CHAPTER 6: ORGANIZATION IN ARCHITECTURE
silver and gold from bottom to top
Building – must be measured by the standards of its
own period rather than ours
- they have evolved through history.
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE (4000-2280 B.C.E)
Art in Ancient Egypt- continued strangely unchanged
through the various phases of foreign influence from
Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Religious rites & architecture- their close connection is
manifested everywhere.
Religious rites of Egyptians
-traditional, virtually unchangeable, and mysterious
-these traits are reproduced in the architecture, both of
tombs and temples
Egyptian monumental architecture
- columnar and trabeated style
-is expressed mainly in pyramids and in temples
Egyptian temples – approached by impressive avenues
of sphinxes in their massive pylons, great courts,
hypostyle halls, inner sanctuaries, and dim, secret
rooms, possessed a special character.
Sphinx – mythical monsters, each with the body
of a lion and the head of a man, hawk, ram or
woman .
Greek temples – planned as one homogeneous whole,
and the component parts were all essential to the
complete design.
Egyptian architecture – maintained its traditions
-when there was a need for a change in methods of
construction or in the materials used, the traditional
forms were perpetuated in spite of novel conditions
- it is impressive by its solemnity, gloom, and solidity
(suggests that the buildings were intended to last
eternally)
Purpose of the Pyramids
 To preserve the mummy of the Pharaoh for the
return of the soul in the infinite hereafter.
 The center of the cult of the royal dead
 The dominant element of the vast monumental
complex
Tomb
- Desire for permanence was expressed by the
extremely stable shape, by the static mass, and
perhaps by the size, which also testified to the
Pharaoh’s power.
Mastabas – tombs of the nobles
- the same desire to build for eternity
was evident
- solid block-like masses of rough
masonry sketched in cut stone
MESOPOTAMIAN ARCHITECTURE (6TH CENTURY B.C.E)
-is evident in its palaces and temples.
Ziggurat (tower)
– built at successive levels with ramp leading from one
platform to the next.
- is like the modern building with setbacks
-its corners point north, south, east and west
-the vertical walls of each story were closed
Temple of Babylon
-built by Nebuchadnezzar (6th century B.C.)
-the stones were colored white, black, blue, yellow,
-the effect may have been garish, but at the base, it was
striking.
Use of Brick – the Assyrians developed the arch in its
multiple, the canopy.
Shape value – was destined to be among the most
important influential devices in history of architecture.
GREEK ARCHITECTURE (1100-100 B.C.E)
- in its most characteristic form is found in the temple.
Temple
– a low building of post-and-lintel construction
Post-and-lintel Construction
-2 upright pieces or posts are surmounted by a
horizontal piece (lintel) long enough to reach from on
to the other.
-simplest and earliest types of construction
-more commonly used than any other
-a typical example is found in the ruins of the Temple of
Apollo
-is well adapted to wood
Wooden beams – are strong and are able to
uphold the weight of a roof
-are not permanent
Stone lintels – are enduring but they cannot be
obtained in as great lengths
- they can stand much less weight than wood
- in stone buildings, distance between posts
must be small.
3 TYPES OF GREEK ARCHITECTURE
 Doric
-is seen in the Temple of Apollo at Old Corinth
and in the Parthenon, one of the greatest
temples ever built.
-Doric column – has no base; the bottom of the
column rests on the top step
-Doric order – can be identified by the low
cushion-like shape part of its capital
-Frieze – is divided into trygliphs and metopes
 Ionic
-Ionic column – is taller and more slender than
the Doric
-it has a base, and the capital is ornamented
with scrolls on each side
-Frieze is continuous
- Architecture below the frieze is stepped
-it is divided horizontally into three parts
-Some features of the Ionic order trace their
ancestry to Asia Minor
 Corinthian
-Corinthian column – base and shaft resembling
the Ionic, tended to become much more
slender
- Capital – distinctive feature which is much
deeper than the Ionic
-Corinthian entablateur – is not distinguishable
from the Ionic in Greek architecture. They share
the same entablateur.
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE (1000 B.C.E-C.E., 4000)
-is still evident in the ruins of coliseum
The Romans
- adopted the Columnar and trabeated style of the
Greeks.
-developed also the (stone) arch and vault from the
beginnings made by the Estrucans (the early inhabitants
of west-central Italy).
-with the use of concrete, they build vaults of a
magnitude never equaled till the introduction of steel
for buildings in the 19th century.
Keynote of the Roman Style (earliest stages)
- combined use of column, beam and arch
Art of buttressing – was developed in the course of
early engineering works, which frequently required the
retaining of masses of earth.
Another characteristic of R.A. is a flat round dome that
covers an entire building, as in the Pantheon.
Pantheon at Rome
- the finest of all illustrations of Roman construction
-embodies every form of Roman buttress
Roman domes – are always saucer-shaped outside,
though hemispherical within.
BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE (C.E. 200-1453)
- is characterized by a great central dome which had
always been a traditional feature in the East
-the grouping of small domes or semi-domes round the
large central dome was effective.
-Byzantine Churches – forms of the vaults and domes
were visible externally, undistinguished by any timbered
roof.
-Byzantine Style – the exterior closely corresponds with
the interior.
Byzantine – takes its name from Byzantium, later called
Constantinople¸ and now called Istanbul.
WESTERN ARCHITECTURE IN THE MIDDLE AGES
(C.E.400-1500)
-passed through 3 stages of development (Early
Christian, Romanesque, and Gothic).
-these 3 styles developed one out of another.
Romanesque – was an outgrowth of the early Christian,
and the Gothic, of the Romanesque
Western style – follow the general type of the Roman
Basilica, a long rectangular building divided by pillars
into a central nave and aisles
-Often the nave is higher than the aisles, and therefore,
there is opportunity for clerestory lighting.
Early churches – the building was one simple rectangle
with an apse.
-later, the plan was adapted to the shape of a cross by
the addition of cross aisles between the nave and the
choir.
- The arms thus made are known as transepts.
-MAIN ENTRANCE: high altar at the west
EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE (C.E. 400-700)
Early Christian Basilica – has grown in part from the
Roman house where the earliest Christians met for
worship, and in part from pagan basilicas
Classic temples – the emphasis lay on the exterior
Christian church – the emphasis lay on the inside
Central Type – 2nd form of building
- was designed around a central vertical axis instead of a
longitudinal one
Long, internal lines of the Basilica
- carried the eye of the visitor from the door to the altar
as their ritualistic climax of the structure.
Circular or Octagonal buildings – focused on the center
Mosaics – used in decorating interiors of early Christian
churches.
Early Christian Style – is structurally light, with a simple
lightweight, flat wooden roof.
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE (11TH AND 12TH century)
-is an extension and development of the Early Christian
Basilica exemplified by S. Apollinare in Classe
-Examples: Notre Dame la Grande at Portiers (exterior)
and Abbayeaux-Dames (interior)
Romanesque (Romanish) Style – has very heavy walls
with small window openings and a heavy stone arched
or vaulted roof inside
-resembles the Roman style.
Romanesque cathedral – several small windows were
combined in a compound arch. Gothic: this process was
continued until the arches appeared only as stone
tracery.
Romanesque church – the façade sometimes has one
doorway, sometimes 3. Gothic Façade: regularly had 3
doorways.
Romanesque Decoration – simple moldings, with or
without carvings of conventional designs, figures,
animals or fruit. Gothic: the human figure became the
characteristic decoration, a recessed doorway being
filled with rows of saints or kings.
Gothic Style – is known primarily for its cathedrals and
churches. There are also many beautiful palaces,
especially in Venice.
RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE (15TH AND 16TH century)
-is a return to the ideals of the Greeks and Romans, it is
not a slavish imitation, but rather a free use of materials
found in classic architecture.
- cathedral or temple is no longer the typical building
-secular architecture comes to the fore
-Designers got their ideas from Greece and Rome.
Example: Medici-Riccardi at Florence designed by
Michelozzo
BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE (1600-1750)
-flourished in the 17th century and in the opening years
of the 18th century.
-it is characterized primarily as a period of elaborate
sculptural ornamentation
-architectural framework is close to Renaissance
Columns and Entablateurs were decorated with
garlands of flowers and fruits, shells, and waves.
Alcoves – were built into the wall to receive statues,
thus making a pattern of light and dark.
Surfaces were frequently carved
Churches no longer used the Gothic nave and aisles
-often have domes or cupolas, and they may or may not
have spires.
The Church of S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane is an
excellent example of the love of ornament, the
movement, restlessness and excitement of the style
Comparison of the apse and the façade of St. Peter’s
-reveals interesting differences in style.
Apse – which was designed by Michaelangelo, is
crowded
-It covers the drum and is not entirely in stylistic
harmony with it.
Façade – we see the spirit of the Baroque in the massed
columns which are doubled for the sake or ornament,
the decorative pediments, the pilasters and the heavy
stringcourse
THE 19TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE
-is known as a period of eclecticism
Eclecticism in architecture – implies freedom on the
part of the architect or client to choose among the
styles of the past that seems to him most appropriate.
(Renaissance was eclectic in its attempted revival of
Roman forms)
Italian villas & Swiss chalets
- jostled Victorian Gothic Churches and Victorian classic
post offices.
-these styles were superficial and interchangeable
-they had in common, in this age of materialism &
ostentation, plans whose outlines were broken by
protruding bay windows, towers or porches; restless
silhouettes; and ill-advised experiments in colored
materials.
Crass vulgarity of the styles as a whole typified the
Victorian buildings’ age
Beginning in 1890, eclecticism changed its flavor.
Modern Eclecticism
-was not only purer in style; it understood something of
the flavor of the past as well as its forms.
-was marked by scholarship, taste and sympathy for the
forms of the past and remarkable ingenuity in adapting
central heating, plumbing, and electric lighting to those
forms.
-RESULT: chaos of any American suburb, where a single
street might show examples of Gothic half-timbered
houses, French chateaux, colonial cottages, Spanish
patios and Renaissance palaces
-Each of these styles was produced by its own social,
economic, spiritual, and geographic conditions.
- NONE of them could express the new conditions of life
in the 20th century
MODERN ARCHITECTURE
-is an attempt to interpret one’s purpose through
building in a style independent of fix symmetries
New materials came to be utilized:
 Prestressed steel in tension
 High-pressure concrete
 Glass block
 Wood
 Metal
 Chromium
 Plastics
 Copper
 Cork
 Steel
 Gypsum lumber
 Real and artificial stone
 All varieties of synthetic &compressed materials
 Versatile plywood
Strength- is no longer synonymous with massiveness,
for more efficient new structural materials are used in
varying forms, scientifically calculated to avoid waste.
Supporting Function
-is created by a light, cage-like skeleton of steel and
reinforced concrete, which is faster and easier to build
Reinforced concrete- is made by pouring concrete over
steel rods laid in temporary wooden moulds.
Mushroom-headed columns & slab-like floors
-are poured together to become a single monolithic unit
of great strength
- this principle was utilized in the Van Nelle tobacco
factory.
PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE
-is a result of various foreign influences while it makes
full use of modern technology (Leandro Locsin)
-it includes remembrance of the past framed in terms of
significance today
-Philippines – has shown knowledge and expertise in all
the arts
-Roxas Boulevard, Ayala and Escolta, one can see that
architecture in the Philippines has come up with the
The old St. Augustine Church, the University of
Santo Tomas, San Sebastian Church and some
parts of Intramuros
times.
Reflect not only the living proofs of the antiquity of
architecture in this country but also trace back the
influence of Europe on this particular art at a time when
most of the civilized countries in the world regarded the
Far East as pagan and primitive.
-Landscapes in tourist spots attract foreigners
-They are impressed with local use of the latest in our
architectural technology
-The use of concrete, wood, coconut products, thin
shells, a wide choice of marble, and other locally
available products is becoming extensive.
-One can notes the predominance of native products
used, as materials for edifices of apparently western
architectural forms
RP architecture captured in churches by Salazar F.
-it says the modern architects and writers doing
analyses of the Philippine churches marvel at the
majestic structures which were designed and built
during the Spanish regime.
Roger Gaspar
-“flowering of the colonial church architecture in the
Philippines” – a significant event in the history of the
Philippines (that the Filipinos’ spontaneous and
inventive attitudes created a kind of architecture that
was unique from Western architectural idioms)
Ilocos Norte’s Paoay Church
-massive buttresses of the Church
-are reminiscent of the builder’s struggle with
earthquakes and that this church became the epitome
of earthquake-resistant churches.
Morong Church in Rizal
-mentioned for its integration of the belfry with the old
façade
-became one of the most well-composed architectures
in colonial Philippines.
The Great Churches- authored by Galende and Mid-1920’s – Philippine architecture showed the Art
Javellana Deco. The Metropolitan Theatre along Plaza Arroceros.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE
-designed by Architect Leandro Locsin -are merely traditional and the traits are reproduced in
-center for performing Arts the architecture, both in tombs and temples.
-is the womb & bosom of the development of the Arts Juto (longevity tower) – is a kind of mausoleum in
in the Philippines ancient times erected during one’s lifetime to celebrate
-had been living up to its aspirations of Katotohanan his own or another’s longevity.
(truth), Kagandahan (beauty), and Kabutihan Hideyoshi Toyotomi – built the Tensuji temple in the
(goodness) and its commitment to the growth and courtyard of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto to pray for his
development of Filipino culture and arts mother while she was seriously ill. Grateful fro her
-acts as a national coordinating center for arts and subsequent successful recovery, he constructed a Juto
culture. at Tensuiji in 1452
-makes the Philippines proud of Miss Saigon, Manila,
Souvenir Program, 2000 During the latest repair of the building, 2 Chinese-ink
Main Theatre can seat up to 1,853 signatures from the 1591 were found in its square
frame. These dates correspond to Tensuiji Juto which
HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE CULTURE was constructed under Toyotomi’s order. Thus, it has
Architecture in the Philippines been confirmed that this structure was built in 1591.
-is the result of various influences
-it developed from pre-colonial influences, the Spanish There are many buildings in Kyoto which are thought to
colonial period, American Commonwealth period, and be remains of Toyotomi’s jurakudai or Fushimi Castle,
the contemporary times but only a few have been identified as actually built by
Philippine architectural landscape him
-evident among the small traditional huts made of
wood, bamboo, nipa, grass and other native materials
-it is also seen today in the contemporary modern
concrete structure of the cities
Bahay kubo – is a typical traditional house found in the
Philippines
Bahay na bato – derivation of bahay kubo
-it used sturdier materials.
(Wealthy Filipinos built homes with solid stone
foundations and brick walls during the 19 th century)
Tribal Architecture – is influenced by culture in some
cases by the climate and environment.
 Cordillera mountains–houses are more secured
 Maranao Houses – designed for royalty are
built with much ornamentation and elaborate
details
 Houses in Batanes – because of the weather,
are built solidly on all sides and covered with
thick thatch roofing to withstand the typhoons
that frequently affect the area
Antillan Architecture -brought by the arrival of the
Spaniard in 1571
Christianization of the islands –created the need to
build religious structures

SOME OF THE BEST COLONIAL CHURCHES ARE IN:

- Ilocos Region, Laguna, Batangas, Panay, Cebu, Bohol

Convents, belfries, and walled forecourts -are built

near the churches

STRUCTURES THAT WERE DEVELOPED DURING THE

SPANISH PERIOD:
-Ateneo Municipal, University of Santo Tomas, Colegio
de San Juan de Letran and the Hospital de San Juan de
Dios

1898 – Americans came and new architectural

structures were introduced. Government houses built
during that period resembled Greek or Roman temples