Architecture
June 3, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Definitions
The term architecture (from Greek word αρχιτεκτονική,pronounced architektonike) can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.
As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures primarily to provide shelter. A wider definition often includes the design of the total built environment, from the macro level of how a building integrates with its surrounding landscape (see town planning, urban design, and landscape architecture) to the micro level of architectural or construction details and, sometimes, furniture. Wider still, architecture is the activity of designing any kind of system.
Tudor Revival architecture
May 30, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Architectural style
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century (also called Mock Tudor or Tudorbethan), first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies.
For example, in New Zealand, the architect Francis Petre adapted the style for the local climate. Elsewhere in Singapore, then a British colony, architects such as R. A. J. Bidwell pioneered what became known as the Black and White House. The earliest examples of the style originate with the works of such eminent architects as Norman Shaw and George Devey, in what at the time was thought of as a neo-Tudor design.
Polish Cathedral style
May 29, 2009 by blogtopia
Filed under Architectural style
The Polish Cathedral style of North-American Catholic church is a genre of church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England in North America. These churches are not necessarily cathedrals (seats of bishops), or seats of their respective dioceses, but rather monumentally grand churches.
Key characteristics distinguish churches of the Polish Cathedral Style from other architectural styles represented in North-American church buildings. The most visible is the large amount of ornamentation used in decorating both the exterior and interior, comparable only to the more famous Churrigueresque or Spanish Baroque style. The decorations used reflect the tastes of the Polish immigrants to these regions in both the symbols and statuary of saints prominently displayed throughout.