teenagers: architecture and landmarks

MAIN ARCHITECTURE STYLES

Islamic

Beginning in the Middle East in the 7th century. A Mosque is the best example of Islamic styles including the pointed arches, domes and courtyards. Decoration on flat surfaces take priority as the Koran forbids three-dimensional representations.

Important characteristics: The horseshoe arch, geometric designs, more focus on the enclosed spaces and interior rather than exterior, perforated screens.

Where to see it: Hui Mosque in China.

Romanesque

It emerged across Europe in the late 10th Century. The most famous feature is the rounded arch, typically found in the Roman-style churches, of which are the main survivors of the period

Important characteristics: Rounded arches, repetition of rows of round-headed arches, stylised floral and foliage stone decorations and cable moldings around doors in the style of twisted rope.

Where to see it: Porto Cathedral, Portugal

Gothic

Beginning in the mid 12th Century, More decorative than classical styles, walls were thinner, columns more slender, windows adorned with stained glass and designed so to draw the eye upwards.

Important characteristics Height and grandeur, pointed arches, Vaulted ceilings and light and airy buildings.

Where to see it: Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Renaissance

the Renaissance style appeared in Italy during the 15th Century and was characterised by harmony, clarity and strength.

IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS: Square buildings, flat ceilings, classical motifs, arches and domes, Roman-type columns, enclosed courtyards, arcades of vaulted bays.

Where to see it: St Peter’s Basilica, Rome

Baroque

Originating in the late 16th century in Italy, As part of the Counter-Reformation the architecture was an attempt to celebrate the Catholic state.

Important characteristics Broken pediments, ‘broken’ at their apex, sometimes with a cresting ornament placed in the centre, elaborate ornamentation, paired columns, convex and concave walls.

Where to see it: Palace of Versailles

Neo-classical

Neo-classicism emerged in the mid 18th Century. Inspiration was taken from the classic styles of Ancient Greek and Roman buildings and design. Simplicity and symmetry were the core values.

Important characteristics Grandeur of scale, blank walls, excessive use of columns, free-standing columns, large buildings, clean lines.

Where to see it: Casino Marino, Malahide.

Bauhaus

Originally an art school in Germany in the early 1900s the Bauhaus movement held the idea that all art and technology would be unified under the idea of simplistic design and mass-production. Rejecting decorative details the designs favoured function

Important characteristics Cubic shapes, primary colours of red, blue and yellow, open floor plans, flat roofs, steel frames, glass curtain walls.

Where to see it: Dessau, Germany

Modernist

Modernism is a blanket term given to a movement at the turn of the 20th Century and can include styles such as Futurism, Post-modern and New Classical. Forms were intended to be free of unnecessary detail and focus on simplicity and there is an honouring of the materials used rather than concealing them.

Important characteristics Lack of the decorative, low buildings, use of modern materials, interaction with interior and exterior spaces, use of sun and shading for human comfort, use of glass and natural light.

Where to see it: Guggenheim gallery, New York.