Architecture

Casa Calvet is GaudÃ's most conventional building, and the only one for which he received an award (Building of the Year from the City of Barcelona, 1900).

The project was supposed to begin in March of 1898, but the municipal architect rejected the plans because Casa Calvet's proposed height exceeded City regulations for that street. Instead of redesigning the building to comply with City codes, Gaudà sent the plans back with a line through the faÃade, threatening to simply cut off the top of the building. This would have left the building looking obviously interrupted. City officials did not reply to this threat and construction finally began according to GaudÃ's original plans in January of 1899.

The stone faÃade, bay windows, sculptural decorations, and many of the interior features of Casa Calvet reflect Baroque influences. The interior is full of color and detail, including furniture that Gaudà designed for the first two floors.

Casa Calvet has five stories plus a basement and flat roof terrace. The ground floor was built for offices, while the other floors house the living areas.

During the 1870s, Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson captured the American imagination with rugged, forceful buildings like the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh and Trinity Church in Boston. These buildings were called "Romanesque" because they had wide, rounded arches like buildings in ancient Rome. Henry Hobson Richardson became so famous for his Romanesque designs that the style is often called Richardsonian Romanesque.

The heavy Romanesque Revival style was especially suited for grand public buildings. Most people could not afford to build private houses with Roman arches and massive stone walls. However, during the 1880s, a few wealthy industrialists embraced the Romanesque Revival to build elaborate and often fanciful Gilded Age mansions.

During this time, elaborate Queen Anne architecture was at the height of fashion. Also, the rambling Shingle Style became a popular choice for vacation homes, especially along the northeast coast of the USA. Not surprisingly, Romanesque Revival homes often have Queen Anne and Shingle Style details.

Romanesque Revival Features

• Constructed of rough-faced, square stones
• Round towers with cone-shaped roofs
• Columns and pilasters with spirals and leaf designs
• Low, broad "Roman" arches over arcades and doorways
• Patterned masonry arches over windows

_{References
Key resources used for this article:}

• _{Urban castles for gilded-age barons, from Old-House Journal}
• _{A Field Guide to American Houses. Read a Review | Compare Prices}
• _{American Shelter: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Home. Compare Prices}
• _{American House Styles: A Concise Guide. Compare Prices}

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The Jewish Museum in Berlin was Daniel Libeskind's first building project and it brought him recognition around the world. Since that time, Libeskind designed the Master Plan for Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site in New York City.

Statement by Daniel Libeskind:

A building can be experienced as an unfinished journey. It can awaken our desires, propose imaginary conclusions. It is not about form, image or text, but about the experience, which is not to be simulated. A building can awaken us to the fact that it has never been anything more than a huge question mark...I believe that this project joins Architecture to questions that are now relevant to all people.

Commentary by Professor Bernd Nicolai, University of Trier:

The Jewish Museum Berlin by Daniel Libeskind is one of the most conspicuous architectural landmarks in the city of Berlin. In the southern Friedrichstadt area which was badly damaged in the war and beyond recognition following post-war demolition, Libeskind designed a building which embodies remembrance, melancholy, and departure. Through its designer it has become an architectural symbol in a specific Jewish discourse at the core of which is German history and the history of the city after 1933, which ended "in total catastrophe."

Libeskind's intention was to express kaleidoscopically the city's lines and cracks in architectural form. The confrontation of Libeskind's Jewish Museum building with the adjoining classical building by Berlin City Architect, Mendelsohn, not only defines two highlights of 20th century architecture but also reveals the stratigraphy of a historical landscape - exemplary exposure of the relationship of Jews and Germans in this city.

Learn More About the Jewish Museum Berlin

• The Jewish Museum Berlin (Official Site)
• Daniel Libeskind (Official Site)

The US Supreme Court Building: Guardian of Law Sculpture

Architect Sir Norman Foster transformed the 19th century Reichstag building in Berlin with a high-tech glass dome.

The Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, is a neo-renaissance building constructed between 1884 and 1894. A fired destroyed most of the building in 1933, and there was more destruction at the end of World War II.

Reconstruction during the mid-twentieth century left the Reichstag without a dome. In 1995, architect Sir Norman Foster proposed an enormous canopy over the entire building. Foster's idea stirred controversy so he designed a more modest glass dome.

Norman Foster's Reichstag dome floods the main hall of the parliament with natural light. A high-tech shield monitors the path of the sun and electronically controls the light emitted through the dome.

Since its completion in 1999, the Reichstag dome has attracted long lines of tourists who come to see 360-degree views of Berlin.

A school doesn't have to have a beautiful green lawn, but if you're lucky enough to attend a campus designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, you're really in for a treat. Between 1857 and 1950, the landscape architecture firm founded by Frederick Law Olmsted designed 355 school and college campuses, and each combines natural beauty, artistry, and a practical approach to urban design.

• Olmsted's landscape designs
• Is your school beautiful? Tell us about your own school campus

^{Photo: Members of the Olmsted family helped design the grounds at Yale and many other colleges.
� Jackie Craven}

September 29 is the birthday of Victorian architect Henry Hobson Richardson, known for designing stone buildings with Roman arches and round turrets. His namesake style, Richardsonian Romanesque, was used mostly for large public buildings like the Allegheny County Courthouse, but some private homes were also built in the imposing Romanesque Style. Richardson was born in 1838.

More: Victorian House Styles

_{Photo: The John J. Glessner House in Chicago by Henry Hobson Richardson, 1885-1886. � Hedrich Blessing Collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images}

The Monument of Light, also known as the Spire of Dublin, is a 393-foot (120-meter) tower made of stainless steel tubes.

The White House
Built: 1792 - 1800, 1824
Style: Neoclassical
Architects: James Hoban and Benjamin Henry Latrobe

Learn About the White House

Irish-born architect James Hoban modeled the American presidential home after the Leinster House, a Georgian style estate that now houses the National Parliament in the Republic of Ireland. Made of Aquia sandstone painted white, the White House was more austere than it appears today.

In 1824, architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe expanded the White House and added the graceful portico. Although he had never traveled to France, some historians believe he may have been influenced by the Château de Rastignac, an elegant French country house designed by Mathurin Salat.

Latrobe's renovations transformed the White House from a modest Georgian house into a Neoclassical mansion.

Learn more:

• Surprising Facts About the White House
• White House History

World War II Monments and Memorials:

September 11 Monuments and Memorials:

Holocaust Memorials:

Vietnam War Monuments and Memorials:

Korean War Monuments and Memorials:

Monuments to Leaders:

More Military Memorials:

Monuments and Memorials Around the World:

A reflecting pool surrounds the tomb of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Corretta Scott King in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Berlin Holocaust Memorial is a controversial Structuralist work by architect Peter Eisenman.

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is a time for introspection. This week take a moment to look at the zinc-coated Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany. The building brought fame to architect Daniel Libeskind, who went on to design the World Trade Center master plan. But more importantly, the glistening museum brings hope and pride to the thousands who visit there.

^{Photo: Courtesy of The Jewish Museum Berlin}

The Pantheon portico is a symmetrical, classical design with three rows of Corinthian columns topped by a triangular pediment. A row of niches lines the rear walls of the Pantheon portico. These niches may have held sculptures of Roman emperors or gods.

The Roman Pantheon with its classical portico and domed roof became a model that influenced Western architecture for 2,000 years. Artwork such as this eighteenth century engraving by Giambattista Piranesi inspired builders who had never traveled to Rome. Famous buildings modeled after the Pantheon in Rome include:

• Villa Almerico-Capra (The Rotunda), near Vicenza, Italy
• The US Capitol Building, Washington, DC
• Monticello, near Charlottesville, VA
• The Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC

The results are in! Here are your favorite house styles according to our Dream House Survey. Find facts and photos for the all-time winners, and be sure to vote on your own favorite house styles.

1. Craftsman Bungalow House Style
   Homey bungalows with low-pitched roofs and exposed rafters took America by storm in the early 1900s... and then faded from favor after 1930. But perhaps the style is making a comeback... Craftsman was the most popular pick in our Dream House survey.

   About Bungalows

2. Tudor and English Country House Styles
   Scoring a close second in our Dream House Survey, this cozy style is reminiscent of Medieval English cottages and manor homes. Readers who responded to our survey were drawn to the small, diamond-paned windows and exposed wood framing found in many Tudor Revival homes.  

   About Tudor Revival Houses

3. Victorian Queen Anne House Styles
   Victorian is not actually a style, but a period in history, and Victorian architecture comes in many forms. There are the austere stick style homes, the fanciful Gothic Revival cottages, and the majestic Italianates. But when people discuss Victorian architecture, they are often thinking of America's so-called "Queen Anne" style - an elaborate, rather feminine, fashion with lavish details such as towers, wrap-around porches, bay windows, and elaborate trim. Queen Anne ranks number three in our survey, falling behind the more restrained Craftsman and Tudor styles.

   About Queen Anne Houses

4. Georgian Colonial House Styles
   This symmetrical, orderly style became prominent in Colonial America. Today, Georgian Colonial is a model often imitated for elegant new homes.

   About Georgian Colonial Houses

5. Prairie House Styles
   Frank Lloyd Wright pioneered this style in Chicago at the turn of the century. Low-pitched hipped roofs give these homes the appearance of hugging the earth, and the square, often symmetrical lines suggest strength and homespun values.

   About Prairie Style Houses

6. Dreams for the Future
   Borrowing ideas from the past, modern-day styles take on many shapes. One imaginative reader said that he dreamed of owning a home designed for desert living. The floors, he said, would be polished concrete.  "Air conditioning and heat will be ducted through the cement slab up through sand-filled interior walls," he wrote.

   About Desert Modernism

7. Homes for Right Now
   Dream houses don't have to be big. In fact. sometimes our deepest passions come in small packages. JB, a reader from Ohio, has created his own dream house. The 150-year-old cottage has no electricity, but JB has painted the shutters, sanded the floors, and decorated the rooms with his own, admittedly eccentric, style. With quirky spelling and a dogged independence, he writes, "this was ment to be fun, not some job to be meaninglysly instantly done."

Your Turn

Now it's your turn to tell us about your favorite architectural styles. Cast your vote in our house style poll, or use the Readers Respond link below to describe the house styles you like best.

Feeling creative? Draw a picture or use graphics software to create a rendering of your dream house. Submit your dream house design.

England’s Prince William and Kate Middleton plan to be married at the grand, Gothic Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.

Westminster Abbey in London is considered one of the world's most famous examples of Gothic architecture. The Abbey was consecrated on December 28, 1065. King Edward the Confessor, who had the church built, died a few days later. He was the first of many English monarchs buried there.

Over the next couple centuries, Westminster Abbey saw many changes and additions. The seventeenth century architect Nicholas Hawksmoor designed the western towers to blend with the older sections of the Abbey.

More About Westminster Abbey:

• Westminster Abbey History and Architecture
• Westminster Abbey Visitor Information
• Nicholas Hawksmoor

Whether you are building a new house or remodeling an older home, you'll need plans to guide you through the project. Here are some tips to help you choose the best building plans for your needs.

Time Required: Don't rush - take at least several weeks

Here's How:

1. Talk with your family. Discuss what each of you want.
2. Look at how you live and where you spend most of your time.
3. Reflect on homes you have visited. What features did you especially enjoy?
4. Consider the features of your land. Where is the sunlight best? Which direction offers the greatest views?
5. Browse through building plan catalogs.
6. Use the search function offered by online directories of building plans.
7. Select a floor plan that most closely matches your ideal.
8. Select exterior finishing details.
9. Estimate your building costs. Your budget will determine many choices you make in the design of your home.
10. Consider hiring an architect to personalize your building plan, or to create a custom design.

Tips:

1. Choose your floor plan first and your exterior facade second. Most plans can be finished in nearly any architectural style.
2. It's usually best to purchase your land before you select your building plan. The land establishes the amount of area and the type of terrain you have to build on. Pre-purchasing the land also helps you budget the rest of your project.
3. Be sure to budget for landscaping and finishing touches.

The small, sparsely populated planet, Naboo, has romantic cities built by advanced civilizations. The vast complex of Theed Palace with its green domed buildings is both classic and baroque. We might be seeing a dream-like version of an old European village. And, indeed, the interior scenes of Theed Palace (see pictures) were filmed in a real life Italian palace -- the Royal Palace in Caserta, near Naples.

Built by Charles III, the Royal Palace is sumptuous and romantic with arching doorways, Ionic columns, and gleaming marble corridors. Although smaller in scale, the palace has been compared to the great royal residence in France, Versailles.

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Michael Jackson named his home after Neverland, the imaginary land from the children's story, Peter Pan. Neverland was not only Michael Jackson's home, but also a private amusement park.

Visitors to Neverland found many attractions, including:

• a floral clock
• a zoo
• two railroads
• a roller coaster
• a Ferris wheel
• a carousel
• bumper cars

Finca Miralles, or Miralles Estate, was a large piece of property owned by Gaudí's friend Hermenegild Miralles Anglès. Gaudí surrounded the estate with a 36-section wall made with ceramic, tile, and lime mortar. Originally, the wall was topped with a metallic grill. Only the front entrance and a portion of the wall remain today.

Originally, two arches held iron gates, one for carriages and the other for pedestrians. The gates corroded over the years are now being restored.

The original wall also had a steel canopy topped with tortoise shell-shaped tiles and held up by steel cables. The canopy didn't comply with municipal regulations and was dismantled. It has since been only partially restored, due to fears that the arch would not be able to support the full weight of the canopy.

Finca Miralles was named a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1969.