Architecture - Design, Construction, Materials | Britannica

architecture

Table of Contents

Introduction
Use
- Architectural types
  - Domestic architecture
    - “Vernacular” architecture
    - “Power” architecture
    - Group housing
  - Religious architecture
    - Places of worship
    - Shrines and memoria
    - Funerary art
  - Governmental architecture
  - Recreational architecture
    - Theatres
    - Auditoriums
    - Athletic facilities
    - Museums and libraries
  - Architecture of welfare and education
  - Commercial and industrial architecture
- Architectural planning
  - Planning the environment
    - Orientation
    - Architectural forms
    - Colour
    - Materials and techniques
    - Interior control
  - Planning for use
    - Differentiation
    - Circulation
    - Facilitation
  - Economic planning
Techniques
- Materials
  - Stone
  - Brick
  - Wood
  - Iron and steel
  - Concrete
- Methods
  - Wall
    - Load-bearing wall
    - Nonbearing wall
  - Post-and-lintel
  - Arch
  - Vault
  - Dome
  - Truss
  - Framed structures
Expression
- Content
  - Symbols of function
  - Expression of technique
- Form
  - Space and mass
  - Composition
  - Scale
  - Light
  - Texture
  - Colour
  - Environment
- Ornament
  - Mimetic ornament
  - Applied ornament
  - Organic ornament
Theory of architecture
- Distinction between the history and theory of architecture
- Distinction between the theory of architecture and the theory of art
- Functionalism
- The art of building
- “Commodity, firmness, and delight”: the ultimate synthesis
  - Venustas
  - Utilitas
  - Firmitas

References & Edit History Related Topics

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The two types of wall are load bearing, which supports the weight of floors and roofs, and nonbearing, which at most supports its own weight. The load-bearing wall of masonry is thickened in proportion to the forces it has to resist: its own load, the load of floors, roofs, persons, etc., and the lateral forces of arches, vaults, wind, etc., that may cause it to crack or buckle. Its thickness often can be reduced at the top, because loads accumulate toward the base; in high buildings this is done by interior or exterior setbacks at the floor level of upper ...(100 of 24717 words)

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