Arts and Crafts Architecture

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a style of decorative arts that originated in England from the 1880s-1930s. Insitgated by William Morris, an author and an artist, the Arts and Crafts Movement developed the most in the British Isles, but spread into Europe and North America. The movement encouraged the use of quality materials and true craftsmanship. It was really and anti-industrial movement and seems to be the first rebellious movement against standard society.

William Morris wallpaper design (blog.designsquish.com)


(coloarts-crafts.org)

Bridge Structure Analysis

Bridges are key aspects of travel and transportation for human life spanning back thousands of years. They provide a solution to the unworkable terrain that the Earth is made of. They can span large rivers, lakes, or oceans as well as deep canyons or trenches. There are four major types of bridges at this current age. The first bridge is a beam bridge. This bridge is a single beam that is supported by piers. This bridge isn't as structurally sound as the other designs, but it is a simple bridge that can provide crossing of around 250ft. The next type of bridge is the truss bridge. This a complex bridge made up of mostly triangles. In detail, the bridge has two arms that extend from each of the two piers. Diagonal steel tubes hold these arms in place. As well as the bridge having arms supporting the first two spans, the bridge has cantilever arms that support a third span. In terms of strength, I would award this bridge with the gold medal. It seems to be the most structurally sound bridge that withstands the greatest weight. The third type of bridge is the arch bridge. This bridge's origin dates back to Roman times when they would use arched to contruct great architecural wonders like the Collesseum. Arch bridges either consist of steel or concrete and can span up to 800ft. The final type of bridge is the suspension bridge. This bridge is the most advanced and current design used today. It can span an impressive 2,000 to 7,000 feet. These bridges are literally suspended by massive cables hung from the giant supportive "U" bars and attached to the roadway. The major support these bridges have come from the large steel pillars from which the "U" bars are attached. Bridges are complex feats of architectural and egineering excellence. These structures are a very important tool used by humans every single day.

Beam Bridge (pbs.org)


Truss Bridge (sunnysideoflouisville.org)


Arch Bridge (ce530learningobjectsjjh.wikispaces.com)


Suspension Bridge (theodora.com)

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy shared by artists and architects during the early 20th century. it focused on the visual arts and decorative expression.  The goal of this movement was to try to make art an everyday part of life and an aspect of the environment around us. Art noveau literally translates from the French word meaning "new art". It is most popular in Europe and the British Islands, but is known around the world.This style was greatly influenced by the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. His style was originally known as Style Mucha but transformed into Art Noveau. Art Noveau was essentially a spectacular transition from 19th century art into the new twentieth century art and reallly brought about a new advanced age in the artistic world.
Stained glass piece. (chantal-stainedglasspatterns.com)

Tulips (harmonia.meccahosting.com)

Romanticism and Baroque Architecture

Romanticism was a time of enlightened thinking. People began to view their world around them as beautiful and open for discovery. It began in the second half of the 18th century and was strengthened during the industrial revolution. With this new way of thinking came a rebellious revolt against most political and social standards set by the Age of Enlightenment.


Baroque architecture began in the late sixteenth century and the major aspects of its style are new explorations in form, light, shadow, and dramatic intensity. "Whereas the Renaissance drew on the wealth and power of the Italian courts and was a blend of secular and religious forces, the Baroque was, initially at least, directly linked to the Counter-Reformation, a movement within the Catholic Church to reform itself in response to the Protestant Reformation. Baroque architecture and its embellishments were on the one hand more accessible to the emotions and on the other hand, a visible statement of the wealth and power of the Church. The new style manifested itself in particular in the context of the new religious orders, like the Theatines and the Jesuits who aimed to improve popular piety." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_architecture) Architects that had the most influence on Baroque architecture were Gianlorenzo Bernini, Francesco Borromini and the painter Pietro da Cortona. Each of these visionaries added their own piece of thought to Baroque architecture and evolved it into the well known form seen today. The most well known areasto see this style of architecture today is in Germany and Mexico.

Berlin Cathedral (bekah286.pbworks.com)

Mexico City (thefirstpost.co.uk)

Renaissance Architecture

"Renaissance architecture began in Florence, Italy in the early 15th century. A common feature of renaissance architecture was the dome. Almost all renaissance cathedrals had domes. Many domes had paintings or decorations on the ceilings. French renaissance architecture had outer walls, and towers, and the domes were usually only on the inside of a building. Some good examples of renaissance architecture with domes are the Duomo of Florence, and St. Peter's cathedral in Rome. Famous architects and artists such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo Di Vinci, and Filippo Brunelleschi were shapers of renaissance architecture." (library.thinkquest.org/16545/data/low/​renai.htm)
St. Peters(visual-arts-cork.com)

Chateau de Chambord (tourismnewsinfo.com)

Gothic Architecture

Gothic style architecture arose during the mid to late medieval times and included Romanesque and Renaissance architectural styles. Gothic architecture originated in the 12th century in France and lasted until the 16th century. The common name that most people attributed to Gothic architecture was the "French Style". It's characteristics included the pointed arch, the ribbed vault, and the flying butress. Examples of these are shown below. Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. Major materials used are stone, brick, and a sort of mortar to hold the bricks and stone together. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture)
The names of Robert de Luzarches, Thomas de Cormont and Renaud de Cormont could once be found on an inlaid "labyrinth" in the floor of the nave of Amiens Cathedral, built between 1220-1236, but this has not been preserved. (http://www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/architecture/architects.html)

Pointed arch (flickr.com)


Ribbed vault (shutterstock.com)

Flying Buttress (flickr.com)

My House