Architecture & Town

Planning CE-208
(Introduction)
By: Engr. Dr. Muhammad Arsalan Khan
DCE, IIU Islamabad
Email: arsalan.khan@iiu.edu.pk
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Architecture & Town Planning CE-208
• Pre-requisite: None
• Credit Hours: 2
• Contact Hours: 32

• Course Objective: To understand ancient and modern form of

living. To impart knowledge related to economic and
development of areas.

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Recommended & Reference Books

• Broddbent, G. J.C. Anthony, Emerging Concept in Urban Space

Design, Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Ltd.
• Snyter, J.C. Introduction to Urban Planning, Milwaukee
McGraw Hill Book Co.
• Fletcher, S.B. A History of Architecture. The Athlone Press
• Town Planning S.C. Rangwala, 3rd Edition

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 Course Learning Outcomes

S. No. Description Domain PLO

1 Explain town planning, evolution of ancient towns, C2 06
ancient & Islamic civilizations, and factors governing
architecture of a given place and finishing materials
in buildings.
2 Discuss various theories of Land use Pattern, C2 06
preliminary study of legal and administrative
problems during design of a town.

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Course Content Overview
Architecture:
• General Introduction to history of
architecture. Emergence and development
of Islamic Architecture. Geographical,
climatic, religious, social, historical
aspects of architecture. Truth, purpose and
beauty. Strength, vitality, grace, breadth
and scale. Proportion, colour and balance
Acoustics.
• Forms and Molds. Introduction to
architectural standards, public toilets,
circulation areas, parking, public
assembly. Local architecture, arches,
cavity walls, local energy efficient
materials. Thermal insulation of buildings.
Ceiling height, external wall thickness etc.
Town Planning:
• General Definitions, trends in urban
growth, objectives of town planning,
modern planning in Pakistan and abroad.
• Preliminary Studies. Study of natural
resources, economic resources, legal and
administrative problems, civic survey
preparation of relevant maps.
Land Use Patterns.
• Location of parks and recreation facilities,
zoning and its aspects, public and semipublic
building, civic centres, commercial centres,
local shopping centres, public schools,
industrial area and residential areas.
• Street Pattern. Layout of streets, road
crossings and lighting. Community planning.
• City Extension and Master Planning.
Suburban development, neighborhood unit,
satellite towns and garden cities. Introduction
to master planning.
Urban Planning.
• Inner city urban designs, Up-gradation of
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square/scattered settlements.
Evaluation Criteria
Examination Weightage

Final Term 50%

Mid Term 20%

Assignments 20%
Quiz 10%

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Introduction
• Architecture is characterized or defined as the art and science of
designing buildings and structures.
• A versatile (broad) definition would extend the design of any
build environment, structure or object, from town planning,
urban design, and landscape architecture to furniture and
objects. It could also be defined as the manipulation of shapes,
forms, space and light to change our environment.
• Architects have long been inspired in nature. Evidence of its
influence can be seen throughout the ages, from the national
symbolism of Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture to the
works of 20th century.
• New technologies are now helping architects recreate complex
structures found in nature by using modern construction 7
methods and materials.
Introduction (Cont’d)
• Beijing National Stadium (an evidence of relationship btw
nature and architecture)

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Introduction (Cont’d)
• Center of Disease Control in Taiwan (an evidence of
relationship btw Nature and Architecture)

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Introduction (Cont’d)
• Aldar Headquarters Building in Abu Dhabi (an evidence of
relationship btw Nature and Architecture)

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Comparison Between Architect
& Civil Engineer

Architect Civil Engineer

Concentrate on artistic effects by light Selecting appropriate material, using
and shade, outline to produce forms scientific manner and in economical
for permanent beauty of facility, also way to build a facility (adopt
using ornaments to enhance charm in convenient and proper construction).
composition
Architect should know basic principles Civil Engineer major focus on strength,
of construction (artistic with stability and implementation
mechanical skills)

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Human Civilization
Definition
• Group of people living and working together for the purpose of creating an
organized society.
• “The highest cultural grouping of people which distinguishes humans from
other species”.
• “Complex systems or network of cities that emerge from pre-urban culture”.
Basic Features of Civilization
1. Writing system
2. Infrastructure- public works such as bridges, roads etc.
3. Government / Laws
4. Art / Architecture
5. Social Classes
6. Organized Religion
7. Job Specialization 12
8. Development of Cities
History of Human Civilization
Pre-historic Period (up to 3000BC)
Date (BC) Some Significant Events

9000 Paleolithic civilization (wanderers and food

gatherers)

8000 Beginning of Mesolithic civilization (hunters,

fishermen, food collectors)

7800 Oldest Known settlement at Jericho

6250-5400 CatalHuyuk
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4000 Beginning of Neolithic civilization (Farmers)
History of Human Civilization
Early or Ancient Civilizations (5000-1000 BC)

Date (BC) Some Significant Events

3000 Egyptian Civilization
2778 Stepped Pyramid at Saqqara
2759 Sumerian numeral system
2700 First true arch and vault in Mesopotamia
2500 Great Pyramid at Gizeh
2500 Peak of Indus Valley civilization, India
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2000 Minoan civilization
History of Human Civilization
The Classical Period (1100 BC-476 AD)
Date Some Significant Events
1100 BC Emergence of Greece
432 BC The Parthenon
334 BC Temple of Athens
140 BC Greece falls under Roman rule
47 BC Rome conquers Egypt
70 BC The Coliseum
0 AD Birth of Jesus Christ
1 –100 AD Vitrivius’s 10 books on architecture (oldest known text on
architecture)
117 AD Rome reaches greatest extent, From Spain to Persia, and Britain to
Carthage (Tunisia)
286 AD Rome split into two by Diocletian
324 AD Constantine reunites Roman empire at Constantinople (Byzantium) 15
476 AD Fall of Rome after a century of attacks from Vandals and Visigoths
(German tribes)
History of Human Civilization
Post-Classical Period (5th-15th Century AD)
The post-classical era spans from roughly the 6th century to the
15th century CE. Generally, the period is characterized by the
expansion of civilizations geographically and development of 
trade networks between civilizations.
Some important events during this period include:
• Rise of Islam and the Islamic Golden Age (7th-13th centuries)
• Tang and Song dynasties in China (7th-13th centuries)
• Byzantine Empire (4th-15th centuries)
• Viking invasions and the beginning of the Viking Age (8th-11th
centuries)
• Crusades (11th-13th centuries)
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• Mongol Empire (13th-14th centuries)
History of Human Civilization
Renaissance Period (1450 –1750 AD)
Date (AD) Some Significant Events
1420-1446 Construction of the dome of the Florence Cathedral
marking the beginning of the Renaissance
1448 Gutenberg Press prints the first book, the Christian bible
1452 Leonardo DaVinci is born, painter, engineer, designer,
scientist and philosopher
1486 First Printed edition of Vitruvius’s 10 books on architecture

1492 Columbus goes to America

1475 Michelangelo is born, the sistenechapel, St. Peter dome
1590 Galileo, astronomer, physicist, posits ‘a sun centered
universe’ 17
1666 Newton devises theory on gravity;Great fire in London
History of Human Civilization
Industrial Age (1750 –1900 AD)
Date (AD) Some Significant Events
1709 Carbon fuel for smelting iron ore led to coking of coal

1759 Beginning of industrial revolution with invention of

steam engine
1776 American war of independence
1789 French revolution
1804 Napolean Bonaparte and the first empire
1830 Liverpool to Manchester railway
1848 Communist Manifesto by Max and Engels
1859 C. Darwin on origin of species
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1861 Civil war in the United States
1871 Great Chicago Fire
History of Human Civilization
Modern History (1900 –Present AD)
Date (AD) Some Significant Events
1903 The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk fly an airplane for
the first time; Ford Motor Company is established
1905 Theory of Relativity by Einstein
1914 World War I
1917 Russian Revolution
1939 World War II
1945 The first electronic digital computer at the University of
Pennsylvania weighing 29 tons
1969 Apollo Moon Landing
2001 World wide web; World Trade Center Bombing
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2020 Global Covid-19 Pandemic
2023 What’s Next?
History of Architecture
• Architecture history is like other histories in that it is concerned with
understanding and finding explanations from the past.
• Architectural history, like any other branch of history, is not a static
subject; interpretation often change quite radically, with new evidence
and as perspectives vary.
• Architectural history is concerned with understanding all types of
building and studying the built environment in its many different
historical contexts. It involves a wide variety of approaches and so
consists of many histories, not just one.
• The subject is in a sense as old as architecture itself, but in another
sense, it is comparatively new one. The first Society of Architectural
Historians was founded in the United States as recently as 1940.
Because the separation of architectural history as a discipline distinct
from that of architecture is comparatively recent, architectural 20
histories have in the past tended to be written mainly by architects.
Thank You

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