Architecture
Architecture is the design of buildings and other
structures, such as bridges. An architect’s job is to
make sure a building is well built and safe and
pleasant to use. It also has to be suitable for its
purpose—theaters need room for a stage and
dressing rooms, for example. Architects also try
to make buildings look interesting and inspiring.
GETTING STARTED
Before designing a building,
architects need to know what the
building is for, where it is to be
built, and how much money can
be spent on it. They then work
out what the building will be
made from and the position and
measurement of every wall, door,
and window, which they record
in great detail on drawings called
plans. Sometimes they make a
scale model of the building, too.Ideal homes People live in
buildings that are suitable for
the environment in which they
live. Usually, they use local
materials, such as wood
and stone, or clay made
into bricks. Some are
even built into rocky
hillsides or caves.
The Inuit of the
Arctic make
temporary shelters
from ice because
there is nothing else
to build with.TIMELINE OF ARCHITECTURE
CHANGES IN STYLE
Every period of history is marked
by its own style of architecture.
This reflects changes in taste
and fashion and new building
techniques and materials. Most
cities are a mixture of old and
new buildings that show many
different styles. STILT HOUSES Some
people who live along coasts
and rivers build their houses
on stilts to avoid flooding. BAMBOO HOUSES
The Gamo people of Ethiopia
make houses from split bamboo,
which is woven and thatched. ANTONI GAUDI was a Spanish
architect with a distinctive style. His most
famous work is the Sagrada Familia, the
unfinished cathedral in Barcelona, Spain.ANCIENT EGYPT ANCIENT GREEKS BYZANTINE
200 BCE–500 CE
The Romans used concrete
to construct many large
buildings and structures.2590–2500 BCE
Pyramids of stone erected in the
Nile valley as tombs for kings.700–44 BCE
Ancient Greeks built
temples with specific
proportions, known as
the classical style.1100–1500
Grand buildings of the
medieval period feature
pointed arches, ribbed
vaulting, and flying
buttresses to support
high walls.330–1453
Byzantine buildings
are characterized by
rounded domes on
square bases and
arches supported
by columns.ANCIENT ROME GOTHIC
CULTURE