Architectural Designs

how has architectural design changed over time?

Public Comments

1. There have been entire text books devoted to this subject, so no one can give you a very complete answer here. But a brief answer is this: 1) The invention of new materials and tools for manipulating materials led to many changes. While buildings were once made only of locally-available stone, there was eventually the introduction of concrete, steel, glass, and others, as well as improved means of transporting materials and new ways to cut and shape them. 2) Styles and trends affect architectural design. Adornments have ranged from gargoyles to simple rosettes, and from ornately sculpted friezes to modern straight lines. The trends of how buildings are used has also brought about some changes. 3) The latest change in architectural design was possible because of software (CAD) allowing the precision required to construct buildings such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao. This doesn't even begin to answer your question, but I hope it helps a bit. Good luck!
2. I suspect the evolution has been more geared toward trend, or assumed improvement, than functionality. Any casual observation will note the SAME basic principals are still applied in 2008, as they were in methods used 4000 years ago. Thankfully Architecture is a cyclical thing. I suspect if an ARCH worked then, and still seems to be working, then it's logical to assume it can be worked into modern architecture as well. Obviously we have become a Glass/ Steel/ Concrete/ Plastic society, but design principals that have always been effective, remain effective. Steven Wolf just my two "sense" Added thought: So much of design in architecture relates more closely to engineering principals, than it does to aesthetics.