UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

REVIEWER FOR HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE OF ASIA

ARCHITECTURE CORRELATION COURSE

Ar. Lorelei D.C. de Viana, PhD

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS IN INDIA

• Mohenjo Daro and Harappa (3000 – 2500 BCE)

• Indus River area or Indus valley in area mostly occupied now by Pakistan
• Archaeological finds (material evidences)
• Town planning, architecture, plumbing (water supply, sanitary and sewer) systems
• Artistic finds – seals and statues
• Seaports built near the Arabian sea
• Trade extend to Sumer where Harappan seals are discovered
• Dravidians occupy the land

• 2000 -1500 BCE

• Mohenjo Daro abandoned
• Harappa abandoned
• Invasions through the mountain passes and steppes

• 1500-500 BCE
• Aryans arrive from northern steppes and push back the Dravidians to Southern India

THE ARYANS (1500-500 BCE)

• Tall white people from the northeast of the Black Sea and who migrated to Europe and south to
Persia and India
• Introduced language to the areas they occupied, now known as the Indo-European family of
languages
• First 1000 years, no known written history, only oral history
• Only religious literature can attest to the developments during this period, known as the
Vedic Age
• The Vedas are religious books that include battle hymns, chants, religious rituals, sayings,
and tales
• The Rig-Veda was the most important, containing more than 1000 hymns, songs and chants
• Children are educated by priests through memorization of the Vedas word for word
• Vedas are transmitted orally from generation to generation

Aryan Society

• Three classes :
Warrior-nobles – the leader was called rajah
Priests
Commoners – tended cattle
• Classes of Highly Developed Aryan Society
Brahmins – priests
Kshatriya – warrior nobles
Vaisya – commoners (merchants, traders, artisans, landowning farmers, herders)
Sudras – laboring class (Aryans who married non-Aryans, conquered Indian peoples) who were looked
down upon by the three upper classes

HINDUISM
• The highly developed Aryan society, also resulted in a complex form of religion – Hinduism.
• There are many gods. One of the triumvirates is that of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, responsible for
the creation, preservation and destruction of the world.
• Belief in the soul
• Karma and reincarnation
• Good karma brought about by correct dharma (duty)
•The goal of each soul is moksha – release from the cycle of death
and rebirth; Moksha occurs when the soul unites with Brahman
(world spirit) through path of duty, path of knowledge and path of
devotion.
•The Vedas are the ultimate authority.
The UPANISHADS -- a collection of writings by religious thinkers,
discussing the basic ideas about right and wrong, the universal order,
and human destiny – set forth the basic ideas of Hinduism.
HINDU Trinity - Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, Shiva
the Destroyer
Lord Krishna - avatar (material manifestation) of Vishnu
Shiva - represented in the Lingam

Shiva Lingam - symbol of male fertility

HINDU ARCHITECTURE

Types of Hindu Temple Architecture

1. Northern Type - NAGARA
2. Southern Type – DRAVIDIAN
3. Combination Type - VESARA

NAGARA STYLE
Consists of:
• Shikhara - tower
• Garbha griha (womb house) – usually surrounded by an ambulatory
• Antarala – open or closed vestibule connecting the mandapa and the garbha griha
• Mandapa – assembly hall

DRAVIDA STYLEists of:

1. Pyramidal or kutina-type tower
2. Square-chambered sanctuary
3. Mandapa or assembly hall
4. Pilasters marking the exterior wall
5. Wall of tower in graduating levels with niches and sculptures
6. Tower is capped by dome-shaped cupola, pot and finial
7. Tall Gopurams or gateways leading to the temple

VESARA STYLE
Also known as Karnataka Dravida
• Combination of the Nagara and Dravida Styles
• Found in the Deccan area of India

Principal components of Buddhist architecture in India

1) Vihara – refuge; monastery
2) Chaitya – prayer hall usually with a small stupa
3) Stupa – mound shrine for holy relics
4) Rails
5) Stambha (or lata) – pillar or column

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA

Mughal architecture
is an architectural style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the
ever-changing extent of their empire in Medieval India. It was an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkic and
South-Asian architecture.

Example: Taj Mahal in Agra, India built by Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his deceased wife
Amber Palace by Jai Singh I

Jali (pierced screen) - used extensively in Indian architecture as windows, room dividers, and railings
around thrones, platforms, terraces, and balconies. Used in outer walls, they were ideal for cutting
down glare while permitting air to circulate.

CHINESE ARCHITECTURE

Chinese civilization - started in settlements near the Yellow River or the Huang He River.

Shang Dynasty ca. 1766 BCE - first dynasty in China

Qin Shih Huangti - first emperor of China; unified the different warring states. His tomb is in Xian,
China where thousands of terra-cotta warriors, each with different faces, stand guard protect his tomb

Temple of Heaven - located near Beijing, it is a temple complex used during the Ming and Qing
dynasties by the emperor to pray to the god of heaven

Gong – Chinese palace and later referred to imperial and religious buildings; the Potala Palace, in Tibet
is a gong to the Chinese
Ting – Chinese kiosk or gazebo; columns support a roof

Liangting – Chinese kiosk where travelers rest

Curved roofs – Buddhist belief to ward of evil spirits; to allow more light if the eaves are upturned

Lou – Building of one or more storeys used as a belvedere; a tower

Tai – Chinese terrace or belvedere with a flat top

Ge- storeyed pavilion similar to a lou, but with windows, doors and walls

Pagoda – comes from the Sanskrit word “bhagavat”; contains holy relics or collections related to
Buddhism

Dugong bracket system - Chinese traditional architecture bracketing system which uses a dos and a
gong

Feng shui – Chinese geomancy used to harmonize individuals with the environment

Chinese Architectural Characteristics:

Unity of architectural components

Seismic responsiveness
Standardization of parts
Bright colors
Systematic grouping of buildings

ARCHITECTURE IN THE HIMALAYAS

Chorten or choeten - a stupa characterized with an eye of the Buddha at the top spire

Potala Palace - home of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet

Mandala - a geometric figure representing the universe in Hinduism and Buddhism

Tantric Buddhism - developed in the Himalayas

ARCHITECTURE IN JAPAN

Mina - Japanese house characterized by wooden frame and modular plan

Tatami (Jo) - mat used as modular system in space arrangement

Washi - paper used for making room partitions

Fusuma - partition using cloth or heavier paper

Shoji - lighter partition using paper affixed to a wooden lattice

Tokonoma - a raised alcove for hanging picture or scroll or placing ikebana

Ikebana - Japanese form of flower arrangement

Bonsai - art of miniature gardening

Tea Ceremony - Japanese rite for drinking tea

Chashitsu - architectural space or structure used for tea ceremony; the chasihitsu is designed in the
sukiyaki style; sukiyaki is another term for chashitsu

Shinto - Japanese religion which includes ancestor and nature worship and in the belief of the kami
(sacred spirit/power) of animate and inanimate things; the state religion of Japan since the
8th century until 1945

Torii - Japanese red-orange colored gate to a shinto shrine

Japanese Zen rock garden - a rock garden found in Zen Buddhist monasteries used for meditative
purposes; characterized by gravel and rock forms or islands of rock amidst the gravel

Tokugawa Shogunate - founded by Ieyasu Tokugawa who unified Japan and made Edo (now Tokyo) the
capital; it introduced urban planning that included creating efficient security and disaster
systems in Edo, zoning, and connecting territories through the Nihonbashi Bridge
construction; the shogunate introduced the planting of cherry trees in the avenues and
lanes of Edo
Ukiyo-e - Japanese art form that flourished in the 17th to the 18th centuries using wood block printing; it
depicted kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers, folk tales; and erotica
Manga - Japanese art form of comics or cartooning with historical roots in Japanese prints

Examples:
1. Himeji Castle - castle to be first declared a World Heritage Site; known also as White Heron Castle
because of its very white appearance or facade; most intact Japanese castle

2. Horyuji Temple - oldest existing wooden building in the world in Nara, Japan

3. Todaiji Temple - temple in Nara, Japan which has the world’s largest bronze statue of the buddha
Vaicosana or the Daibutsu

KOREAN ARCHITECTURE

Korean architecture - heavily influenced by Chinese architecture; buildings usually built on a platform or
podium to accommodate the ONDOL heating system

Ondol or Gudeul heating system - Korean heating system which uses direct heat from a wood fire to
directly heat the underground of a stone floor through a system of horizontal flues and a
chimney where heat is finally released out in the air

Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) - one of the gates of the fortified city of Seoul; first to be declared as
National Treasure of Korea

ARCHITECTURE OF INDOCHINA

Cambodia (Kampuchea)
Khmer - referring to its people
Angkor - ancient city in Cambodia
Angkor Wat - temple in Angkor originally a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu and built by Suryavarman;
later converted into a Buddhist temple I
Angkor Thom - built by Jayavarman VII
Wat - temple

Burma (Myanmar)

Shwedagon Pagoda or Shewdagon Zedi Daw - a Buddhist temple for the Theravada Buddhism branch
and is known for its golden stupa; also called the Golden Pagoda; located in Yangon,
Burma
Bagan Temples - during the height of the kingdom, many temples numbering to thousands were built in
Bagan ca. 1100-1300 CE

Vietnam

Imperial City of Hue - seat of the old Kingdom of Vietnam; laid out with huge walls, a moat, ceremonial
apartments, private apartments, and gardens or courtyards
Hoi An - ancient trading post known for its many ancient shophouses, Japanese bridge and street silk
lanterns lit up at night; declared a UNESCO World Heritage site

Laos

Wat - Buddhist temple; also called vat

That - Buddhist stupa that holds religious objects

Thailand - old name Siam

Ancient architecture heavily influenced by the Khmers (Cambodia). Important ancient sites include
Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. It was in Ayutthaya that ancient architecture (temple making) reached its height
and the style was perfected and refined.

Sala Thai - an open kiosk with a roof but no walls, where people can meet or seek shelter from the sun
and the rain
Kuti - a small structure for a monk

ARCHITECTURE OF INDONESIA

Borobudur - significant Buddhist temple in Central Java; a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Bali - essentially Hindu

Batavia - old name of Jakarta when it was colonized by the Dutch; Old Batavia in Jakarta

Traditional houses:
• Minangkabau house - known for the overlapping saddleback roofs with upturned gables
• Rumah - house

ARCHITECTURE OF MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE

Rumah - house
Penang - British colony in Malaysia with buildings influenced by British colonization; World Heritage
Site
Malacca - old Portuguese colony in Malaysia with buildings influenced by the Portuguese; World
Heritage Site
Petronas Towers - iconic Kuala Lumpur Landmark consisting of two towers linked by a skybridge;
Architect Cesar Pelli

Singapore

Merlion - iconic symbol of Singapore

Black and white house - bungalows painted in black and white and used by British expatriates during the
time Singapore was under British rule
Peranakan - noun and adjective used to describe Chinese Malays
Marina Bay Sands - iconic Singapore landmark with a skylark and infinity pool on top; has the world’s
largest cantilevered platform; architect Moshe Safdie Architects
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay - Michael Wilford and Russell Johnson architects
Shophouse - architectural type found in different parts of Asia usually with a shop at the ground level
and the dwelling at the upper floor

CHINESE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGIONS - HONG KONG AND MACAU

Hong Kong - former British colony

• Bank of China Tower - I.M. Pei and L.C. Pei of I.M. Pei and Partners

Macau - former Portuguese colony

• St. Paul’s Cathedral facade
• Grand Lisboa - architects Dennis Lau and Ng Chun Man
• Macau Tower

ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
Characterized by geometric forms and motifs, calligraphic designs, horseshoe or pointed arches

Mosque - house of prayer and worship; also known as masjid

Mihrab - niche inside a mosque which points to the direction of Mecca
Qibla (kiblah) wall - wall that points to the direction of Mecca
Minaret - tower where the muezzin calls the people to prayer
Kaaba - holiest spot in Mecca where Muslims converge and pray around in counterclockwise fashion
during their pilgrimage
Madrasah - Islamic school

TALLEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD TODAY (2019)

1. Burj Khalifa - Dubai

2. Shanghai Tower - Shanghai, China
3. Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower - Mecca
4. Ping An Finance Center - Shenzhen, China
5. Lotte Tower - Seoul, Korea