ANCIENT ROMAN ARCHITECTURE

by Jessne Chua Jiah Yin

2014050092Mr.George Gray

Introduction

Ancient Roman architecture adopted many different aspects of Ancient Greek architecture creating a new architectural style. The Romans were indebted to their Etruscan neighbors and forefathers who supplied them with a wealth of knowledge essential for future architectural solutions. The Romans were also known to employ Greek craftsmen and engineers to construct Roman buildings. Roman architecture flourished throughout the Empire during the Pax Romana.

The arch and the dome

The Roman use of the arch and their improvements in the use of concrete and bricks facilitated the building of the many aqueducts throughout the empire. The same concepts produced numerous bridges, some of which are still in daily use. The Romans first adopted the arch from the Etruscans, and implemented it in their own building. An arch transmits load evenly and is still commonly used in architecture today.

Dome of the Pantheon, inner view

The Aqueduct of Segovia, Spain

For Example :

Puente Romano , Merida in Spain

Vaison-Ia-Romaine, Provence in France

Housing

The Ancient Romans were responsible for significant developments in housing and public hygiene, for example their public and private baths and latrines, under-floor heating in the form of the hypocaust, mica glazing and piped hot and cold water.

FOR EXAMPLE :

In Pompeii Street In Ostia Antica

Common building types

All Roman cities had at least one Thermae, a popular facility for public bathing, exercising and socializing. Exercise might include wrestling and weight-lifting, as well as swimming. Romans did not wash with soap and water as we do now.

Roman architecture was often at its most beautiful and impressive when adapted to the needs of Roman religion. The Pantheon in Rome has survived structurally intact, it has been continuously used for worship since it was built over 2000 years ago.

Tower of Hercules Many lighthouses were built around the Mediterranean and the coasts of the empire, including the Tower of Hercules at A Coruña in northern Spain. The light would have been provided by a fire at the top of the structure.

Materials Tile covered concrete quickly supplanted

marble as the primary building material and more daring buildings soon followed with great pillars supporting broad arches and domes rather than dense lines of columns suspending flat architraves.

Roman architects perfected Roman concrete and used it in buildings where it could stand on its own and support a great deal of weight.

Frigidarium of Baths of Diocletian, today Santa Maria degli Angeli

Arch

A masonry arch 1. Keystone2.  Voussoir3. Extrados4. Impost 5. Intrados6. Rise 7. Clear span 8. Abutment

Dome

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Romecrowned by a cupola.

A dome is an element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory.

Column

National Capitol Columns at the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Column in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below.

MarbleMarble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.

Modern influence Roman influences may

be found around us today, in banks, government buildings, even small houses, perhaps in the form of a porch with Doric columns and a pediment or a mosaic shower floor copied from an original in Pompeii or Herculaneum.mosaic

The mighty pillars, domes and arches of Rome echo in the New World too, where in Washington DC not only do we see the Capitol Building, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial.United States

Capitol

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States,Abraham Lincoln.

White HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States.

Conclusion I like about the housing because

it is very interesting and the vaults and arches, together with a sound knowledge of building materials, enabled them to achieve unprecedented successes in the construction of imposing structures for public use.

References …

Ancient Roman architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_architecture

THANK YOU