Architecture Construction

Adobe Architecture

Some of the earliest structures were Adobe architecture. Adobe is a material made from sand, clay and straw, dung or other fibrous materials.

The adobe is then formed into bricks using frames and dried in the sun. Similar to cob or mud bricks, the structures become extremely durable. They are used mainly in hot, arid climates because they remain cool in the summer and release heat very slowly in the winter.

The same mixture, without the straw is used for mortar in placing the dried adobe bricks together to form a structure. Some cultures even figured out they could utilize lime-based cement for plaster to protect against the wet months.

The thickness of the adobe bricks is key in the architecture. It is what essentially keeps the structures cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

The largest structure ever erected from Adobe was the Bam Citadel. But it suffered serious damage from an earthquake in 2003.

The Huaca del Sol in Peru is another grand adobe structure that was created from over 100 million signed bricks.

The world’s largest adobe architecture structure is the citadel of Arg-e Bam, erected as late as 500BCE, possibly earlier.

The area of Bam Citadel is 180,000 square meters and is surrounded by walls 6-7 meters high and 1815 meters in length, all out of Adobe. When the gates to the city were closed, no human or animal could enter. The city was self-contained with well access, gardens and cattle all within the walls.

The adobe architecture was a little different when it came to putting a roof on the structure. Typically roofs were assembled from lengths of wood or metal. Then rows of dried adobe bricks are laid over the top of a support structure and plastered into place with more adobe.
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Architecture Design

American Colonial Architecture

A trip through the U.S. will grant you sights of beautiful architecture, from coast to coast. During the 1780’s though the most popular style of architecture was the American Colonial.

Built mostly by wealthy Anglo Americans, the houses afforded several distinct styles depending on local. Also known as Colonial Georgian, these homes were the earliest style to grace the U.S. colonies.

A prime example of early American Colonial architecture is called a Saltbox. What the Saltbox basically is is a wooden frame house with a high-pitched roof that slopes down to the back.

Its flat front has two stories while the back of the house has only one, making the sides unequal, but distinctly looking just like an old salt box which was a wooden box with a lid which salt was kept.

A simple name for a simple style of home. Generally, the chimney was centrally located, making the house, from a distance, look like a box with a lid and handle to lift it off.

Other defining characteristics of American Colonial architecture are the square, symmetrical shape, the front door placed directly in the middle of the houses front and the even, straight line of windows throughout.

Inside the front door are usually an entryway and a staircase. All rooms branch off these. Typically they were constructed of brick with wood trim, but with homes like the Saltbox, they were also timber frame homes constructed with woodworking joints instead of metal nails, since they were costly. Saltbox homes were also finished with wood siding. …Read more >>

Architecture Art

Art Deco Architecture

Between 1920 and 1939, Art Deco Architecture was all the rage. Not only did the Art Deco movement affect Architecture, but also interior design, industrial design and visual arts like fashion, painting, graphic arts and film.

The movement was a mixture of many different styles, incorporating cubism, modernism, Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Futurism, and its popularity peaked in the roaring twenties.

While many earlier architectural styles had political or philosophical roots, Art Deco Architecture was simply decorative.

Designed to be beautiful, elegant, functional and modern. One of the best-known pieces of Art Deco architecture in the U.S. is the Chrysler Building in New York.

The beautiful Art Deco spire was built between 1928 and 1930. Following close behind the Art Deco period was the Streamline Moderne. The focus was mainly on advancing technologies such as automobiles and aviation.

Art Deco architecture is mainly composed of man-made materials. The most popular being glass and stainless steel. Lines were very symmetrical and repetitive throughout structures.

Very popular during the great depression because of its simplicity and practicality, Art Deco still reminded people of the better times and gave them hope of one day reliving them.

World War II cut short the life of Art Deco. People began to see it as gaudy and a false image of luxury, but Art Deco presented the gateway to modernism, which continues well into the 1960s.

Today we see a revival of the old, people caring enough to reconstruct or refurbish the beautiful designs of Art Deco architecture or even begin modernizing it and mixing it with styles of today. But as you travel the country, in many big cities you can still find the grand structures of Art Deco still standing.
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