Egypt, centered around the Nile river, was a huge factor in ancient civilization. They used the Nile river as a source of trade, transportation, communication, as well as agriculture. The climate also played a role in the design of the buildings. The climate in Egypt had little variation in temperature, a lot of sunlight, and small amounts of rainfall. The Egyptians incorporated flat roofs, outdoor spaces, and roof ventilation because of their climate. Religion was also a huge influence in their design. Many buildings represented monuments and was dedicated to certain gods. They also incorporated religion into their furniture designs, decorative arts, and paintings. both religion and climate helped preserve many artifacts from this time period. Many of the materials used in their architecture included mud walls and bricks, stone, plaster, and fresco.
The picture above represents the use of fresco in mural paintings during the Egyptian Ancient Civilization period. It also portrays the incorporation of religion into their designs.
This is a picture of the Great Temple of Karnak; the largest and most significant religious building.
The Karnak is a perfect example of how the Egyptians incorporated religion, outdoor spaces, and the open roof concept into their architecture. It also uses a technique called hypostyle. Hypostyle incorporates the use of columns to help hold and support the roof. The below picture displays the use of Hypostyle in the Karnak:
The next picture is a great example of a current, more contemporary application of a hypostyle structure.
The Following are links that I found useful when gathering information on Ancient Egypt and Hypostyle:
