History of architecture | WORLD architecture

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
• 2ND Century – 4th Century AD

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
1. Vastness and Magnificence
GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCE 2. Ostentation and Ornateness
- Roman use arch in structural innovation

ROMANS ARE “ENGINEERS”

- Large – scale undertakings such
as sewers and city walls
- Complexes, and buildings with
several stories
- Utilitarian, practical,
economic use of materials –
function than the beauty
Fig 1. Roman Civilization
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
• “Rome” - Founded by two brother and
demigods, Romulus and Remus – had an • Roman Concrete Walls (5 types)
argument on who will rule the city and
Romulus killed Remus - Opus Quadratum – rectangular
• Location has a central and commanding blocks of stone with or without mortar
position on the Mediterranean sea joints frequently secured with dowel
and cramps
RELIGION

• Religion became part of the constitution of

the state
• Fewer temples for worship because they
venerated their emperor more than their
gods

ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
- Opus Incertum – small stones laid in
• Invention of Concrete – chief bldg. a loose pattern roughly assembling the
material polygonal work
o Made out of stone or brick rubble &
a mortar of w/c the important
ingredient was “Pozzolana”
• Sophisticated engineering skills
• Emphasis on Monumental Public
Buildings

BUILDING MATERIALS
• Marble, Granite and Alabaster –
primary facing materials
• Stucco and Mosaics

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- Opus Recticulatum – fine joints in ORDERS OF ROMAN COLUMNS

diagonal lines like the meshes of a net Greek:
- Doric
- Ionic
- Corinthian
Roman: development of additional column
- Tuscan – no fluting
- Composite – mixture of Ionic and
Corinthian
ADDITONAL

- Opus Testaceum – triangular bricks

(plan) made for facing the wall

• Tuscan
- The Etruscans simplified the
version of the Doric Order with
smooth-shafted columns, a simple
capital, base and entablature

- Opus Mixtum – bands of “tufa” • Composite

introduced on intervals having small - A classical Roman order, a hybrid of
square stone blocks Ionian and Corinthian, with fluted
columns, a capital with both volutes
and acanthus leaves, a base and an
entablature with dentils.

Composite Column Detail

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VAULTS
- Hemi Spherical – used over circular
• Romans – explored the concept of the structures
Arch
• Arches Ex. Pantheon – 43.3 m & 44.5m dia
o limited in terms of height, but in sphere
terms of span can be wider (Perspective and Cross sections)
o provides bigger space underneath
the arch, unlike Greek, using
intercolumnation – columns are near
providing less space

• Different Types of Vault

Development by the Romans
- Semi-circular / wagon – headed /
Barrel Vault
- Cross Vault
- Hemispherical Vault

- Semi Circular / wagon – headed /

barrel vault
o Borne on two parallel walls
throughout it’s length
o Buttress – support of the arch

ARCHITECTURE CHARACTER /
- Cross / Groin – formed by the STRUCTURES IN ROMAN
intersection of two semi-circular vaults 1. Forum
of equal span 2. Basilica
3. Thermae
4. Amphitheater
5. Circus
6. Aqueduct
7. Temple
8. Triumphal Arches
9. Town Gateways & Archways
10. Pillars of Victory or Monumental
Columns
11. Rostal Columns

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ARCHITECTURAL PROTOTYPE • Basilica – originally Halls of Justice or

• Forum – open space used as a meeting Assembly Hall
place, market or rendezvous for political
demonstration (Greek = agora)

Forum Romanum

Trajan’s Basilica , built by Apollodarius of Damascus

• Thermae – Roman’s luxurious bath

Parts of a Thermae
1. Tepidarium – warm room
2. Calidarium – hot room
3. Frigidarium – cooling room
4. Sudarium – dry sweating room
5. Apodyteria – sweating room
6. Palaestra – for physical exercise
7. Unctuaria – place for oils and perfumes
8. Spaeresterium – game room
- Forum Romanum – oldest forum

Thermae Caracalla, Capacity of 1,600 bathers

- Forum of Trojan – largest forum

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• Circus – A long U-shaped or enclosed

arena for chariot and horse racing
(equivalent of the Greek’s
Hippodrome)

Thermae of Diocletian, Largest capacity of 3,000

bathers

• Balneum – Inside thermae; private bath

in Roman palaces and houses containing:
o Tepidarium – warm room
o Calidarium – hot room
o Frigidarium – cold room Circus Maximus in Rome

• Amphitheatre – used for gladiatorial • Aqueduct – used for water supply,

combats, elliptical in plan with smooth channels (specus)
- “Colosseum” Flavian Amphitheater lined with hard cement and carried on
▪ Commenced by Vespasian – arches in several tiers
emperor of rome
▪ Completed by Domitian

Aqua Marcia, Rome, Roman Aqueduct

Aqua Cladia, Rome

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• Temple Example of Arches:

- Arch of Tiberius, Orange
The Pantheon, Rome - Arch of Titus, Rome
- most famous and perfectly preserved of all - Arch of Septimius Severus, Rome
- Arch of Constantine, Rome
ancient buildings in Rome
- Currently a Christian Church (Sta. Maria
Rotonda)
- World’s largest unreinforced concrete dome
- Serves as a temple, church and tomb for
the past centuries
- The building was sited in an area north of
the old city center known as Campus Martius

Arch of Tiberius, Orange

• Town Gateways and Archways –

serves as a protective wall and
commemorative monument; ornamental
portal to forum

Pantheon, Rome Porticus, Octavie

• Triumphal Arches – erected to

commemorate victorius campaigns of
emperors and generals

Arch of Titus

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• Pillars of Victory or Monumental • DOMUS

Columns - Private house
- Erected to record triumphs of victories of - Parts of a Domus:
generals (conquered by land)

Trajan’s Column

• Rostal Columns – erected to celebrate

naval victories (Rostra – rows of captured
ships)

▪ Fauces/ Prothyrum – vestibulum

(main entrance hall)
▪ Tabernae – shops facing the street
▪ Atrium or Entrance court – an open
area in the center, where guests are
greeted
▪ “Impluvium" – a water cistern
collector, drain pool and sunken
rectangular portion of the atrium
▪ Tablinum – open living room
▪ Triclinium – roman dining room
▪ Alae – open rooms or alcoves on
each side of the atrium
▪ Cubiculum – bedroom

• Villa – luxurious country house with

surrounding terraces and gardens, collonades,
• ROMAN HOUSES
palaestra, theaters and thermae
• Domus – private house
• Villa
• Insula or Apartment Block

• Insula – many story tenements also called

“Workmen’s dwelling”

READ JPT HANDOUT!!!!

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