How Architectural Styles Develop

Many features develop over time

Development of one architectural solution in one culture often caused changes in architecture of another culture

Transitions occur from one time period to another

Also from one part of the country and world to another

Few structure are pure examples of one specific style

Styles are categorized and labeled by most common and outstanding features

Overlapping of characteristics is typical among Early American and European styles

Early American Architecture Influences

Need to begin with European styles

Such as English French Spanish Italian

English Architecture Includes several variations of common

features High-pitched roofs The massive chimneys Half-timber siding Small windows Exterior stone walls Wood may replace stone on exterior walls

Day English Architecture cont’d

Most commonly adapted English styles include Elizabethan Tudor

Elizabethan style

Typical Half-timber construction

Tudor style

Typical multiple gables

French Architecture

Several distinct types Two most common:

French Provincial French Chateau

French Provincial

Steeply pitched hip roofs Long projecting windows Corner quoins Curved lintels Towers

French Chateau

Symmetrical Mansard roofs

Originally designed by French architect François Mansard

French Provincial

Spanish and Italian

Share several similarities Arches Low-pitched roofs of ceramic tile Stucco exterior walls

Distinguishing feature of Spanish home

Open courtyard patio Two-story Spanish homes have

open balconies – often with grillwork trim

Spanish Architecture

Italian Architecture

Very similar to Spanish Features particular to Italian styles

Columns and arches Generally part of an entrance Windows or balconies open onto a loggia

An open passage covered by a roof Classical moldings around first floor

windows

Mediterranean

Both Spanish and Italian are classified as Mediterranean

Also called Southern European style

Italian Architecture

Contemporary Adaptation

Early American Styles

New England Colonial Mid-Atlantic Colonial Dutch Colonial Southern Colonial

Early American cont’d From diversity of background of

early settlers All the styles that developed in

various regions of the colonies European styles influenced

residential First England Then France

English styles had greatest impact

New England Colonial Colonists from New England

coastal areas Brought strong influence of English

architecture Lacked time and equipment Depended on locally available

building materials Had to simplify English styles

Became New England Colonial

New England Colonial cont’d

One of most popular New England Colonial styles Cape Cod

One-and-one-half story gabled-roof Central front chimney Exterior walls of clapboard or bevel

siding

New England Colonial cont’d

May include dormers Floor plan generally symmetrical Design features to overcome cold

winters Window shutters Small window areas Enclosed breezeways

Cape Cod

Mid-Atlantic Colonial Local influences

Availability of brick Seasonal climate Influence of the architecture of Thomas

Jefferson Located from Virginia to New Jersey Formal, massive and ornate Also called Classical Revival

Mid-Atlantic Colonial cont’d

Influenced by early Greek and Roman architecture

Included adaptations of many urban English designs

Georgian style is a simplified version

Mid-Atlantic Colonial

Dutch Colonial

Colonists from Netherlands and Germany

In New York and Pennsylvania Gambrel roof

Dutch Colonial

Southern Colonial

Early settlers migrated south Warmer climates and outdoor living

affected the designs House was center of plantation living Usually larger than most English

house Second story

Often with a veranda

Southern Colonial

Later American Styles

After the colonial period

Styles were influenced by Climate Availability of land Industrial developments Other architectural styles

Victorian Intricate house decorations

(gingerbread) developed Resulting from new machinery of the

Industrial Revolution Ornate items such as:

Finials Lintels Parapets balconies

Victorian

Ranch Style

Settlers moved west of the colonies

Adapted styles to meet their needs Availability of land eliminated need

for second floors Needed space spread horizontally

Ranch Style cont’d

Spanish and Mexican influences Southwestern ranch U-shaped plan with patio in middle

One-story Spanish/Mexican homes were the fore-runners of Southwestern Ranch styles

Southwestern Ranch

Influences on Contemporary Styles

Advances always depended on available building materials

American colonial builders had only wood, stone and some ceramic material Resulting in Early American architecture

Newer developments affect styles over time

Influences cont’d Styles never thought possible in the

past are now realities Forms Sizes Shapes

Many choices and styles possible now

Must be carefully combined to meet good design principles

Influences cont’d

Historical styles continue to have influence

Advancements in technology have great influence

Many different choices

Contemporary Style

Contemporary Features

Modern components incorporated into a French Provincial home

New Materials Many "new" materials are actually

old materials manufactured in new ways or different forms

Wood One of oldest materials New structural wood and synthetic

materials have affected shapes and sizes

Revolutionized the use of wood in architecture

New Materials cont’d

Plastics and New Glass products Changed designs dramatically Large double and triple glass sheets Structural forms Provide for many options

New Materials cont’d

Concrete Many new developments Factory-made concrete shapes

Steel One of the most profound impacts Can be built on location Shapes previously impossible High rise buildings

New Materials cont’d

Aluminum Used for framing and covering

lightweight structures

Steel has increased building heights

New Construction Methods

Skeleton Frame Construction One of the first methods using

modern materials Open frame to which wall coverings

are attached Frame provides support Covering provides shelter

Skeleton Frame Construction

New Methods cont’d

Now large pre-manufactured components can be used

Have fewer structural restrictions Lines may be

Simpler Bolder Less cluttered

New Materials con’td Can have more diversified

structural shapes No longer are architectural shapes

simply squares or cubes Triangles Octagons Pentagons Circles spheres