MODULE-02

Characteristic features of a style – Characteristic features and

examples from world architecture.Development of Roman vocabulary
of Architecture, Structural and Engineering feats - Geometry and
Greek Architecture, Greek Capitals and Orders. Gothic:
Characteristics of Gothic churches and cathedrals, Renaissance:
development of stone vaults into groined systems. Indian architecture:
A brief study of the architecture of Buddhist, Hindu and Indo-islamic
period. Introduction to Kerala Architecture: Evolution of architectural
style, Factors that influenced the development of Kerala architecture:
Materials, Climate & Socioeconomic factors.

An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building

or other structure notable or historically identifiable.It is a way of classifying
Architecture largely by morphological characteristics:
1. Form
2. Technique
3. Materials
When certain features of buildings of a certain period are selected as the elements
of a building composition and after a watching if it recalls our memory of that
period is termed as style
Architectural style is a way of classifying architecture that emphasizes
characteristics features of design leading to terminology such as Gothic Style.
Styles therefore emerge from the history of a society. They are documented in the
subject of architectural history. At any time several styles may be fashionable, and
when a style changes it usually does so gradually, as architects learn and adapt to
new ideas. The new style is sometimes only a rebellion against an existing style,
such as postmodernism (meaning "after modernism"), which in the 21st century
has found its own language and split into a number of styles which have acquired
other names.
Architectural styles:-
1. NEOLITHIC ARCHITECTURE

Neolithic Architecture also known as “ Stone Age” architecture contains some of

the oldest known structures made by mankind.Distigushable by paleolithic
mesolithic making and use of stone tools.Neolithic culture have been shown to
have existed in southwest asia as early as 8000 B.C to 6000B.C.The peoples of the
Americans and the pacific region remained at the Neolithic level up until the time
of European contact .Neolithic Architects were great builders who used mainly
mud-brick to construct houses and villages. Houses were plastered and painted
with ancient senses of human and animals.Many of the more famous neolithic
structures were remarkably made by enormous stones.

2.EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE

Due to lack of wood most Egyptian architecture was made with mud brick and
stone.Minerals include limestone,sandstone,and granite which were generally used
for tombs and temples.Most ancient Egyptian towns have been lost because they
were situated in the cultivated and flooded area of Nile valley.temples and tombs
survived built on ground unaffected by nile flood and constructed on
stone.Egyptian architecture is based mainly on its religious monuments and
pyramids.

3.NEOCLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE

Neoclassical style produced by neoclassical movement during the 18nth

century.Neoclassical or new classical architecture describe buildings that are
inspired by the classical architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. It has a
symmetrical shape,tall columns that rise the full height of the building,dominant
roof etc.Example U.S. Capitol Building,White house etc.
4.ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

It is adopted from Greek classical architecture.It is constructed with new structural

principles based on the development of the arch and new building
material,concrete.First to utilize the two forms of roof design,the arch and
vault.Vault is arched roof or ceiling(dome).it eliminated use for column to support
roofs.the columns are mainly used for sculpture decoration.Romans built more
kinds of structures than any earlier civilization.in addition temples,and
palaces,Romans constructed aqueduct,public bath,shops and outdoor arenas.

5.GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Mainly flourished in western europe from the 1100’s 1400’s.New systems of

construction allowed for architects to design churches with thinner walls and
lighter piers.piers extended several stories high and into the roof area making
individual column like ribs on open umbrellas.Ribbed vaults are most
distinguishable characteristics of Gothic Architecture.other style included pointed
arches,stained glass windows,flying buttresses .Flying buttresses were brick or
stone arched support built along outside walls.emphasizes vertically and skeleton
stone structure.Pointed arch was introduced for both visual and structural
reasons.channels weight onto the bearing piers or column at a steep angle.gothic
cathedrals could be highly decorated with statues and paintings.
6.RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE

Beginning between the early 15th and the early 17th centuries i different regions of
Europe .The Renaissance style places emphasis on symmetry,geometry,and the
regularity of parts.orderly arrangement of arches,niches replaced the complex
proportion view of medieval buildings.Renaissance building have a
square,symmetrical,planned appearance. Facades(front of the building)are
symmetrical around their vertical axis.the columns and window show a progression
towards the centre.Domestic building are often surmounted by a cornice.Windows
may be paired and set within a semicircular arch.Roofs are fitted with flat or
coffered ceilings.they are not left open as in medieval architecture.They are
frequently painted or decorated.
7.MODERN ARCHITECTURE

Modern architecture is usually characterized by a rejection of historical style as a

source of architectural form,an adoption of the principle that the material and
functional requirements determine the result and adoption of the machine aesthetic.
INDIAN ARCHITECTURE

Indian architecture encompasses a wide variety of geographically and historically spread

structures,and was transformed by the history of the Indian subcontinent.The result is an
evolving range of architectural production that,although it is difficult to identify a single
representative style,nonetheless retains a certain amount of continuity across history.The
diversity of Indian culture is represented in its architecture.It is a blend of ancient and
varied native traditions,with building types,form and technologies from west and central
Asia,as well as Europe.Architectural style range from Hindu temple architecture to
Islamic architecture to western classical architecture to modern and postmodern
architecture.
India’s urban civilization is traceable to Mohenjodaro and Harappa,now in pakistan.From
then on,Indian architecture and civil engineering continued to develop,and was
manifested temples,palaces and forts across the Indian subcontinent and neighboring
regions.Architecture and civil engineering was known as sthapatya-kala,literally”the art
of constructing”.
Indian architecture starts from period of the Indus valley civilization between 3500 to
2500 B.C,where we can see remains of the famous cities of MohenjoDaro and
Harappa.The remains of Indus Valley gives the idea of building activities in that period
and at the same time makes a link with the later period of Hindu Architecture.Mohenjo
Daro and Harappa were well planned and were famous cities of the time.In harappa the
houses were bricks and in later period stone was introduced.There were no windows in
the houses on the street side in Mohenjo Daro and Harappa.In Vedic period after the
valley civilization bamboo and timber were chiefly used as building materials and
gradually they found place in the cave and stone architecture. The Buddhist religion starts
from vedic period.The Buddhist monks started thinking that the structures must be
everlasting and at the same time there must be a peaceful environment for
meditation.therefore they started rock cut cave structure such as Ajanata,Ellora, and Karle
monuments of Buddhist period.These structures are have to long life.Indian architecture
which has been termed as “cave architecture”.
Buddhist architecture was a longer period and gave different type of architectural
monuments with different type of building materials and method of construction.after
buddhist period and 1000A.D to 1300 A.D .Jain religion contributed towards architecture
which is known as Jain Architecture.The period from 600 A.D to 1900 A.D is known as
Hindu Temple Architecture,that of from 1300 A.D to 1900 A.D as islamic ARchitecture
period and that from 1900 A.D onwards may be called as the Modern Architecture
Period.

BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
Buddhist architecture began with the development of various symbols,representing
aspects of Buddha's life.Indian emperor Ashoka not only established buddhism as the
state religion of his large Magadh empire,but also opted for the architectural monuments
to spread Buddhism in different places.The major features of styles are
1. Stupas
2. Stambhas
3. Chaityas
4. viharas

Fig:sanchi stupa Fig:sun temple,konark

Buddhist religious architecture developed in the indian subcontinent in the third century
BCE.Three types of structures are associated with religious architecture of early
buddhism:monasteries(viharas),places to venerate relics(stupas), and prayer halls which
later come to called temples in some places.There are two phases of Buddhisms:
1. HINAYANA
2. MAHAYANA

One of the earliest buddhist sites still in existence is at sanchi ,India and this centered on
a stupa said to have been built by king Ashoka.A characteristic new development at
religious sites was the stupa.stupa was originally more sculpture than building.
ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY FEATURES OF BUDDHIST ARCHITECTURE
STUPAS(domes)
Dome shaped structures used to house sacred relics of the monks and hence also known
as “Relics -shrines”.
The construction materials- Earth materials covered with stone or brick.The
plan,elevation and basic structure all derived from the circle.stupa is mount of the earth
enclosing a reliccan be compared with the massive form of the great pyramids of
egypt.they also called thuppa.
Sanchi stupa- It is located 40 km north east of Bhopal,and 10 km from besnagar and
vidisha in the central part of the state Madhya pradesh.sanchi stupa was built by
Ashoka.Sanchi stupa is located on the top of sanchi hills,which rise about 100m high
above the plan.The great stupa at sanchi is the oldest stone structure in india.
Structural features-The spherical dome symbolized the infinite space of the sky.the dome
is called anda or egg. The dome is solid brick work and is 36.60m in dia,and 16.64m
high.

A large hemispherical dome which is flat at

the top,and crowned by a triple umbrella or
chattra on a pedestal surrounded by a square
railing or harmika.
There are four gateways known as Toronas
At the cardinal points of the campus.it made
by ivory or metal workers.
2.STAMBHAS(PILLARS)
The next development was the free standing monolithic columns erected over sites
selected because of their sacred associations.They were basically stone objects.in the
context of Hindu Mythology ,stambha is believed to be a cosmic column.
Design-A stambha consist of a circular column shaft slightly tapering towards the
summit(monolithic).on top of this shaft is the persepolitan bell or inverted lotus shaped
base.above this is the abacus on the top which rests the crowning sculpture.these three
portions carved out of a single stone(monolithic).
3.CHAITYAS
A Buddhist prayer hall with stupa at one end.Made for large gatherings of devotes.Made
in rock-cut due to permanency of structure.Chaityas were influenced by ascetic lifestyle
of vedic period and tendency of hermits to retire in solitude.
Basic characteristic-
Accommodate stupa,Apsidal plan,No division between naive and chaitya

Architectural features-Wooden construction inspired from vedic period limited in natural

rocks.supplement with wooden surface for eg.-screens etc(half timber
construction).shows similarities to Roman concept of column and arch,but no evidence
of any relation.Rectangular halls with finely polished interior walls.
4.VIHARAS
A monastery ,arrangement of cells for accommodation of monks.dwelling were simply
wooden construction/thatched bamboo huts.near settlement on trade routes.after first
century AD,viharas came in as educational institutes.

Construction material-Rock cut architecture basically used wooden construction down to

joinery detail.hardly structure.

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
Islamic architecture has encompassed a wide range of both secular and religious
architecture styles from the foundation of islam to present day,influencing the design and
construction of building and structures within the sphere of islamic culture.some
distinctive structures in islamic architecture are mosques,tombs,palaces and
forts,although islamic architects have of course also applied their distinctive design
precepts to domestic architecture.The widespread and long history of islam has given rise
to many local architectural styles,including Persian,Moorish,Timurid,Ottoman.
Fatimid,Mamluk,Mughal,Indo-Islamic,sino-islamic and Afro-Islamic architecture.
Notable Islamic architectural types include the early Abbasid buildings.T-type mosques
of Anatolia.also Islamic architecture also discourages illustrations of anything living,
such as animals and humans, due to the fact that at death,their soul will never rest in
peace.
In the muslim period they introduced not only certain new modes ad principles but also
reflected the religious and social needs of the Muslims.some of the important elements
are follows:
1. Spacious,Airy and Open Structures-The muslim made all the structure very
spacious, airy and open which can clearly be seen by the general layout of Hindu-
temple and Mosque.
2. Minars and Minarets-Minarets in the beginning were constructed for the Muezzin
to call the faithful for prayer but later on minarets assumed a mere architectural
character.
3. Arches,Vaults and Domes-The introduction of the arches replaced flat lintels or
corbelled ceilings and domes replaced the pyramidal roof of the spire.
4. Tomb-Since under muslim religion burial of the dead body is defined therefore the
construction of the tomb was introduced for kings and other noble persons.
5. Mode of Theme of Ornamentation-Though ornamental decoration was common
between Hindu and Muslim architecture but there were vital differences in their
modes and themes.
 6. Material for Construction-Lime was a well known material for construction and
there were various methods to prepare lime mortar of different strength and life
even then mud was used on large scale for brick work.
QUTAB MINAR-
Qutub Minar at Delhi is the best example of this art which was started by Qutab-ud-din
Aibak in 1199 A.D and completed by Illtutmish in 1230 A.D.It is built of red sand
stone.It is a circular tower having 13.8 meters diameter in base and tapers into a width of
3m at the top which is 70.5meters from ground,having balconies at different stages.The
other structure like Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur,Humayun's Tomb at Delhi,Agra-fort,Buland
Darwaza at fatehpur sikri,Taj Mahal at agra etc.

GO GUMBAZ ,BIJAPUR
It was built in the middle of 17nth century A.D.It is also famous as the Round
Dome.Externally the structure is in the form of cube surmounted by hemispherical dome
with a tower at each other.The base of dome has ribs joining a point which conceal with
the drum.The dome of 43.2 meters-external diameter is supported by a combination of
intersecting arches.
HUMAYUN’S TOMB
Akbar’s earliest building is the tomb of Humayun at Delhi built under the instruction of
Humayun’s wife-Hozi begum.sand stone and marble are chief building material.This
building is based on persian architecture influenced by traditional indian art.The central
building is on 6.5 meter high terrace.This high terrace has several arch ways which open
in to a room.The interior of the Tomb building has a group of compartments which are
octagonal in plan and diagonally connected with one another.The dome of Taj Mahal was
derived by inspiration of this Tomb.

TAJ MAHAL
It was built on the bank of river Yamuna by Mugal Emperor Shahjahan for his beloved
begum Mumtaz Mahal.The tomb is constructed on 6.6meter high plinth.The lower part is
square in plan and rises o a height of 32.4 meters and is surmounted by the cupolas.The
inner compartments are octagonal and connected with one another by diagonal passages
similar to the tomb of Humayun at Delhi.The main structure is surrounded by ornamental
gardens,fountains and pools.The taj has been described as a “dream in marble”designed
by fairies and finished by jewellers.It is called “Queen of Architecture” and”Treasure in
Beauty”.It was the highest art of the architecture of the Mughal Period.
KERALA ARCHITECTURE
The architectural monuments of any place speak about its cultural heritage.Kerala has
plenty of such architectural monuments.They include caves,temples,mosques,churches
theaters,houses,palaces and public buildings.All these structures are simple in form
merging with nature.The architectural style of kerala owes much to its geographical
features and its warm humid climate along with other factors which may be summarized
below.