Architecture Contextual Research

Architectural Research (specific things to look at):

UCL College Building
Edinburgh Architecture
Berlin Cathedral
Indian Colonial Architecture
Copper and Precious Metals in Architecture
General Georgian Architecture Styles
Tower of London (when we get there)
Brighton Dome Maybe?

UCL College Building:

It’s the Cruciform Building which is the one I am analysing
THE CRUCIFORM!!!!!! (Hyperion Reference)

UCL (2018). Cruciform Building. [online] Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/wolfson-institute-biomedical-research/cruciform-building [Accessed 4 Mar. 2023].

Grade 2 listed building made by Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse
Waterhouse also made natural history museum
Originally the college hospital for 90 years.
Has undergone extensive renovations and now houses the Biomedical Research Institute for UCL (research institute—just like the vault???)
Built in “the shape of St Andrew’s Cross” – meaning the cross shape allows it to be easily divided up into different departments of science
Houses multiple medical schools
Architect strongly associated with “Victorian Gothic Revival” (oh boy what a rabbit hole that’s gonna be)
Victorian Hospital planning based around separate wards and long corridors that let light in – thought to boost patient mental health (kind of like Northwick Park tbh)
Materials chosen for durability: “hard red brick and terracotta dressings in red and earth tones were more economic and less susceptible to erosion in polluted Victorian cities than stone” (hard wearing eh? Wouldn’t happen to be able to survive an apocalypse, eh?)
For interior materials: ”Practical, hardwearing and easily-cleaned materials were used internally - terrazzo, mosaic and wood block for the floors and glazed bricks for the walls, with marble for the formal outpatients' entrance.” (sorry for a double direct quote, but it’s important that I get the materials right here as it kind of makes sense to know exactly what the building is made out of)
Lots of stuff about how the original features of the buildings that were covered up are being restored, giving the place a sense of time

Thank you UCL, very cool!

In all seriousness, this has been a great resource to start with, as I can use a lot of the influences from this building to help specifically design the vault, as well as use the hint about “Victorian revival architecture” to go on to inspire some more work. Next up, berlin!

Oh yeah btw st andrew’s cross is the cross of Scotland, it’s just an X shape according to google.

www.berlinerdom.de. (n.d.). Architecture | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/architecture/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2023].

Genuinely couldn’t find a date here, sorry about that one :(
Original dome was destroyed during WW2, but was rebuilt (but to a not original height)
“reminiscent of Baroque palace architecture” (that’s another word to go with right there)

Not a whole lot of info, try find some more somewhere else?

WHY IS THIS ONE DARN BOOK SO HARD TO FIND!!!! I JUST WANNA BERLIN MY CATHEDRALS!!!

Unofficial Royalty (2022). Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) in Berlin, Germany. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/berlin-cathedral-in-berlin-germany/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2023].

What is Unofficial Royalty? “We are a community that enjoys learning about royalty past and present. Deven is the owner of the website and as chief administrator, he is responsible for the technical side of the website. Scott and Susan deal with the day-to-day administration of the website which includes overseeing the royal news area and researching, writing, and publishing articles for the various content areas.” – seems legit ngl

Built during the reign of Wilhelm II, also commonly known as the guy who lost ww2
Hohenzollern Crypt beneath the Cathedral is “the most important dynastic burial site in Germany” – probably because Hollenzollerns were in power in reigons of modern germany from 1415 to 1918 (could make some areas of the vault look like a crypt, but the focus for the moment is on the city and the castle)
Original Cathedral built in 1454, another built in 1535, then another built in 1750 in the baroque style (gotta look that up!)
The current cathedral was designed by Julius Carl Raschdorff. He wanted a style that was “an adaptation of Italian High Renaissance” and “influenced by Baroque”
Considered to be the protestant version of St. Peter’s Basilica, which according to Wikipedia is the largest church in the world
Cathedral got bombed a lot during the war, about 25% of it got destored
Building was eventually reconstructed according to the original 1885 Raschdorff plans, but it took a while because of the german communist party wanting to destroy it as it went against state atheism
Loads of coffins with lots of different styles from all of the eras of burials
Unfortunately they do cite Wikipedia here, but this is literally the best source I can find anyway so I’m hoping this is good enough

It’s a very interesting source, although I don’t know how helpful it is to go into specific buildings in this much detail. I think it’s probably more useful if I’m just researching general styles, as that way I can understand the key architectural motifs easier and prevent any cultural appropriation. However, I don’t think I’ve wasted my time by going into this much detail on the Berlin Cathedral and the Cruciform building. I’ll probably do the tower of London as well as that’s not gonna be too difficult to find info on, but I think I’ll leave out the Brighton pavilion and just look at general features of specific architectural styles.

W.H.C (2023). Tower of London. [online] UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/488/# [Accessed 4 Mar. 2023].

Do I really need to check the credibility of the source here? I mean really? It’s UNESCO.
The original “white tower” built by William the Conqueror to flex Norman Power, and to act as a fortress and gateway to the City of London
Apparently, it is “a rare survival of a continuously developing ensemble of royal buildings, from the 11th to 16th centuries”, which is pretty darn neat ngl
Used to both protect the citizens of London and to control them – “The Tower literally ‘towered’ over its surroundings until the 19^th” (cool idea, may incorporate that with the Vizier’s tower
Tower represents the last time England was conquested militarily, which is kind of neat I guess
“The property is a model example of a medieval fortress palace” – Bingo! Maybe do some more research on the general style of medieval when specifically doing the castle but this is a pretty solid start
Palace created within the fortress over time due to additions made by other monarchs
Played a key role in “the nation’s defence, its records, and its coinage”
Crown Jewels have been kept there since the 17^th century
Four English queens were imprisoned in the 16^th century during this period, with only Elizabeth I managing to escape
Catholic and Protestant Prisoners were tortured and executed here
The white tower “symbolised the might and longevity of the new order” when it was constructed by the Normans
The building no longer looks as intimidating as it once did due to being surrounded by lots of tall buildings – this could be an idea we play with to show the age of this structure compared to the rest?
The additions of Henry III and Edward I turned it into “a model example of a concentric medieval fortress” – that’s another solid research point right there
It’s still a very authentic site, despite the surrounding environment changing

Okay, this has been pretty useful as well. I’m glad that UNESCO goes into such detail on their website, and I kind of wish I was able to find the UNESCO site for the Berlin Cathedral (if there was one). A lot of this information will be useful, however the castle is second on my list of priorities when it comes to designing the city, as I first want to focus on the general buildings that will help define the city the most. This means that I’m going to do some brief research on the architectural designs I am drawing from, and then I’ll begin the sketching process to try and determine what the architecture will look like (which I am really looking forward to!)

Architectural Styles I need to look at (updated with new sources)

Cocentric Medieval Fortress (when you do the castle eventually)
Baroque
Italian High Renaissance Revival
Victorian Gothic Revival
British Colonial in India
Georgian Architecture
Edinburgh Architecture
Copper and Metals in Architecture

Copper.org. (2020). Copper Facts: Copper in Architecture. [online] Available at: https://www.copper.org/education/c-facts/architecture/print-category.html [Accessed 5 Mar. 2023].

According to their website, they are the Copper Development Association Inc., which is designed to “enhance and expand markets for copper and its alloys in North America.” If anyone is going to know their way around copper, it’s gotta be copper.org no? I feel this is a fairly trustworthy source, even if they are biased towards representing a positive representation of copper.

Has been part of architecture for a long time
Forms a blue green patina over time in cooler climates, but forms a nut brown in more arid climates (something to note – what is the weather like after the apocalypse?)
Copper patina can be formed quickly using special methods to speed up the aging process of copper
Notable copper building is the solid copper “golden temple” in China.
Copper is both functional and decorative, and it lasts longer than asphalt shingles
Very environmentally friendly metal
Used heavily in places of worship
Very versatile and can be applied in lots of different shape
Seam copper roofing is very wind resistant,
Copper can kill algae, which prevents the discolouration that can be caused by algae
Biosphere 2 (giant glass building in southern Arizona) is pretty cool, and it uses lots of copper items
Copper is also used in electrical wiring, which adds to the slightly scientific nature of the city

I think that this is enough fun copper facts to make Rodeny Copperbottom proud. I feel like I should spend more time on the other architectural styles, as there is much more danger for cultural appropriation than there is with copper.

Sariya, T. (2022). A look at British Colonial Architecture in India – Part I. [online] www.caleidoscope.in. Available at: https://www.caleidoscope.in/art-culture/a-look-at-british-colonial-architecture-in-india-part-i [Accessed 5 Mar. 2023].

This website is one focused on Indian culture and history, and the domain name indicates that it is based in India, meaning that it is more likely to be more accurate and more knowledgeable about the country itself, rather than being the perspective of the country’s history from an outsider. This is part 1 of a series of articles, all of which I intend to read.

British ruled over the country for over 300 years
Had a significant impact on the country that is still difficult to shake off
Interesting quote: “British colonial architecture hence came into the picture the very instant that the British set shop in India. But over the years, the architectural styles evolved. From what started out as an all-out endeavor to mark superiority slowly changed into accepting and acknowledging the ‘Indian way’.”
Many of the British buildings are still major landmarks and centres of government for the country
New Dehli was designed by primarily two people, that being “Sir Edwyn Lutyens” and “Sir Herbet Baker”
Raises the question of how India can be independent whilst having so many key bits of infrastructure from the British
India has a history of being accepting of other cultures, meaning that a lot of the features of the British empire haven’t been gotten rid off purely because of “false pride or nationalism” on behalf of the new Indian government.
In the earliest buildings, it was primarily gothic and neo-classsical architecture.
Notable buildings in this style include: “St. John’s Church, Fort William, Calcutta Cathedral in Kolkata and Mutiny Memorial Church in Kanpur”
This style changed over time as it didn’t really suit the warmer climate to build in this style and the amount of materials you would need to use
“They slowly started to adapt to the climatic needs of the land, just like the Mughals had done earlier and began using the verandahs, blinds, screens, lattice work and so on.“ (The heat influencing the architecture is an important note, as there needs to be a reason why the buildings in my world look this particular way)
After the mutiny in 1857, Queen Victoria took control of the country, which caused an architecture change. Indian elements were incorporated into the buildings
Key buildings during this period include: The Rajabai Clock Tower, Victoria Terminus, Bombay High Court in Mumbai and the grand Victoria Memorial in Kolkata
Indo Saracenic architecture became popular during the later 19^th century, which blended Mughal Architecture, British Architecture and Hindu Temple Architecture (all individual things I should look at)
Key buildings in this style include: “Chepauk Palace, Madras High Court and Chennai Central Station, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, the Khalsa College in Amritsar, Mumbai GPO and many others”
New Dehli is a key example of “early 20^th century colonial architecture“
Many of the birtish buildings have had their name changed, but the style of the buildings still shows their British colonial roots.

Victoria terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) was one of the images that I referenced directly in my reference boards, so it’s good to know that the right lines in terms of what I am researching. Madras High Court was also one of the references I had gathered, which was part of Indo Saracenic Architecture. A lot of the buildings in this style are very brightly coloured, which is something that I’ll probably avoid as it doesn’t fit the grim nature of the world (a realisation I came to recently was that hope exists through the actions of the players, not inherently within the environment). The next page of the architecture is more about other nations’ colonial buildings in India, but I’m focusing specifically on the British Buildings, so I’m not going to read part 2 of the series after all. Instead, I’m going to look at the influences on Indo Saracenic Architecture, as well as Gothic and Neoclassical (although maybe not neoclassical as I’m already pretty familiar with that due to how prevalent it is in London).

Shetty, S. (2022). An overview of Indo-Saracenic architecture in India. [online] RTF | Rethinking The Future. Available at: https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architectural-styles/a7827-an-overview-of-indo-saracenic-architecture-in-india/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2023].

The article is written by an architect from Mumbai, and according to the about page RTF is ‘a one-stop platform for Architects to seek inspiration, criticism and development’

ELSIE STOP LOOKING AT ARTWORK OF CUTE LESBIANS, HEROINES AND DRESSES ON INSTAGRAM AND START DOING YOUR RESEARCH DAMMIT!!!

Indo-Saracenic Architecture started in the late 19^th century
Previously Greek and Roman architecture (Neo-Classical) was used to symbolise wealth and power in Colonial buildings
Elements from Indian and Islamic Architecture blendewd with Neo-Gothic and Neo-Classical Styles
Layout was based on British Architecture, but Indian and Islamic features were added to it, to give the appearance that the building was traditionally Indian.
Used modern building techniques, and wanted to show the control of the British through the buildings

The features of this style (list lifted directly from the article, so imagine quote marks):

Motifs and Elements from Hindu, Islamic and Byzantine
Pointed Arches, Cusped Arches or Scalloped Arches.
Towers or Minarets
Domed Kiosks
Harem Windows
Many miniature Domes or Domed Chhatris
Onion (Bulbous) Dome
Vaulted Roofs
Overhanging Eaves
Pinnacles
Pierced Open Arcading
Open Pavilions

They include lots of examples in the articles that I can draw from of these fatures, which is cool. If I can’t find them here, I’ll google them and look for specific images. I’ll probably do sketches of all of these individual elements

Indo-Saracenic Architecture described as “not voluminous in size”
Used by the British to validate their presence in the country, instead of as foreign invaders/colonisers
The style began to fade in the 1920s, showing the superficiality of this attempt to enter the culture
It’s kind of a manipulative style of building when you think about it, and was used to non-controversially push the British people’s presence in india forward.
Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Teminus) has a lot of gothic aspects to it.
Another building mentioned is Mysore Palace, which was designed by Henry Irwin.
“The features like curved arches, bow-like canopies, magnificent bay windows, columns in varied styles ranging from Byzantine to Hindu, intricate detailed elevation, and the use of sculpture are prominently seen in this building. The use of Islamic designs and Rajasthani styles combined with Gothic elements and traditional materials is a euphoric display of magnificence.” Felt like quoting that in full so I don’t misinterpret the building

It's interesting to see how this style of architecture was used as a symbol of oppression by the British, and how that opinion differs from the Caleidoscope article I viewed earlier. It reminds me of the fact that Notland (the Kingdom of the setting) itself is a colonial power, meaning that they would also likely use architecture as a symbol of colonial oppression. I think that next I’ll research Hindu, Islamic and maybe Byzantine architecture, before moving on to Baroque and Gothic (I’m already pretty familiar with Neo-Classical so I might skip that for effciency’s sake but Idk)

Hays, J. (2018). HINDU TEMPLES AND TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE | Facts and Details. [online] factsanddetails.com. Available at: https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat55/sub388/item1351.html [Accessed 5 Mar. 2023].

Facts and Details appears to be the project of one teacher and writer who has travelled considerably and is fascinated with the world. They also state that they cite reliable sources like the BBC and the New York Times. This article has a section at the bottom about Hindu Temple Architecture, which is the section I’ll be making notes on:

Focus on having correct proportions
The structure of a square cell comes up again here, which is something I spotted in the reference drawings
Described as harmonising with the surroundings and exerting a positive influence on them
“The basic form of the temple in India is a square cell, oriented to the four cardinal directions, containing a platform with an image of the deity in the center, a flat roof overhead, and a doorway on the east side. In front of the doorway is a porch or platform, shaded by a roof supported by pillars, where worshipers gather before and after approaching the god.”
Temples based on the idea that they are maps of the universe, and the centre of each temple exists as the centre of the universe from which they deity can watch over all
The temples (diagrams of the unviverse) structured like this at their most simple forms: circle within a square, which is within a rectangle, and four gates at the ends of the rectangle to represent the ends of the universe, and a sancutuary in the middle. This can be seen pretty clearly in some of the references they use.
Lots of variations and additions can be added to this plan, including having the building on a cruciform (multiplication cross) platform, broad and elaborate gateway towers called “garupas” leading into the temple at the south end, and “Sikharas” (spires) over the north sanctuary. As well as this, corridors and galleries can be added on as well to branch off.
There are requirements for Hindu temples, which are:
to be made of stone;
to have a pillared hall followed by tower-topped sanctum, with the hall preferably preceded by a porch;
to be adorned on the outside with carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses and scenes from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

(list once again pulled directly from the website)

Different sections of the temples represent different parts, with the central shrine being “the heart of the worshipper” and the tower representing “the flight of the spirit to heaven”
There is a prayer hall in the centre called a “mandapa” and the inner sanctum called “garbhagriha”
Hindu temples are supposed to represent Hindu Cosmology and Mount Meru, which is the home of the Hindu Gods.
The central tower above the inner sanctum is called the “sikhara”, asnd is either dome or pyramid shape that represents mount Meru itself.
The inner sanctum is elevated in the central hall as it is the focus and most sacred part of the entire temple, and it symbolises the womb, and contains either an image of the god or a symbol representing said god. This statue or symbol is called “an icon” which produces a field of sacred energy
“The sanctuary shrine structure typically has a roof, a niche with the temple deity, a protective monster mask and images of Brahma and one of the avatars of Vishnu.” This sentence is really difficult for my brain to read so I’m gonna stop my research for now and continue tomorrow uwo

I HAVE REURNED!!!!

Hays, J. (2018). HINDU TEMPLES AND TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE | Facts and Details. [online] factsanddetails.com. Available at: https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat55/sub388/item1351.html [Accessed 6 Mar. 2023].

Gonna re cite the source just incase anything has changed about it. I’m also going to read over the small general section on hindu temples at the beginning just to get some added cultural context:

Most hindus worship at alters at their homes, whereas temples are usually for much bigger occasions
Referred to as “artificial mountains” and are used for worship of a specific deity.
Described by the Upanishads (???) as “at the heart of this phenomenal world, within all its changing forms, dwells the unchanging Lord.”
No sermons or congregations, but people come in small groups or on their own in their own time to worship and socialise with others.
Hindus enter “to obtain a vision (darshana) of the god, say prayers, and perform devotional worship”

Non Hindus aren’t generally allowed in, so maybe don’t use any elements of hindu temples on the inside to not offend them.
In ancient times only powerful people were allowed inside
Because the god exists within a shrine, anything that enters the sanctum are imbued with divinity
Only people of “requisite purity” are allowed to enter the sanctum
Worshippers offer offerings, they are taken into the sanctum (and are therefore made divine) and then most of their stuff is returned to the worshippers

Incredibly ancient, with first temples existing in 6^th century. Muslim Moghuls begin influencing architecture in 11^th century, and the period they have influence over is called “the golden age of Indian Architecture” – Research the Moghuls!!!

Okay now back to the section I was previously at:

Turns out a niche is a statue that’s in a wall innit
Outside of the sanctum there’ll be a small entrance chamber (vestibule) which is dedicate “to the mount of the temple god” (the temple god being the god that the temple is focusing on worshipping, not a god focused around temples)
There are other shrines in the temple in specific spots depending on the god’s meaning (for example, Ganesh will be first because Ganesh is “the remover of obstacles”, which is pretty thematic)

Mount Meru has 5 peaks, with the centre peak representing mount meru and the cosmic axis of the world between heaven and earth, with the 4 mountains representing the four mountains at the edge of the world.
More elaborate temples have more towers in the middle to represent the 5 peaks of mount meru in the square cell plan that keeps coming up
Lots of stepped sides to these towers with a domed peak at the top
A lot of the times they are made visually similar to mountains (i.e, tops painted white to be like Everest, or moats surrounding them that represent the infinite ocean around mount Meru)
Temples face east typically towards where the sun rises, as that’s auspicious (google conducive to success; favourable.”)

The Gopuras (gates) outside have sculpted warriors and sometimes river goddesses, and are usually on the east side (because auspicious again), but can sometimes be on others ides as there’s different meaning to the different directions
Temples in southern india have big gateways and “barrel vaulted” roofs (I googled those roofs and they look pretty sick), whereas norther Indian temples have gently curved towers
Some temples have a sacred pool with water to make the temple attractive to deities, and other temples have schools
They can be very decorative, but I’m only gonna make a couple notes here as I’m more focusing on other things than statues when it come to decoration
Decorations depict al kinds of symbols for gods, as well as lots of one of different animals and people (some explicit). Also a lot of phallic imagery

The only thing that I might draw from in my architecture is this last point: “Some towers have rows of lotuses or lotus buds or mythical and heroic figures. The amalak is an architectural form found on the upper part of some towers. It is derived from the gourdlike myrobalan fruit.”
In the sanctum there is a lot less sculpture as you don’t want to draw attention away from the central sanctum itself

Vidya Dehejiam of Columbia University writes: “Architecture and sculpture are inextricably linked in India. Thus, if one speaks of Indian architecture without taking note of the lavish sculptured decoration with which monuments are covered, a partial and distorted picture is presented. In the Hindu temple, large niches in the three exterior walls of the sanctum house sculpted images that portray various aspects of the deity enshrined within. The sanctum image expresses the essence of the deity. [Source: Vidya Dehejiam Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University. Metropolitan Museum of Art]

This is an important thing, but I’m only using elements of Indian architecture, and the sculpture aspect isn’t really it, so I think it’s okay for me to only use elements of it? I’ll ask my tutors about this later.
Lots of different scenes will be depicted depending on which god the tmple is focused on. The types of scenes can change depending on what region the temple is in

Sculptures can be seen on both the inside and outside of the temple

There’s more in this article about specific worship practice, but I think I have read enough in order to be able to use certain elements of the architecture without having to worry too much about cultural appropriation. I would like to still be able to spend some time on the other architectural styles, but if my tutor doesn’t think that this is enough detail then I can of course come back to spend more time on it. Next up, Mughal architecture!

IndiaNetzone (2012). Mughal Architecture. [online] www.indianetzone.com. Available at: https://www.indianetzone.com/37/architecture_during_mughal_dynasty.htm [Accessed 6 Mar. 2023].

This source is from a page on an encylcopedia focused on everything Indian, and they seem to be a very detailed source despite their poor web design. As well as this, a cursory google hasn’t revealed any particular controversy about them, so I’m going to cite this source as it seems much more detailed than the others I have seen.

Mughal Architecture is a mix of Islamic, Persian and Indian architecture

Intended to reflect the Mughal Dynasty’s love of poetry, personality and art
Ideas in the architecture originate from Islam, and has ideas like “power, pleasure and death”, which is reflected in Islamic architecture and therefore Mughal architecture
Mughal Architecture can be split into early and late period
First became prominent in 1526, when the first Mughal emperor (Babur) took control in India and constructed the the first few mosques in India (note that the modern idea of a nation of India didn’t really exist then, but it was instead lots of smaller regions)
Notable example in early Mughal architecture would be the Maqbara in Vadodara

Early Mughal architecture used post and beam and had very few arches
Akbar (descendant of Babur) had a lot of buildings made in red sandstone, with the occasional bits of marble inlay [very cool to hear more about building materials, I might use some of these in the future]
In Gujarat (region of India) there is a blend of Hindu and Muslim architectural features
In the reign of Akbar, notable examples would be the Tomb of Akbar (F in the chat for Akbar), the Tomb of Humayun, The Great Mosque in Gujarat and Fatehpur Sikri
The Tomb (doesn’t specify which) garden at Dehli has lots of Octagonal Chambers and a very intricate floorplan joined by façade archways (which is “surmounted by cupolas, kiosks”)

Google: In architecture, a Kiosk is something originally from Islamic architecture and is a “an open circular pavilion consisting of a roof supported by pillar.” A cupola is a “small dome, often resembling an overturned cup, placed on a circular, polygonal, or square base or on small pillars or a glassed-in lantern”

Thank you google, very cool!

Jahangir came after Akbar, and during this period there was a declining Hindu influence on Muslim Architecture
He built his mausoleum during his own rule, and it has no dombs, with only minirets and ornamentation (is this a chad move or not? I honestly don’t know)
Built the Gardens “Verinag” and “Chashma-Shahi”

The Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daula might have been on my reference board which is cool. It was made entirely of white marble, and was covered entirely in a mosaic
White marble and marble inlay were used extensively throughout this period as decorations
Other notable structures include Shalimar garden (lots of pavillions on carved pillars, which can only be reached by stepping stone) and Dal Lakewas in Kashmir
The next guy: Shah Jahan.
This guy built loads and loads of tombs, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal

Mughal imperial palace built within “The Red Fort” which is in Dehli
Even more marble here, which is cool (including black marble inlay)
The peacock throne in the red fort is covered in lots of jewels
The red fort was the centre of a new capital built called Shahjahanabad (this guy’s got a little bit of an ego here by just slapping his name on a city but whatevs), which took ten years to build
With Aurangazeb, he was focused more on overthrowing Hinduism, so he made the Great Mosque in Varanasi.

A typical type of mosque style in his reign had 3 domes over a sanctuary with lots of minarets and a raised central arch (note the difference here from the typical hindu temple structure)
He was also more focused on gardens, with Fatehbad being a good example

Features of Mughal Architecture

Lots of perfect/bilateral symmetry
Red sandstone with white marble inlays (as mentioned earlier)

Pure white marble later on
Domes which are slightly pointed and curve inwards at the bottom
Geometric Ornamentations
Rough rubble for some walls
Ceramic tile work

“pietra dura” inlay with coloured and sei precious stones
Carved and inlaid stonework (range from shallow reliefs of flowers to “intricate pierced-marble screens known as jalis”
Lots of persian and hindu influences in Mughal architecture
“Shallow arches made out of corbels rather than voussoirs and richly ornamented carved piers and column” – these are a few examples of hindu influences on the architecture

Corbel: “a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket” – there are a lot of these in Neoclassical architecture and there are hundreds of tiny square ones in the British museum courtyard

Voussoirs – a group of small slightly arched stone that are all combined together into making an archway. It’s the same structure as the bridge in that punch cartoon about the league of nations, with the Keystone of the US missing

Chhatris – domed pavilion/kiosk thingy on an elevated pillar (as well as on “chajas and jarokhas”) with a balcony projecting outwards on those corbel brackets we talked about earlier “with a hood resting on columns.” These were a pretty common feature in Mughal architecture

Chaja: “A chhajja is an overhanging eave or roof covering found in Indian architecture. It is characterised with large support brackets with different artistic designs.”

Jharokha: “The Jharokha is a stone window projecting from the wall face of a building, in an upper story, overlooking a street, market, court or any other open space.”

Hood: “external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater, historically often in form of a pediment”

MY GOSH THERE ARE SO MANY ARCHITECTURE TERMS THIS IS SO HARD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Lots of tiles, an “Iwan” a central part of mosques, gardens being divided into four and the central dome with 4 smaller outer domes (even though that last bit also comes up a lot in Hindu architecture) are all features that are originally from architecture

The entire Mughal architecture movement is called “Indo-Islamic”, as it was a modified form of hindu architecture that was given the elements of “Spaciousness, immensity and extent”

It’s seen as a very successful combination of different design elements from different cultures, which is ultimately what I’m trying to do with my work.

MY GOSH WE’RE DONE! What I might try do is I might find pictures to match the definitions of specific words with pictures so that I have a better understanding of them, but I really feel like I’ve thrown myself into the deep end of architecture without knowing how to swim. However, it was still really important to spend so long on this one section of the project to prevent cultural appropriation, but I intend to be much more scrupulous when going over the remaining architecture styles I have to look at (EVEN THOUGH THERE’S SO MANY AAAAA WHY AM I SUCH A SLAVE TO MY RESEARCH!)

Okay, now time for gothic architecture

Mohapatra, P. (2022). Gothic Architecture. [online] Study.com. Available at: https://study.com/learn/lesson/gothic-architecture-characteristics.html [Accessed 6 Mar. 2023].

Here’s a video from study.com rather than an article, which is something I want to try out given that it might be a little more time effective for me to make notes on a video. I find that sometimes large blocks of text can be dense and difficult to read, so a video should help with that. Study.com is a paid for educational website, so I don’t see why there’d be any specific reason for them to have a bias on gothic architecture

First building in the gothic style was the abbey of St. Denis
Made by a guy called Abbot Suger, who wanted to make something that was elegant and geometrically perfect. He said it “To be a graceful expression of geometric harmony, striving with heaven and flooded with miraculous light”
The church he built was much more tall and elegant, rather than the stumpy and thiccc Romanesque church
Very bright and inspiring to be on the inside, rather than the imposing nature of Romanesque churches
Gothic given the name based on what the critics called the church
“Goth” were one of the groups who invaded the roman empire
Gothic architecture was the peak of medieval achievement, and one of the first main attempts to do something unique rather than just copying the romans
Fundamentals of Gothic Architecture stated: Pointed Arch, Flying Buttress and the Ribbed Vault (which is how I imagined originally what the vault’s artefact floor would look like, with all of these archways and the ceilings connected together
Pointed arch was the key to gothic architecture, because semi-circular structure of old arches pushed against the sides more than it did up, preventing buildings from being too tall and meaning that they needed dummy thick walls (which prevented large windows)
The pointed arches apply much more force upwards, allowing for huuuuge heights much easier and thinner walls, meaning that they could support a lot of vertical weight

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THE VIDEO BLOCKED AT 2 MINS IN BECAUSE STUDY.COM CHARGES!!!

But someone uploaded the video for free on youtube?

I looked at the channel and this guy just seems to be pirating lots of educational videos and uploading them, and whilst I’m not a huge fan of how study.com works there is likely a more ethical way to get the same information than internet piracy, so I’m going to look for another video. However, the information I learned was still really useful, and I’m glad that they discussed the physics of the architecture so that I understand it better

Spencer’s Painting of the Week (2013). A Complete Introduction to Gothic Architecture. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYhOaQhV6QE [Accessed 6 Mar. 2023].

He seems like a knowledgeable guy on youtube. He walks people through a piece of art each week, but he stopped uploading regular videos 9 years ago so F.

2 themes in gothic architecture: height/verticality (reaching towards the heavens) and light
The little pointy things on top of roofs and buildings are called parapets, which is neat I guess
Pointed arch originated in Islamic architecture, which is used as a geometric motif (most obvious in windows). They have a lot of geometric patterns in the top of a pointed arch (quatrefoil mentioned somewhere here?)
Ribbed vaults also helped buildings be taller
Nave = central area of the cathedral
Very narrow design of the nave, which could allow the building to resemble a Jesus cross top down pretty easily by having another area run across the nave at the altar (called a transept)
The stone used was very heavy, and the stone of the roofs often would apply a lot of force laterally, causing the walls to explode outwards and for everyone to die ☹
Flying buttresses supported the walls to prevent the ceiling from murdering everyone and from Richard Burton from bringing the whole left edifice down on their unworthy heads
A normie buttress hasn’t got the flying arch part, it’s all just filled in and that’s very spensive
Flying Buttresses are cheap and space saving, meaning you can put in windows where Buttresses would normal be supporting everything, meaning more light!
You can layer flying buttresses onto each other and it looks sick af
Flying Buttresses mean Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge windows due to the fact the walls can support it
Windows would tell stories of saints, like in regular churches but huuuge
Clearstory = additional level of windows above a roof to allow more light in
Triforium = Passageway “in the inner wall and above the nave” and breaks up the layers of windows and helps support the walls that are higher up
Very ornate façade to a building (façade is the outside of a building)
TympanuM????

Tympanum – section surface occupying the top curving area of an archway, usually with lots of ornamentations and stuff

Tympanum will depict key religious scenes, typically Dias Irae (judgement day)
Usually a stained glass circular window above a tympanum
Gothic is very different in a lot of reigions
Neo-Gothic == gothic revival architecture == more recent gothic buildings
English neogothic had these huge square towers

Thoughts on video == This was really useful! I really do prefer using videos over lengthy articles to cite my research, as the video will be much easier to focus on and for me to process. Tiny text on obscure and poorly designed websites from 2004 are likely more accurate, but it’s a whole different story on whether my depressed and anxiety ridden brain will be able to read it after crying my eyes out again at college. I think I’ll do the same for Baroque, just because these topics don’t require quite the same level of carefulness not to reinforce stereotypes as they are already part of western culture. Also, I wanna be done with my research dammit D:<

Architecture Explained (2022). BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE / Characteristics - Famous Buildings. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWd3d3SZQn0 [Accessed 6 Mar. 2023].

Appears to be a channel focused on architecture that has only 2 videos ☹. Not gonna watch the other one on Byzantine as I have gotten distracted enough as it is with this topic and I want this research phase to be over aarrrrgh!

Apparently the channel used to be called Archifun :D
Began in 1584 in Italy
3 phases, Early Baroque, High Baroque, and Late Baroque. As the movement grew it spread across the world and eventually became Rococo (which is super duper ornate)
Baroque is essentially a more grand and exaggerated version of renaissance architecture, which was all bout neo-classicism and respecting da romans innit mate bruv awight
Baroque designed to be against the protestants and make the catholics cool again

Characteristics

Large domes/cuppolas (I think that’s a term for dome I might have written it down earlier idk) in the centre of buildings
Large unpainted surfaces
Heavy Cornices (corner borders that sweep around buildings)
Vase shaped balusters (the bars that hold up bannisters)
Intentionally left unfinished elements (why?)
Broken Pediments – da big tringle with the gap innit above doors and windows (elsie what?)
Gilded sculpture
Ornate plaster and marble staties on pillars (which as everyone knows are indeed pretty roman)
Twisted columns (kind of thiccc)
Large frescos and paintings on the ceilings and walls. Use technique called Trompe L’oeil to give the impression the painting is 3d and extending t’wards the heavens!
A lot of attention was paid to the dramatic use of light rather than just flooding buildings with as much light as they possibly could
Plague pillars dedicated to memorialising all those who died in the plague as the architecture style hit at the end of the pandemic :(
Double Sloped Mansard Roof – Just google that ya ding dong but it was pretty popular
Static Dynamism – Creating a sense of movement in a building where there is none, which is a pretty cool idea tbh

That’s all the features I think? Why do they have those empty statue holes if they are all about ornamentation?

Gonna come back later as I need to finish Destiny 2 beyond light now available on the app store, but this video has also proved really helpful! Hopefully I can finish off my architecture research tomorrow morning, and then I can spend the day doing all of the fun architecture sketches and drawings I want to :D

I HAVE RETRNED!

Gonna recite for the next section just in case anything changes.

Architecture Explained (2022). BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE / Characteristics - Famous Buildings. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWd3d3SZQn0 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2023].

First major Baroque building was Gesu church in1568
Notable for curvilinear lines (which look pretty cool as smooth curves are really hard to draw), use of light and shadow, dynamic corners and pillars (in the video the shadow is more obvious due to how many large ledges there are in the surface of the building that block light out
St Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world, and it was built during the baroque period and had many famous baroque sculptors working on it
San Carlo Alle Quatro Fontane (yay long name) was very revolutionary because of the “unusual” patterns of the different curvilinear lines and elipses created (which was because it was built on a tiny street corner)
Palace of Versailles is a good example of French Baroque, and St Pauls is an excellent example in British Architecture

Okay noooooooooooooooooow we’re done with Baroque architecture. Towards the end of the video when it just started listing buildings I began to tune out, as that kind of information isn’t particularly that useful, especially considering I’m not planning on building any cathedrals or places of worship in my project (at least just yet). However, it was still vital for my project that I get the understanding of this architectural movements down, and I’m almost done with them now. Last stop is Edinburgh architecture (I think).

I just reread the list of architectural styles I had to go through, and I feel like only really doing the Edinburgh section just because I’m sick of doing all of these darn research and I just want to actually get some making done! That okay with you chief? I mean it has to be because you don’t say anything to me but I’m gonna take it as a yes.

The City of Edinburgh Council (n.d.). Pre - 1750 Buildings in Edinburgh Old Town Conservation Area. [online] edinburgh.gov.uk, pp.1–5. Available at: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/24351/pre-1750-buildings-in-edinburgh-old-town-conservation-area [Accessed 7 Mar. 2023].

I can’t seem to find this report on the Edinburgh website itself – it only comes up through the google images search. However, it seems to be legitimate as the pdf’s logo on a google search seems to come up with the Edinburgh.gov.uk logo? It’s the most reliable source I’ve found thus far, and it seems to be a pretty detailed audit of every single pre-1750 structure in Edinburgh’s old town, so I’m going to cite the introduction and the details it gives about the Old town’s architecture. I might end up looking at other papers but we’ll see.

The revival period of Scotland (which is how the architecture I have seen the Old town being described as) is from the late Medieval period and developed into an early version of the Renaissance.
Renaissance described as being a series of cultural activities rather than a singular event, which seems pretty accurate
Lists a few notable buildings here: Nerthbrow Port, Parliament House, George Heriot’s School, Gladston’e land
Talks about a mix of surviving medieval buildings and renaissance buildings sitting together in the old town
New Town constructed in the 1760s, which isn’t really my inspiritation as I prefer the more organic and twisting look of the old town over the grid of the new town, at least in terms of how the buildings look
Talks about the medieval “fishbone street” pattern of narrow “closes” leading off of a central road called the Royal Mile described as a spine [The fishbone pattern seems rather apt, but what is a close?)

Close == “a residential street without through access”

Continuing analysis of Edinburgh architecture notes

Mentions the Baronian style. Now that’s lead right there. It’s 19th century, which seems to match the look of the buildings I’m drawing from but I think that i need to still be careful not to get drawn into the research too much
Okay now it starts breaking down the architecture into eras:
Pre 1544
Talks about how most houses were made out of wood and clay and few were higher than 2 stories
All very flammable
Not that much left as they were destroyed in invasions
Goes briefly over the rest of the 1500s but doesn’t list any architectural motifs. Only says that stone buildings and multi storey buildings became more common
17th century: Lots of townhouses being constructed
Stone and slate roofs became increasingly common
Mentions new pattern of “flatted courtyard dwelling?” What is that?

I can’t find the definition of a flatted courtyard dwelling, but a courtyard dwelling appears to be a type of building based around a large open courtyard in the centre of the house. This is described as a luxury, which it seems to be because it takes up a lot of empty space. What does flatted mean?

OHHHHHHHHHHHH FLATTED AS IN FLATS! AS IN THE BUILDINGS WHICH ARE MADE OUT OF LOTS OF THIN LAYERS THAT SOME RATHER ASTUTE INDIVIDUALS WOULD DESCRIBE AS FLATS! That makes a lot more sense.
The old town is highly congested, but these courtyards surrounded by lots of buildings would be more luxury
Milne’s court apparently represented the need for space in the old town
Tenements were the primary types of buildings (which means flats), and there are also lots of vernacular buildings (buildings constructed outside of the art of architecture, such as D’eep Fry’s mud hut)

Baronial Architecture appears to be what I want from a quick google, so whilst this source had it’s own cool information the baronial look is what I need. Only one more source to go!

Edmonton Historical Board (2023). Scottish Baronial. [online] www.edmontonsarchitecturalheritage.ca. Available at: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/24351/pre-1750-buildings-in-edinburgh-old-town-conservation-area [Accessed 7 Mar. 2023].

This goes over literally all the features of Scottish Baronial! It doesn’t give a great deal of context however at this point I am sick and tired of research and I can read more in depth context if I really need to. Les go!

Scottish Baronial was popular in Canada (probably because of that one time Scotland tried to colonise Canada in the form or Nova Scotia, but this is admittedly no where near there)
Became a more Canadian style as it was used over time
Based on “medieval castles, tower houses and the French Chateau style” and has a “fairy-tale” character, which is kinda true tbh
MAIN THEMES:
Beeg
Asymmetrical plans and levels
Steep copper roofs
Stone or brick outside
Big porches
Crenellations (like on the tops of castles)
Pediments?? I think I googled this earlier
Lots of lavish decoration like “dormers, gables, conical towers, finials, and iron cresting”
They also flat out dump a huge list of features of Scottish baronial here, which I’ll just copy paste:

Balcony, Balustrade, Bay window, Brick cladding, Brick structure, Carving, Columns, Coping, Corbelling, Crenellated parapet, Exposed rafters, Flag pole, Gable dormer, Gable roof, Gabled parapet, Hipped dormers, Hipped roof, Intersecting gable roof, Irregular footprint, Pier or Pillar, Pilaster, Pillars, Porch, Porte cochere, Portico, Pyramidal roof, Quoins, Rock-faced stone, Round headed dormer, Shed roof dormer, Smooth stone, Stone structure, Three storeys or more, Two & a half storeys, Veranda

There, are we done now? Can we go home?

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm maybe one more source on Scottish baronial, just because it’s such a huge influence on the architecture so maybe it should have a little more context

Fine!

Davies, G. (2022). Architecture in Edinburgh - The Scots Baronial Style. [online] www.edinburghexpert.com. Available at: https://www.edinburghexpert.com/blog/architecture-in-edinburgh-the-scots-baronial-style [Accessed 7 Mar. 2023].

Written by a tour guide who has been running walking tours in Edinburgh since 1998 – this guy probably knows his stuff.

Lots of different styles in Edinburgh today
Scots Baronial started in mid 1800s and became very popular (especially in the Old Town)
Reflects older styles of architecture whilst still being super cool
Evolved from Gothic architecture as people got interested in Gothic again
Part of Gothic Revival after wayyyyyyyy too much neo-classicism
Also inspired by medieval architecture as the industrial revolution took off and traditional medieval building skills became less common
The pointy towers are very common and very cool
Kinda look like baby castles
Some rooftops have a zigzag gable (edge of a roof with the brick bit), which is called a crow step (and when the edge of a roof is still it is called a cat slide (oh no cat!))
Crow steps would originally help the support timber on the roof of a building, but the Victorians were doing it “for funsies” or “for the bit”
The look is designed to make these buildings look older than they actually are, meaning most of the buildings that look old that are actually pretty young

Thank you random tour guide! Very Cool!

Now I can finally rest on the architecture research and now make research notes on the video series!

Yay!

A side note would be that this source is really informative and I finally feel ready to start finding out what my architectural style is. I feel like I have a detailed enough grounding in architecture to get what I am going for with these buildings, that will allow me to create a whole look for the world so I understand the people and creatures within it.

The Kingdom of Dusk: An Exercise in Visual Worldbuilding This page is part of the collection 'Part 3'.

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