Gothic Design Responses

I reviewed Flor's blog post on Gothic designs. I really liked the fact that discussed the furniture pieces from this time period. The current applications that she shares are really cool takes on the Gothic style. I also really enjoyed the video that she shared. The second blog post on Gothic design I reviewed was Justine's, where she discusses the architectural structures of this period. She also shared a video that distinguished the difference between the Romanesque style and the Gothic style.

Gothic Design

The cathedral design and layout is one of the major attributes the Gothic design period gave to architecture. The typical cathedral layout was the Latin cross plan.  The walls were tall with stained glass windows everywhere. The stained glass windows typically had a tracery, or an outline, surrounding the glass. The pointed arch and ribbed vault were both introduced in the design of the cathedral. another architectural feature utilized in Gothic design is the fly buttress.

INTERIOR VIEW OF WELLS CATHEDRAL

The Wells cathedral is a great example of the pointed arches, as well as the ribbed vaults. 

EXTERIOR VIEW OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

The Notre Dame de Paris is another good example of the use of the pointed arches. the use of stained glass windows can also be found in this cathedral. 

CURRENT APPLICATION OF STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

CURRENT APPLICATION OF THE POINTED ARCH

Islamic Design Responses

I reviewed Sammy's blog, where she discussed some of the key Mosques covered in class. She also posted a really neat video that further discusses the mosque designs of that time. The second blog I viewed was Rachael's blog. She discuss the features of the Taj Mahal. I also really liked her current application examples. She had examples of the color schemes, the geometric patterns, and the use of arches.

Islamic Design

Islamic design introduced the design of the Mosques. the features of the mosque include a perimeter wall, a covered hall with columns, and a courtyard. The Mosques provided a gathering place for people to worship and pray. The Great Mosque of Kairouan, located in Tunisia, North Africa, is a famous ancient mosque. The interior features is the horseshoe arch, as well as the classic capitols with the Islamic arch.

EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF KAIROUAN.

INTERIOR VIEW OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF KAIROUAN.

The interiors of the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed featured a geometric design. 200 stained glass windows are featured in this mosque. 20,000 hand made tiles were also used in the interiors.

EXTERIOR VIEW OF MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED

INTERIOR VIEW OF MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHEMD

CURRENT APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC DESIGN.

CURRENT APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC DESIGN.

Romanesque Responses

I reviewed Jessica's blog. she shared great pictures of the church designs from the Romanesque period. I also liked her examples of the current applications. They gave examples of all the important architectural elements. I also reviewed Hannah's blog. She covered all aspects of the Romanesque design period, such as the background of the culture, the architecture, and art work.

Romanesque

The Romanesque period is best known for their church designs. Similar to the early christian basilica plan, the Romanesque churches modified the nave, transept, and apse making it more spacious. Chapels were also added to the transepts. Another architectural feature added to the Romanesque churches was the semicircular arches and vaults. The churches were larger than previous churches and contained multiple aisles and a choir area. More natural lighting was added to help make the churches appear bigger. The interiors were full of rich tapestries and colors, such as purple, blue, green, and gold. gilded sculptures also filled the churches interiors.

FLOOR PLAN OF ROMANESQUE CHURCH 

CLUNY ABBEY

CURRENT APPLICATION OF THE SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES

CURRENT COMMERCIAL APPLICATION OF THE SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES

Byzantine Responses

Lindsay's post on Byzantine was one of the blogs I read. She posted about the Hagia Sophia, explaining how the Hagia Sophia best displays the Byzantine style. She also gave three different examples of current applications of the Byzantine style. The second post on Byzantine that I reviewed was Hannah's post. She had a lot of good examples of the byzantine style; early, middle, and late, as well as a video that was interesting.