived in formally planned places.

Design of public buildings – attributed to the inhabitants of Southern Mesopotamia

TEMPLES
In a land without stone or wood, made out of sundried bricks, ornamented with mural
paintings or colored mosaics. The brick plat forms supported the religious shrines, Later
highlighted and elaborated to create complicated staged towers or Ziggurats. Other temples
at ground level enclosed in a sacred precinct with protective walls.

THE WHITE TEMPLE

The Sumerian cities of Uruk, built in 3000BC. Stood upon a platform with sloping facades
of paneled brick work.(40’-0” above ground level) Externally white plastered to the
worship of the sky god.
THE SUMERIAN PLATFORM TEMPLE.

At Khafaje – East of modern Baghdad. Built 2600BC. Enclosed in an oval shaped

Precinct. Outer enclosure wall were extended to protect a priestly residence with its own
private chapel. The inner courtyard - offering tables and showed evidence for animal
sacrifice.

THE GREAT ZIGGUART TOWER.

At Ur (now Southern Iraq).Built by King Nammu and Shulgi.( two Sumerian kings, 2113 –
2048BC) A distinctively Mesopotamian construction, a ziggurat is a stepped pyramid made
of mud brick, a series of platforms one on top of the other, each smaller than the one below,
with a temple on top. A triple stairway leads to summit of the first stage. A 4th stairway
gave access to 2nd and 3rd stages. In the flat landscape of southern Mesopotamia, it
resembled a mountain, and allowed people to reach up to the gods. Unlike Egyptian
pyramids, ziggurats were never tomb buildings.
MAYA CIVILIZATION
Maya civilization found in Yacatan. ( in Guatemala and Honduras) Period – 2nd century
B.C. – 15th Century B.C.

Main buildings:
At Uxmal, (now Mexico.)
GOVERNER’S PALACE: Described as “single magnificent building ever constructed in
Americas” in those days . Eight group of buildings. Carved decorations, super proportions,
The palace is set on a artificially constructed platform. Reached by stone steps in all sides.

CASTILLO:
The most impressive monument. A temple pyramid. (Build end of 12th Century). Stairways
rise on 4 sides to the caved temple,
INCA CIVILIZATION

Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Northern Chille.

Important:
Royal roads of the Andes, 3,250 miles long and passing through terrain as challenging as
any in the world was until 19th Century, the longest arterial road ever constructed.Rivers
were spanned by cantilever or pontoon bridges, Deep valleys by rope suspension bridges,
The cities of the Inca’s strung along the entire length of the empire, were unfortified,
Putting their trust by separate fortresses on nearby hills. Most of these cities designed
around a central plaza, with a sun temple, flanked by the palaces of the notable.

THE ASSYRIANS AND NEO BABYLONIANS

At 9th – 7th Century B.C.

Mesopotamian architecture acquired a new vitality. Sargon 11 , built a new capital at
Khorsabad.
City was in a magnificent scale.
• Walled city (more than 20’-0” meter thick.)
• Palaces, religious buildings raised on a big platform,
• leveled with their surrounding ,
• 4 principle gate ways, with guardian figures(human headed bulls and lion
sculptures)
• Ideas of richness, luxury(inside walls, corridors lines with pictures an
carved, painted murals, ivory furniture)
 Assyrian Citadel

Mesopotamian Civilization – a new dynasty of kings –Nebuchandnezzer revived glories

of Hammurai’s Babylon.
• Much rebuilding took place in old Sumerian cities,
• The capital city enlarged
• Heavily fortified,
• Added massive new buildings, consisted figured designs, colored glazed
brickworks
• The inner city on east bank of Euphrates had 5 mile circuit of walls.

HANGING GARDEN -

The gardens were attributed to the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled
between 605 and 562 BC. He is reported to have constructed the gardens to please his
homesick wife Amytis of Media, who longed for the plants of her homeland. The gardens
were said to have been destroyed by several earthquakes after the 2nd century BC.The
Hanging Gardens of Babylon are documented by ancient Greek and Roman writers,
including Strabo, Diodorus Siculus, and Quintus Curtius Rufus. However, no cuneiform
texts describing the Hanging Gardens are extant, and no definitive archaeological evidence
concerning theirs whereabouts has been found
According to Josephus;
“In this palace he erected very high walks, supported by stone pillars; and by planting what
was called a pensile paradise, and replenishing it(refilling) with all sorts of trees, he
rendered the prospect an exact resemblance of a mountainous country.”

According to Diodorus Siculus

Being a Persian by race and longing for the meadows of mountains, asked the king to
imitate, through the artifice of a planted garden, the distinctive landscape of Persia.

The park extended on each side, and since the approach to the garden sloped like a hillside
and the several parts of the structure rose from one another tier on tier, the appearance of
the whole resembled that of a theatre. When the ascending terraces had been built, there
had been constructed beneath them galleries which carried the entire weight of the planted
garden and rose little by little one above the other along the approach; and the uppermost
gallery, which was fifty cubits high, bore the highest surface of the park, which was made
level with the circuit wall of the battlements of the city. Furthermore, the walls, which had
been constructed at great expense, were twenty-two feet thick, while the passage-way
between each two walls was ten feet wide.

The roof above these beams had first a layer of reeds laid in great quantities of bitumen,
over this two courses of baked brick bonded by cement, and as a third layer of covering of
lead, to the end that the moisture from the soil might not penetrate beneath.

On all this again earth had been piled to a depth sufficient for the roots of the largest trees;
and the ground, when levelled off, was thickly planted with trees of every kind that, by
their great size or other charm, could give pleasure to the beholder.

And since the galleries, each projecting beyond another, all received the light, they
contained many royal lodgings of every description; and there was one gallery which
contained openings leading from the topmost surface and machines for supplying the
gardens with water, the machines raising the water in great abundance from the river,
although no one outside could see it being done. “

Quintus Curtius Rufus described in his ‘Own History of Alexander the Great”

“The foundations sunk thirty feet into the ground and the fortifications rise eighty feet
above it at the highest point. On its summit are the hanging gardens, They are as high as
the top of the walls and owe their charm to the shade of many tall trees.
The columns supporting the whole edifice (palace)are built of rock, and on top of them is a
flat surface of squared stones strong enough to bear the deep layer of earth placed upon it
and the water used for irrigating it.

So stout are the trees the structure supports that their trunks are eight cubits thick and their
height as much as fifty feet; they bear fruit as abundantly as if they were growing in their
natural environment. And although time with its gradual decaying processes is as
destructive to nature's works as to man's, even so this edifice survives undamaged, despite
being subjected to the pressure of so many tree-roots and the strain of bearing the weight of
such a huge forest.

It has a substructure of walls twenty feet thick at eleven foot intervals, so that from a
distance one has the impression of woods overhanging their native mountains. Tradition
has it that it is the work of a Syrian king who ruled from Babylon. He built it out of love for
his wife who missed the woods and forests in this flat country

EGYPT CIVILIZATION

2800 B.C. - To 1st Century A.D.

Architecture – the world earliest buildings in dressed stones
Invented the columns (capital and cornice) Fine craftsmanship
Memphis – the ancient capital of the early pharaohs.

The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the
conditions of the Nile River Valley. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of
the fertile valley produced surplus crops, leaded to social development and culture.

The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and
construction techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temples, a
system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and
agricultural production techniques, the first known ships, Egyptian faience and glass
technology, new forms of literature.

Egypt left a lasting legacy. Its art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities
carried off to far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations
of travelers and writers for centuries.
 A new-found respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period led to the
scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural
legacy

STEP PYRAMID OF SAKKARA

 Inspiration from simple mastabas or rectangular tombs of the earliest Egyptian
dynasties.
 Focal point of the vast funerary complex of king Zoser, who resigned in the 28th
century B.C.
 This complex is a work without precedent for at Sakkara , found for the first time.
 Brick and wood techniques translated in to stone
 (which is 100 years before the pyramids of Giza)
 at 2760 B.C.
 Rising in 6 great steps, 200 ft, above the desert.
THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA

 Most famous Egyptian antiquities , defy time mortality.

 Entomb the great Pharaohs of the 4th dynasty.
 Colossal sculptured mountain of the sphinx guards the pyramids of Giza.
 Sphinx –” human headed lion”

THEBES AND THE GREAT TEMPLES

Thebes – Capital of the upper Egypt

The temple of Amon at Luxur. (14th century B.C.)
Special features:
a: Pylon gateway
b: Second collocated court
c : narrow pillard hall
d : Pylon gate way
e: grand open court ( enclosed by double Colonnade bud columns.)

QUEEN HATSHEPSUT’S TEMPLE

• Valley temple, mortuary temple.
• Built 15th Century B.C.
• Colonnaded limestone terraces, linked greatly sloping ramps are set against the
mountain precipice.

GREEK CIVILIZATION

• Essence of good temple design.

• Purely formal objects.- Greek temples.
• They were the abode of gods.
• Task of architecture: - was to make them beautiful.(Greeks regarded beauty as an
attribute of the god.)
• Established 3 forms of columns ( Doric, Ionic, Corinthian)
• Those used for temples mostly (ionic temples, Doric temples….)
Religious sanctuaries of Greece:
Delphi, Olympia, Delos ( the major cities)
Athens City:
Oldest Greek city,
• Irregular street plans,
• Implies uncontrolled growth – Greeks went overseas and developed gridiron street
plan.
• Temples, places to meet people to do business, Store merchandise – those needed
walls to protect them.
• House extremely simple.
• Markets, political assemblies, courts of justice – conducted in the open air.
• Mecedonians – encouraged above process,
• Initiated a new kind of city life , much closer to that of day
• Eg: Hellenistic cities – contained
public fountains, theaters, council chambers, gymnasia, schools, libraries, public baths,
lavatories.

King Alexander –
• Many new cities were founded by this period.
• Conscious overall planning.
• Building zoned in to appropriate quarters.
• “Market place” – became a focal point.
• Around the market place, grouped the commercial and administrative buildings.
• Enjoyed the limited form of street lighting.(Alexandria, Corinth)
• Places of Clubs, bathing, athletic – Greek citizens enjoyed and meet people.
• Domestic life – serious, houses more elaborated rooms for specific functions.
The Doric Temples
Eg: the temple of Aphaia at Aegina( 490 B.C.)
Temple of Hera Argiva in Italy are the best preserved.

The Doric Order: -

• The height of a doric column is between the 5 and
6 times of its diameter
• Shaft is tapered made to bulge slightly.
• Illusion of an inward curve created by a straight column.
• Base plat form.

The Ionic Temples

Eg: the temple of Athena.

The Ionic Order: -

• Its 8th or 9th time of its diameter.
• 24 flutes more than on a doric column.
• Adjacent flutes separated by a fillet and were rounded off at top and bottom.

The Corinthian Order:

• The head is shaped like an inverted bell.
• The main decoration effect is achieved by rows of carved acanthus leaves.
• Eg: the Temple of Olympian Zens at Athens.

ACROPOLIS-
Group of buildings, mostly temples.
3 magnificent structures
a. Propylaea – ceremonial gateway
b. Parthenon
c. Erechtheion

a. Propylaea –
  ceremonial gateway
 Framed the only point of access on the steep slopes of the acropolis.
 Use doric, ionic features.

Plan and Elevation of Propylaea–

b. Parthenon –

Most perfect Doric temple ever built.

Dominating the Acropolis was the Parthenon.
Subtle combination of the architecture and the sculptor.
c. Erechtheion –

Antithesis of the Parthenon. Built on two levels.

AGORA

Market place , commercial center in Athens.

An open space, filled with buildings.( mostly religious or political purpose)
GREEK THEATRES

Perfect example is Epidauros.

A circular dance floor with an alter at its centre..
Separate assembly areas for chorus and spectators.
Upper banks are more steeper than the lower banks.(a good acoustic practice)
ROME CIVILIZATION

Julius Caesar – began to provide the city of Rome with monuments worthy of a world
capital. started to remodel the entire center of Rome.
Augustus Caesar – he had found Rome “a city of Brick” and left in a “city of marble”, and
later turned much it in too “city of Concrete”.
Rome as most splendid city in the world produced whole range of buildings that never been
seen before.

FORUM
Forum” is the city center of an empire
“Forum Romanum”
This was the oldest and most important in the city. Had no counterpart elsewhere.
Caesar added a second forum. Augustas, Vespasian, Trojan added forums.
Eg; Forum of Trajan, Forum of Augustus, Forum of Vespasian.

a: Forum of Romanum 1.0 House of vestal virgin

b: Forum of Trajan 2.0 Temple of Divus Julius
c: Forum of Augustas 3.0 Basilica Julia
d: Forum of Nerva 4.0 Temple of Concord
e: Forum of Vespasian 5.0 Basilica Amelia

BASILICAS-Large halls, great concourse (hall of commerce and justice) ,set up as an

independent building.
BATH ,GYMNASIA –
Above Buildings with concrete.- art of vaulting, vast interiors

THEATERS, AMPHITHEATRES, STADIA

Immense size and ingenuity of design.
“THE COLOSSEUM “–Roman Amphitheatre
• The largest Roman Amphitheatre
• Entertainment value ( used for animal games)
• 48,000 people holding capacity.

BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE
Originally meant irregular or misshapen.
This style was evolved in Rome,
Baroque expressed the spirit of the new Catholicism

THE PIAZZA OF ST. PETERS

• A grand approach to the Church.
• Greatest number of people could see the “pope” , give his blessing, either from
middle of the façade or from in the Vatican Palace.

Prepared By:
Niranjala Wijayaratna
B.S.c.(B.E.),M.Sc.(Arch), AIA(SL)
Chartered Architect