Your Architecture Questions Answered

Have you ever looked at a building and thought it was a miracle that something so intricate could ever be designed by man? Architecture plays a vital role in everything we see, touch or feel. Our homes are designed with protection and comfort in mind. The eye is pleased by the soaring arches and beautiful designs using stone, wood, metal or glass.

It is both an art and a science that has taken mankind through the centuries. From the first crudely constructed structures to the dizzying heights of skyscrapers, humanity has been shaped and nurtured with it. In this article we will discuss the history of architecture and some of the basic questions you may have regarding this great blend of art, form, science and function.

What are the different types of architecture?

There are many types of architects. But to be more specific, the architects specialize in different areas. All usually have the same background of a Bachelor's degree but some chose not to design buildings. A landscape architect specializes in shaping nature.

The "green" architect designs homes and buildings to conserve energy and help protect the Earth's resources. Some architects work only on historic preservation. There are many areas in which an architect can focus his or her talents.

What are some of the most famous examples of great architecture?

Just to keep the list brief but duly notable, we will list only the major examples of architecture through the ages. The Neolithic period gave us the dwellings at Skara Brae. The Ancient period gave us the pyramids in Egypt, the Temple of Hera in Greece and the Indian Hindu temples of Somanathapura.

You also can not forget the Cistine Chapel, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building. If you are a fan of Modern architecture then you probably are familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Waters in Pennsylvania.

What are some of the top schools for architecture?

Depending on the style of architecture you wish to pursue, there are many great colleges and universities in the United States that can offer fabulous opportunities to learn it. The top five for a Bachelor's degree in it are: Cornell University, Rice University, Syracuse University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Keep in mind that rankings do not mean that your chosen school does not have a fine program. These are just a few of the colleges on the list.

How long will my degree take?

No one can give you an exact time that you will complete your degree within. If you continue through school until you have achieved a Master's degree and finished your internship, you are looking at around six to eight years. It can be more or less depending on your class load and how easy you pass the classes and tests to acquire your license.

What do I need to know in order to design my own home?

All home designs start with a vision about how you want your house to look. After you have decided what look you are trying to obtain, you need to start thinking about having someone who knows structural codes come in and help you. There are many house designing programs that can help you design your own home. You can always talk with a builder and take a look at his or her plans and modify them.

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The Lasting Appeal of Monterey Architecture

Monterey architecture helped define the look of many Southern California cities, and is still one of the region's most popular home building styles. It's not uncommon to see entire neighborhoods of Monterey homes, especially in coastal areas where the abundantly-windowed style helps keep the ocean in clear view, and enables residents to transition easily between indoor and outdoor living. The timelessness of Monterey architecture, with its emphasis on clean, vertically-oriented features and functional layout, continues to make it an attractive choice for new home builders; Monterey neighborhoods often feature a mix of new and antique homes built to the same specifications, in a testament to the style's lasting appeal.

Monterey is a quintessential southwest coast style, but it also relies heavily on east coast building traditions. That's because the style was pioneered by an east-coaster, Boston merchant Thomas Larkin, who relocated to Monterey, California in 1939. Larkin envisioned a new home style for his new city, one that merged the New England Colonial look with adobe construction. A wealthy and influential businessman, Larkin was able to quickly channel his vision and build one of Monterey's most prominent homes. The finished product was unlike anything people in the region had seen, offering all the majesty of an eastern seaboard estate mixed with traditional southwest understated elegance and functionality. Larkin's home also introduced a new building feature in Southern California construction: second floor balconies. At the time homes with one story designs dominated the region, and the second floor balcony concept was seen as a breakthrough for lifestyle and aesthetic appeal.

As the capital of the Mexican territory of California, Monterey was an important cultural center, and the origin of many regional trends. Monterey architecture blossomed throughout Southwest California during the last years of Mexican rule, and became even more popular when California was made a U.S. state in 1849. During the Spanish Colonial revival of the 1920s and 30s when southwest building forms flourished throughout the country, Monterey architecture was one of several styles preferred by new home builders, along with Spanish mission architecture. Today Monterey homes are common in warm coastal markets from California to Florida.

Modern Monterey homes can most easily be identified by a cantilevered second-story balcony - a balcony extending from the exterior wall without ground supports, and held in place by strong beams, often backed by full length windows. Other characteristic features of the style include low-pitched gabled roofs, usually finished with shingles or tiles, and exterior stucco, adobe, or brick walls, sometimes with exposed wood beams.

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Understanding Second Empire Architecture

Some of the 19th century's most imposing, majestic homes and public buildings were built in the Second Empire style. Based on French design elements popular during the Second French Empire, this building form was popular throughout the European sphere of influence and the United States during the mid to late 19th century, and is often considered the first prominent Victorian building style. Unlike other popular 19th century architectural forms, Second Empire was largely the product of new and emerging styles, rather than classic styles like Gothic and Regency. Second Empire architecture is also closely related to the Italianate building style, which also came into prominence during the mid-19th century.

Several design elements set the Second Empire style apart from other building forms. Most notably, the style is known for its widespread use of Mansard roofing, which produced the style's famously imposing stature. Mansard roofs are hipped and double sloped, with a nearly vertical lower slope, and a much flatter upper slope that isn't usually visible from ground level. The four-sided, double sloped approach made these roofs extremely functional as well as attractive, and allowed for large three story floor plans. Often a house with a small ground floor footprint could have the same volume as a tall apartment building or row house using a Mansard roof. The stylish look of these roofs was often enhanced with molded cornices aligned with windows and doors on lower floors. Many Mansard roofs also included a third slope along the bottom edge acting as an overhang, and a rounded main slope to give the roof a domed look.

Another common feature of the Second Empire architecture was a tower, or tower-like element, usually at the front and center of a building. This feature is instantly recognizable in many Second Empire city hall and parliament buildings, and often resembles a bell tower. With a large tower to offset the profile of buildings, the Second Empire style could often be employed to produce much larger structures - this meant the style was doubly useful in sizing applications, as it allowed small footprints to be used to their maximum potential, and large footprints to become more stylish and less monolithic. Prior to the construction of the Pentagon in the 1940s some of the world's largest roofs were built in the Second Empire style, including that of the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, and the Ohio State Asylum for the Insane. Both of these institutions were built according to the Kirkbride Plan for mental asylums, which helped shape the Second Empire style in dozens of imposing, steep roofed health care facilities built throughout the late 19th century.

The practicality of Second Empire architecture was often overshadowed by its abundant ornamentation. Extensive custom molding on the exterior of these buildings was often matched by intricate detailing on the interior walls, often accented by high sculpted pillars and wide winding staircases. Beautiful ornamentation helped make the Second Empire style popular, but also may have helped push it into obscurity, as plainer building styles became more popular during the early 20th century.

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Understanding Shingle Architecture

Shingle architecture helped define the look of many of America's most popular waterfront communities in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Reminiscent of the Queen Anne style, this building form helped residents make the most of lake and ocean real estate with a variety of ornamental features to enhance view, and construction materials that worked well in wet, coastal climates.

As the name suggests, Shingle architecture relies heavily on the use of shingles on roofs and exterior walls. As a result, shingle style homes looked naturally more ornate than most homes, and required less ornamentation. The shingle skin of these homes also provided extra insulation, and kept the homes dryer and warmer during wet winter months. Stone counteractions on many of these homes also helped extend their life span for many generations of residents.

The exterior style of shingle homes was also defined by large, asymmetrical shapes, and generally horizontal profiles. Unpractical on small city properties, the style worked well on large coastal estates - many of the most famous examples of shingle architecture were built on the New England seashore. Shingle style homes tended to rely less on form than their Queen Anne predecessors, although they employed many of the same shapes. Features like gambrel roofing, polygon towers, and multiple eaves helped evoke the Queen Anne style while allowing for progression of the form. Since Shingle architecture is less clearly defined in shape, it's sometimes more difficult to identify at a glance, except for the telltale shingle roof and siding.

Although Shingle architecture became fairly widespread around the turn of the 20th century under New York architects like William Rutherford Mead, Stanford White, and Charles Follen McKim, the style never attained the same popularity as Queen Anne architecture.

The interior style of Shingle homes was often characterized by the use of natural light. Shingle home floor plans were generally more open, and room to room transitions were often more informal than Queen Ann style homes, primarily because of their larger size. In this way, Shingle homes were often more accommodating to guests and large families.

Home buyers and sellers in the northeast and great lakes region will likely come across the Shingle style at some point, and a basic understanding of the form could prove a great advantage over other investors.

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