Architecture, BIG-CHE

Architecture is a sphere of art and design in which functionality and aesthetics can combine to produce visually stunning structures that manage to both catch the eye and serve a functional purpose. The expansive variety of architectural styles that have been employed throughout the ages underscores the fact that not every building need look the same, a principle that is readily apparent when comparing Gothic cathedrals with igloos or pagodas with cliff dwellings. Although architecture is commonly associated first and foremost with the design and construction of buildings, landscape architects may work with gardens, parks, and other planned outdoor areas, aiding in the development and decorative planning of such spaces.
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Architecture Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Big Ben
Big Ben, tower clock, famous for its accuracy and for its massive bell. Strictly speaking, the name refers to only......
Big Dig House
Big Dig House, building in Lexington, Massachusetts, that was made from recycled materials used in the Big Dig......
Bilbao, Tatiana
Tatiana Bilbao is a Mexican architect whose innovative works often merge geometry with nature. She is committed......
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate, estate in Asheville, North Carolina, that was built in the late 1800s as the summer home of George......
Blackpool Tower
Blackpool Tower, tourist attraction and regional landmark in the seaside resort town of Blackpool, Lancashire,......
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace, residence near Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, built (1705–24) by the English Parliament as a......
block mill
block mill, Earliest mechanized factory for mass production. It was conceived by Samuel Bentham, with machinery......
Blondel, Jacques-François
Jacques-François Blondel was an architect best known for his teaching and writing, which contributed greatly to......
Bo Bardi, Lina
Lina Bo Bardi was an Italian-born Brazilian Modernist architect, industrial designer, historic preservationist,......
Boffrand, Germain
Germain Boffrand was a French architect noted for the great variety, quantity, and quality of his work. Boffrand......
Bohemian school
Bohemian school, school of the visual arts that flourished in and around Prague under the patronage of Charles......
Bond, J. Max, Jr.
J. Max Bond, Jr. was an American architect and educator who is considered one of the nation’s foremost Black architects.......
Borromini, Francesco
Francesco Borromini was an Italian architect who was a chief formulator of Baroque architectural style. Borromini......
boss
boss, in medieval architecture, keystone used in vaulting to provide a junction for intersecting ribs and to cover......
Bosse, Abraham
Abraham Bosse was a notable engraver, painter, and architect who was active during the Baroque period in France.......
Botta, Paul-Émile
Paul-Émile Botta was a French consul and archaeologist whose momentous discovery of the palace of the Assyrian......
Boullée, Étienne-Louis
Étienne-Louis Boullée was a French visionary architect, theorist, and teacher. Boullée wanted originally to be......
Boussac, Marcel
Marcel Boussac was a French industrialist and textile manufacturer whose introduction of colour into clothing ended......
Bramante, Donato
Donato Bramante was an architect who introduced the High Renaissance style in architecture. His early works in......
Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate, the only remaining town gate of Berlin, Germany, standing at the western end of the avenue Unter......
brattishing
brattishing, decorative architectural repeat motif applied to the top of a wall, screen, or roof. Widely used during......
Breuer, Marcel
Marcel Breuer was an architect and designer, one of the most-influential exponents of the International Style;......
Breuhaus, Fritz A.
Fritz A. Breuhaus was a German architect who specialized in interior design, particularly for transportation. Breuhaus......
Brinkman, Johannes Andreas
Johannes Andreas Brinkman was a Dutch architect particularly noted for his role in the design of the van Nelle......
Broadlands
Broadlands, historic country estate situated on the River Test just south of the town of Romsey in Hampshire, England.......
Broek, J.H. van den
J.H. van den Broek was a Dutch architect who, with Jacob B. Bakema, was especially associated with the post-World......
Brosse, Salomon de
Salomon de Brosse was the most influential French architect of the early 17th century, whose works facilitated......
Brown, Lancelot
Lancelot Brown was the foremost English master of garden design, whose works were characterized by their natural,......
Bruant, Libéral
Libéral Bruant was the builder of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, a French architect noted for the gravity, dignity,......
Brunelleschi, Filippo
Filippo Brunelleschi was an architect and engineer who was one of the pioneers of early Renaissance architecture......
Bryggman, Erik
Erik Bryggman was an architect notable for his role in bringing modern functionalist architecture to Finland. Bryggman......
BT Tower
BT Tower, communications tower and landmark located west of the Bloomsbury district in the borough of Camden, London.......
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, palace and London residence of the British sovereign. It is situated within the borough of Westminster.......
bucranium
bucranium, decorative motif representing an ox killed in religious sacrifice. The motif originated in a ceremony......
Bulfinch, Charles
Charles Bulfinch was the first American professional architect, who gained fame chiefly as a designer of government......
Bullant, Jean
Jean Bullant was a dominant figure in French architecture during the period of the Wars of Religion (1562–98),......
bungalow
bungalow, single-storied house with a sloping roof, usually small and often surrounded by a veranda. The name derives......
Bunshaft, Gordon
Gordon Bunshaft was an American architect and corecipient (with Oscar Niemeyer) of the prestigious Pritzker Prize......
Buontalenti, Bernardo
Bernardo Buontalenti was a Florentine stage designer and theatre architect. Buontalenti entered the service of......
Burges, William
William Burges was one of England’s most notable Gothic Revival architects, a critic, and an arbiter of Victorian......
Burghley House
Burghley House, Tudor-era country house and estate located in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. It was built by......
Burgundian Romanesque style
Burgundian Romanesque style, architectural and sculptural style (c. 1075–c. 1125) that emerged in the duchy of......
Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa, mixed-use skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that is the world’s tallest building, according......
Burle Marx, Roberto
Roberto Burle Marx was a Brazilian landscape architect who created many outstanding gardens in association with......
Burlington, Richard Boyle, 3rd earl of
Richard Boyle, 3rd earl of Burlington was an English architect who was one of the originators of the English Palladian......
Burnham, Daniel
Daniel Burnham was an American architect and urban planner whose impact on the American city was substantial. He......
Butterfield, William
William Butterfield was a British architect who was prominent in the Gothic Revival in England. Sometimes called......
Button, Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur Button was an American architect whose works influenced modern tall-building design, particularly......
Byrne, Barry
Barry Byrne was an American architect who emerged from the Prairie school of architecture influenced by Frank Lloyd......
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture, building style of Constantinople (now Istanbul, formerly ancient Byzantium) after ad 330.......
Bähr, George
George Bähr was a German architect who is best known for his design of the Baroque Dresden Frauenkirche (1726–43;......
Bélanger, François-Joseph
François-Joseph Bélanger was an architect, artist, landscape designer, and engineer, best known for his fantastic......
Böhm, Gottfried
Gottfried Böhm was a German architect who combined traditional architectural styles with modern materials and sculptural......
Caere
Caere, ancient city of Etruria, about 30 miles (50 km) northwest of Rome. Through its port, Pyrgi (present-day......
caitya
caitya, (Sanskrit: “that which is worthy to be gazed upon,” thus “worshipful”), in Buddhism, a sacred place or......
Calatrava, Santiago
Santiago Calatrava is a Spanish architect widely known for his sculptural bridges and buildings. Calatrava studied......
Callicrates
Callicrates was an Athenian architect who designed the Temple of Athena Nike on the Athenian Acropolis and, with......
Callinicus Of Heliopolis
Callinicus Of Heliopolis was an architect who is credited with the invention of Greek fire, a highly incendiary......
camp
camp, in military service, an area for temporary or semipermanent sheltering of troops. In most usage the word......
Camp David
Camp David, rural retreat of U.S. presidents in Catoctin Mountain Park, a unit of the National Park Service on......
campanile
campanile, bell tower, usually built beside or attached to a church; the word is most often used in connection......
Campen, Jacob van
Jacob van Campen was a Dutch architect, one of the leaders of a group of architects who created a restrained architectural......
Candela, Felix
Felix Candela was a Spanish-born architect, known for his designs of reinforced-concrete (ferroconcrete) structures......
candelabrum
candelabrum, in architecture, a decorative motif derived from the pedestal or shaft used to support a lamp or candle.......
Cano, Alonso
Alonso Cano was a painter, sculptor, and architect, often called the Spanish Michelangelo for his diversity of......
Canova, Antonio, marchese d’Ischia
Antonio Canova, marchese d’Ischia was an Italian sculptor, one of the greatest exponents of Neoclassicism. Among......
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest and most historic Christian structures in England, mother church of the......
capital
capital, in architecture, crowning member of a column, pier, anta, pilaster, or other columnar form, providing......
Capitol, United States
United States Capitol, meeting place of the United States Congress and one of the most familiar landmarks in Washington,......
Caracol
Caracol, major prehistoric Mayan city, now an archaeological site in west-central Belize, 47 miles (76 km) southeast......
caravansary
caravansary, in the Middle East and parts of North Africa and Central Asia, a public building used for sheltering......
Carchemish
Carchemish, ancient city-state located in what is now southern Turkey, along the border with Syria. Carchemish......
Carducci, Bartolommeo
Bartolommeo Carducci was an Italian-born painter, architect, and sculptor who was active in Spain. Carducci studied......
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall, historic concert hall at Seventh Avenue and 57th Street in New York City. Designed in a Neo-Italian......
Carnelivari, Matteo
Matteo Carnelivari was an Italian architect who is considered the most refined exponent of 15th-century Sicilian......
Carolingian art
Carolingian art, classic style produced during the reign of Charlemagne (768–814) and thereafter until the late......
Carpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, style of architecture that utilized Gothic forms in domestic U.S. architecture in the mid-19th......
Carter, Howard
Howard Carter was a British archaeologist, who made one of the richest and most-celebrated contributions to Egyptology:......
cartouche
cartouche, in architecture, ornamentation in scroll form, applied especially to elaborate frames around tablets......
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, pre-Columbian ruins in south-central Arizona, U.S., in the Gila River valley......
Casa Loma
Casa Loma, lavish sandstone, twin-towered, Gothic Revival, castle-style mansion built as a home by Canadian financier......
Caso y Andrade, Alfonso
Alfonso Caso y Andrade was a Mexican archaeologist and government official who explored the early Oaxacan cultures......
Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo, structure in Rome, Italy, that was originally the mausoleum of the Roman emperor Hadrian and......
castle
castle, medieval stronghold, generally the residence of the king or lord of the territory in which it stands. Strongholds......
cathedral
cathedral, in Christian churches that have an episcopal form of church government, the church in which a residential......
cella
cella, in Classical architecture, the body of a temple (as distinct from the portico) in which the image of the......
Cerceau, du, family
du Cerceau family, renowned French family of architects and decorators who constituted a virtual dynasty in architecture......
chalet
chalet, timber house characteristic of Switzerland, the Bavarian Alps, Tirol, and the French Alps. The name originally......
Chalgrin, Jean-François-Thérèse
Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin was a French architect, developer of an influential Neoclassical architectural style......
Chambers, William
William Chambers was a British eclectic architect of the Georgian period who was one of the leading Palladian-style......
chancel
chancel, portion of a church that contains the choir, often at the eastern end. Before modern changes in church......
chantry
chantry, chapel, generally within a church, endowed for the singing of masses for the founder after his death.......
chapel
chapel, small, intimate place of worship. The name was originally applied to the shrine in which the kings of France......
chapter house
chapter house, chamber or building, often reached through the cloister, in which the chapter, or heads of monastic......
Chapu, Henri-Michel-Antoine
Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu was a French sculptor and portrait medallist whose works were softened expressions of......
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral, Gothic cathedral located in the town of Chartres, northwestern France. Generally ranked as......
Chartwell
Chartwell, country house near Westerham, Kent, England, that from 1922 until shortly before his death in 1965 was......
Chatsworth
Chatsworth, estate near Rowsley, Derbyshire Dales district, administrative and historic county of Derbyshire, England,......
Chequers
Chequers, country house, administrative and historic county of Buckinghamshire, England, situated 30 miles (50......
chevet
chevet, eastern end of a church, especially of a Gothic church designed in the French manner. Beginning about the......

Architecture Encyclopedia Articles By Title