**Architectural Styles Classification and Evolution:**
– Architectural style is a classification based on appearance, construction method, materials, and regional character.
– Styles are linked to historical epochs, geographical locations, or earlier architectural styles.
– Architectural styles evolve gradually as architects adapt to new ideas.
– Styles spread to other regions, developing unique characteristics.
– After going out of fashion, styles may be revived or reinterpreted.
**Historical Development of Architectural Styles:**
– Early writings treated architectural history as a heritage passed down through generations.
– Giorgio Vasari shifted the focus to biographies of great artists in the 16th century.
– 19th-century scholars constructed schemes of historic art and architecture styles.
– Art historians like Wölfflin focused on the continuity and changes in architectural styles.
– Colonialism and settlement influence the spread of architectural styles.
**Influences on Architectural Styles:**
– Architectural styles are influenced by broader artistic movements and human conditions.
– Heinrich Wölfflin drew an analogy between a building and a costume to reflect the period’s attitude.
– Contemporary architecture often relies heavily on computer-aided design.
– Folk architecture applies local customs to small-scale construction without a clear identity.
– Architectural styles can be associated with specific historical periods or geographical regions.
**Debates and Interpretations of Architectural Style:**
– The notion of style in architecture has been debated since the 19th century.
– Some argue that focusing on style misses the hidden ideas architects incorporate into their designs.
– Architectural styles serve as historical tools, preserving the original intent of architects.
– Changes in architectural style can be responses to new materials, techniques, or broader societal influences.
– Traditional architectural history relies on the chronology of styles to reflect material, economic, and belief changes.
**Practical Considerations in Architectural Style Choice:**
– Architects in the 19th century designed new buildings with historical styles due to aesthetic and social factors.
– Style choice became a practical matter for architects.
– The Cambridge Camden Society suggested building churches in the Norman style in British colonies.
– Local architects and builders were encouraged to replicate English architectural history.
– Elaborate discussions were held to determine appropriate architectural styles.
An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, form, size, structural design, and regional character.
Architectural styles are frequently associated with a historical epoch (Renaissance style), geographical location (Italian Villa style), or an earlier architectural style (Neo-Gothic style), and are influenced by the corresponding broader artistic style and the "general human condition". Heinrich Wölfflin even declared an analogy between a building and a costume: an "architectural style reflects the attitude and the movement of people in the period concerned.
The 21st century construction uses a multitude of styles that are sometimes lumped together as a "contemporary architecture" based on the common trait of extreme reliance on computer-aided architectural design (cf. Parametricism).[citation needed]
Folk architecture (also "vernacular architecture") is not a style, but an application of local customs to small-scale construction without clear identity of the builder.
Definition from ChatGPT:
Architectural style:
Architectural style refers to a specific set of characteristics and design elements that define a particular type or category of architecture. These characteristics can include features such as building materials, structural elements, decorative details, and overall aesthetic principles that are commonly used within a specific time period, region, or cultural context. Different architectural styles can be identified by their unique combinations of these elements, which help to distinguish one style from another.