HSTARC2: American Colonial

American Colonial

American Colonial style is associated with churches, houses and buildings built using building desgin styles associated with the colonial period of the United States which was from 1600-1900. The building style was influenced by techniques and styles from England where houses were prmarily built from wood. Dutch Colonial also influenced the style as stone and bricks are used in houses and buildings built in England. Southern Colonial style could also be seen used used in the American Colonial where there are central-passage type houses having large chimneys.

Subtypes:

First Period English

Buildings in this period typically had steep roofs, small casement leaded glass windows, rich ornamentation and large central chimneys. Mostly faced southeast in order to maximize natural light gain or faced northwest to minimize heat gained from the sun.


French Colonial

French Colonial first appeared on North American areas during 1608 where the houses are mostly constructed of heavy upright logs set vertically into the ground. Most houses have double-pitched hipped roof featured to handle hot climate. Some houses have double louvred doors, flared hip roofs, dormers and shutters featured. Living quarters are raised above grounds and there are no interior hallways.


Spanish Colonial

Most of the houses built using this style have many features such as:
Early Spanish Colonial
• Mostly one story
• Flat roof/low pitch
• Earth/clay tile roof covering
• Thick walls made of rocks, coquina or adobe
• Several exterior doors
• Small windows
• Wooden or iron bars accross the windows
• Interior shutters

Late Spanish Colonial
• Second story with balconies and proches
• Interior courtyards
• Wooden brackets
• Double hung sashed windows

Dutch Colonial

Dutch Colonial houses build in 1740 are mostly located in New York State where gambrel roofs are used. Most of the houses build using this style has feautures such as:
• Dutch doors
• Chimneys
• Wide flared eaves
• Brick or Stone used for construction

German Colonial

German Colonial which was developed about 1675 often have features such as:
• Thick walls made of sandstone (about 2ft high)
• Reinforced stone arches
• Beams pinned with wodden pegs
• Exposed half-timbering
• Flared eaves
• Massive wishbone-shaped chimney


Georgian Colonial

Georgian Colonial houses usually have features such as:
• Symmetrical shape
• Paneled front door at center
• Flat columns
• Paired chimneys
• Medium pitch roof/minimal roof overhang
• Five to twelve small windows

HSTARC2: International Style

International style is an architectural style that emerged from 1920s to 1930s in Europe and United States. Common characteristics of this style include International Style buildings which have rectilinear forms, light, taut plane surface that has no applied ornamentation and decoration in order to emphasize a building’s horizontal aspect. The style focuses more on the stylistic aspects of Modernism namely: volume rather than mass; balance rather than symmetry; and no ornaments should be applied.

In Europe, the common characteristics of the International Style include a radical simplification of form, steel and concrete as preferred materials, and transparency of buildings. The machine aesthetic and logical design concept support building function in order to create buildings beyond historicism.

In North America, International Style originated on 1932 during the exhibition at the Museum of Modern art. Some of the common International Style high-rise buildings have square or rectangular footprint, simple cubic forms, windows in horizontal rows and façade angled at 90 degrees.

Houses and buildings are often defined in the International Style by features such as:
• Rectilinear forms
• Asymmetrical
• Cylindrical surfaces
• Smooth wall surfaces mostly glass and steel
• A cantilevered balcony/upper floor
• Open interior spaces
• There is a series of repetitive elements
• Flat roofs
• Metal window frames, sliding windows

HSTARC2: Art Deco

Art Deco began in Paris during the 1920s which reached international level during the 1930s. The style is purely decorative which influenced all areas of design such as architecture, interior design, industrial design, jewelry, visual arts and graphic arts. It represents elegance, glamour, functionality and modernity through linear symmetry and flowing asymmetrical organic curves like the style of Art Nouveau. It was inspired by ancient Egyptian and Aztec forms and was influenced by different styles such as Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism and Futurism.

Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes which were widely considered as an elegant and stylish form of modernism. It is used in Machine Age and streamlines technologies such as modern aviation, electric lighting, radio and skyscrapers. Cubism and Futurism influenced Art Deco in the crystalline and faceted forms of decoration. Other well known shapes used in Art Deco are trapezoids, zigzags, geometric, and jumbled shapes. Materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer, Bakelite, Chrome and inlaid wood are commonly used in Art Deco, sharkskin and zebra skin were also quite used.

Most of Art Deco inspired buildings have features such as:
• Cubic forms
• Ziggurat shapes
• Rectangles and Trapezoids
• Bands of colors
• Zigzag designs
• Pillar illusions

HSTARC2: Arts & Crafts

Arts and Crafts movement originated in England during 1880-1930 and later on spread through Europe and North America. The main theme of the movement is the truth to materials which uses simple forms, medieval and romantic styles of decoration.

In architecture, the design principle of Arts and Craft movement is its authenticity in design and decoration and a reaction against machine produced styles which preludes to Modernism. Objects and design involved in Arts and Crafts has a simple form which often shows the way it was assembled or put together and doesn’t have superfluous decorations. The main principle of Arts and Crafts design is to preserve and emphasize the qualities of the materials used or the idea of “truth to material’. Most patterns used are inspired by British flora and fauna, vernacular or domestic traditions. The main qualities of Arts and Crafts movement is simplicity and honest use of materials which could be inspired by Art Nouveau and Bauhaus. Art and Crafts ideals had an influence on architecture, painting, sculpture, graphics, book making, photography, decorative arts, woodworks and furniture, stained glass, metalwork and ceramics.

HSTARC2: Bauhaus

Bauhaus was a school in Germany which was famous for the approach to design it taught. It was opened from 1919 to 1933 and the German term Bauhaus meant “School of Building”. It was founded by Walter Gropius which was a German Architect whom was pioneered as Master of Modern Architecture. In the first year of its establishment it didn’t have an architecture department. Bauhaus style became as one of the most influential currents in Modernist Architecture and Modern Design due to its main idea of creating a total work of art. The idea of total work of art included all arts and architecture being brought together to develop something.

Bauhaus school existed in three German cities namely Weimar (1919-1925), Dessau (1925-1932) and Berlin (1932-1933). There were three different architects that became the directors of the school. Walter Gropius became the director of the school from 1919-1928. Hannes Meyes a Swiss Architect became the director from 1928-1930 while Ludwig Mies van der Rohe a German Architect became the director from 1930-1933. The school was closed because of the pressure from Nazi regime.

Bauhaus had a major impact on art and architectural trends of Western Europe, United States and Canada. The main objective of it was to unify art, craft and technology into a single output. The Cantilever Chair and the Wassily Chair which was designed by Marcel Breuer are two examples of the contributions of Bauhaus in the field of Modern Furniture Design.

HSTARC2: Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international style of art and applied art that was quite known during 1890-1905. The word Art Nouveau is a French word for “new art” which is also known as Jugendstil in German. This type of art is characterized by organic and flowing curvilinear forms such as floral, plants or enclosed curved lines. This style is very popular in Europe and the British Islands like France, Belgium, Austria, Spain and Hungary. It is considered as an important transition between the historicism of Neoclassicism and modernism.
Art Nouveau is considered as a total style because it includes a hierarch of scales of design. It includes architecture, interior design, visual art, and decorative art which include jewelry, furniture, textiles etc. The philosophy of the style indicated that it is a way of life because of how it is inspired by daily happenings.

In architecture this type of art could be seen on hyperbolas and parabolas in windows, arches and doors. Decorative moldings could also be an example because most of it is developed into plant-derived forms. It is modernized by architectural designers such that they use very stylized organic forms such as seaweeds, grasses, insects etc.

Two- dimensional Art Nouveau could be painted, drawn and printed in forms such as posters and magazines wherein curved lines, patterned surfaces, contrasting voids and flatness of visual plane could be seen. This type of art could also be seen applied on glass arts and ceramics.

HStARC2: Beaux Art & Neo Gothic

BEAUX ART

École des Beaux-Arts, meaning “school of fine arts” in French. It is where the beaux art style in architecture was mostly influenced. Combining classical Greek and Roman architecture with Renaissance ideas, Beaux Arts was a favored style for structures that symbolizes grandeur power and wealth. Mostly for public buildings of the government and mansions for the rich people. It was a big influence on the American architecture between 1880 and 1920. New York City would be the perfect place for the impressive architecture. It features buildings of light colored stone, such as limestone, marble, or light colored brick. All can feature classical Greek or Roman columns, columns in relief, complete with decorative capitals. This bold and public architecture in many ways defines New York, and the Beaux-Arts style is still powerful, and does indeed make for a City Beautiful.

NEO GOTHIC

“The revival of the gothic architecture.” From the flying buttresses to the pointed pinnacles, the movement that aimed to revive the medieval style which started in England on the 1740’s, was successful on the spread out till the 19th century. This architecture is mostly used in churches which imitated the classical gothic style of architecture from its materials to its details yet with the guide of the developing standard practice. The Church of England erected hundreds of Neo Gothic churches, in addition to restoring many original structures. Gothic Revival became widely used also for public buildings throughout the West, especially in England and the United States. The greatest American work of Neo Gothic style is St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, by James Renwick.