WHAT IS ARCHITECTURE

Architecture is more than just designing beautiful

buildings; its a conceptual discipline focused on
problem solving.
BY METHODS OF USING analytical thinking skills and the
ability to overcome various structural and design
challenges, INFUSED WITH LEARNED HISTORY PLUS
THEORETICAL TRAINNING.
Architecture is not only a practical field, but also an artistic
one..
A design excellence that demands not only the skillful
manipulation of form, but also inspiration from a broad body
of knowledge.
Intelligence, creativity, sensitivity, and a thorough knowledge of
the arts and sciences are essential to achieving distinguished
architecture.

In an architecture graduate program, students learn its history and receive theoretical
training, as well as develop analytical thinking skills and the ability to overcome various
structural and design challenges.
Architects have an understanding not only of design and construction, but also of the
cultural and social dynamics of the areas in which they work. To be successful, they
must also have knowledge of the historical and structural needs of the communities
where their buildings will be developed.
Architecture students spend time focusing on building technologies, environmental
sciences, architectural principals, designs, materials and methods. Beyond required
theory and skills courses, students are allowed to choose a concentration that may
include architectural histories, building technologies, environmental sciences, urban
studies, computer graphics, urban landscapes and urban designs. Much of a students
time will be spent working in the studiodesigning projects, drafting plans, and building
models. As part of a graduate program, student work will be critiqued and evaluated at

various stages. Student and faculty critiques are considered an invaluable part of the
learning environment.

Architecture Terms
Youre standing in front of the Parthenon or some other great work of architecture. The
tour guide next to you starts talking about orders. Youre ready to put in your lunch
request until you realize that shes referring to the architecture. The terms in the
following list can help you understand architectural lingo and even speak it if youre
so inclined.
arch:

a structure spanning an opening that is supported from the sides.

minaret:

a slim tower that is part of a mosque and is used to call the faithful to
prayers.

buttress:

a support on the outside of a wall that helps to stabilize a vault or roof.

orders:

styles of classical architecture developed by the ancient Greeks and

Romans; they include the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

column:

a vertical post divided into a base, a shaft, and a capital at the top.

portico:

a porch with a roof supported by a row of columns.

dome:

a curved, semispherical roof structure that is circular in plan.

quoin:

a large stone at the corner of an exterior wall.

entasis:

a slight, outward curvature in a column that corrects an optical illusion and

gives the appearance of being straight.

rustication:

roughly surfaced stonework on exterior walls; popular during the

Renaissance.

faade:

the face or exterior architectural treatment of a building.

shaft:

the section of a column between the base and the capital.

gable:

the triangular portion of a wall under the end of a pitched roof.

tracery:

curvy ornament in the upper part of a Gothic window.

hypar:

short for hyperbolic paraboloid, a type of shell structure with downwardly

and upwardly curved surfaces.

uplift:

raising of a structure in response to structural forces.

Ionic:

a type of classical architecture with scroll-like decorations, called volutes,

on the column capital.

vault:

an arched ceiling or roof.

jamb:

the vertical side of a doorway or window.

wythe:

a continuous band of brick or stone that is one unit in thickness.

keystone:

a wedge-shaped unit at the top of an arch.

ziggurat:

a type of stepped pyramid used as a temple in ancient Mesopotamia.

Notable Architects through History

To understand architectures evolution, its important to become acquainted with some
of the stars who pushed design in new directions. The men in the following list definitely
left a mark, and many of their marks are still standing today!
Imhotep:

The first architect known by name, this ancient Egyptian created

the worlds first stone monument, a tomb for King Zoser.

christopher Wren:

This English classical architect is more famous for rebuilding St.

Pauls Cathedral than for the 51 new churches he designed in
London.

Ictinus &Callicrates: This team of Greek architects spent more than a decade perfecting
the Parthenon, the most influential building of all time.
Karl Friedrich Schinkel: Versatile in classical and Romantic styles, this German master
designed one of the worlds first museums.
Hadrian:

A Roman emperor and architecture buff, Hadrian propelled design

and engineering to new heights with the Pantheon.

Louis Sullivan:

A skyscraper pioneer, Chicago architect Louis Sullivan decorated

his modern structures in leafy ornament.

Abbot Suger:

This French monk was influential in developing the soaring

architecture of Gothic cathedrals.

Frank Lloyd Wright: The most famous American architect of the twentieth century rooted
his organic architecture in the land.

Filippo Brunelleschi: One of the first architects of the Italian Renaissance, Brunelleschi
designed the dome of Florence Cathedral.
Le Corbusier:

Born Charles Edouard Jeanneret, this Swiss-French genius used

glass, steel, and concrete to invent a modern language for buildings
and cities.

Great Architectural Domes

Architecture often goes for the dramatic and a dome is often the most notable
architectural feature of a building or the shape of the building itself. Some of the great
domes around the world are shown in the following list:
The Pantheon: Rome, Italy
St. Peters Basilica: Rome, Italy
Hagia Sophia: Istanbul, Turkey
St. Pauls Cathedral: London, England
Dome of the Rock: Jerusalem, Israel
Taj Mahal: Agra, India
Florence Cathedral: Florence, Italy
U.S. Capitol: Washington, D.C.

Main Entry:

decor

Part of Speech:

noun

Definition:

colors, furnishings of a place (INTERNAl)

Synonyms:

adornment,
color
ornamentation

Main Entry:

decoration

Part of Speech:

noun

Definition:

beautification, embellishment

scheme,

decoration,

interior

design,

Synonyms:

adornment, beautifying, bedecking, bedizenment, designing,

elaboration, enhancement, enrichment, festooning, flounce,
flourish, frill, furbelow, garnish, garnishing, illumination,
improvement, ornament, ornamentation, redecorating, spangle,
trimming