Fun facts

Fun facts

The Origin Of Architecture

People have always needed shelter and wanted a place to call home, after all. The exact origin of architecture can be placed back in the Neolithic period, about 10,000 B.C., as this is about when humans stopped living in caves.

Back before recorded history, humans made structures that confound people to this day, such as Stonehenge. In the Americas, there are structures built into cliffs, and throughout the world, you can find remnants of prehistoric architecture, like megaliths and earthen mounds and the like.

We don’t know the exact answer to the question of when did architecture start. We don’t know when prehistoric humans started making architectural designs or buildings. We have only the remnants of time before recorded history to make guesses from.

Imhotep

• Historians identify Imhotep, who lived around 2600 BC, as the first identified architect in history.
• He is credited with inventing the method of stone-dressed building and using columns in architecture.
• Imhotep served the Egyptian pharaoh Djoser.
• He designed the first Egyptian pyramid complex which inspired the later more extravagant pyramids.

others

Ictinus and Callicrates worked together to construct the Parthenon of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It is an architectural wonder and took nine years to complete. It is considered the most influential building of all time as well as the most beautiful monument of human civilization. Ictinus designed the architecture and Callicrates supervised its construction. They were both Athenians active during the 5th century BC. The mathematical deciphering of the Parthenon reveals that Ictinus and Callicrates were also philosophers.

Hadrian born A.D. 76 was a Roman emperor during the golden age of the Roman Empire. He considered himself a visionary leader, military strategist, poet, artist, and architect. Hadrian propelled design and engineering to new heights with the construction of the Pantheon and Hadrian’s Wall in North Britain.

Filippo Brunelleschi, (1377-1446) was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor. He is considered to be a founding father of the Italian Renaissance. His principal contribution was his innovative work in constructing the massive dome for the city’s cathedral in Florence.

Christopher Wren, (1632-1723) was an English classical architect. He is known as a designer, astronomer, geometrician as well as the greatest English architect of his time. Wren designed 53 London churches, including St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as countless secular buildings.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841), was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed both neoclassical and neogothic buildings. He was versatile in classical and romantic styles and he is credited with designing one of the world’s first museums.

Louis Henry Sullivan, (1856-1924), was an American architect who has been called a “father of skyscrapers” and “father of modernism.” He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an inspiration to the group who are known as the Prairie School. Sullivan, Wright, and Henry Hobson Richardson are considered the “recognized trinity of American architecture.” The phrase “form follows function” is attributed to him although he credited the concept to the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius.

Frank Lloyd Wright, (1867-1959), was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He is perhaps the most well-known name in architecture. Wright designed more than 12,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. He believed in designing in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture. This philosophy was exemplified in his design- Fallingwater (1935), which has been called “the best all-time work of American architecture.” Wright played a key role in the architectural movements of the twentieth century. He influenced architects worldwide through his works and hundreds of apprentices. Wright was the pioneer of what came to be known as the Prairie School of movement of architecture. He designed original and innovative offices, churches, schools, skyscrapers, hotels, museums, and other commercial projects. Wright also designed interior elements including leaded glass windows, floors, furniture, and tableware, which were integrated into these structures. Wright was recognized in 1991 by the American Institute of Architects as “the greatest American architect of all time”.

John Zachman

John Zachman is often credited as the founder of enterprise architecture (EA)

“Enterprise Architecture is not about building IT models. It’s about solving general management problems, If we change that perception, and we start with the problem and we figure out how to solve that problem, and then, oh by the way we’re doing Architecture, then we’re going to get a lot of Architecture work done.”

~ John Zachman

“The way you describe buildings is identical to the way you describe airplanes, which turns out to be identical to the way you describe locomotives, which is identical to the way you describe computers. Which is identical to the way you describe anything else that humanity has ever described.”

As far as the skills needed to do EA into the future, Zachman believes that enterprises will eventually need to have multiple types of architects with different skill sets to make sure everything is aligned. He speculates that someday, there may need to be specialists for every cell in the framework, saying that there is potentially room for a lot of specialization and people with different skill sets and a lot of creativity. Just as aircraft manufacturers need a variety of engineers—from aeronautic to hydraulic and everywhere in between—to get a plane built. One engineer does not engineer the entire airplane or a hundred-story building or an ocean liner, or, for that matter, a personal computer. Similarly, increasingly complex enterprises will likely need multiple types of engineering specialties. No one person knows everything.

“Enterprises are far more complex than 747s. In fact, an enterprise doesn’t have to be very big before it gets really complex,” he said. “As enterprise systems increase in size, there is increased potential for failure if they aren’t architected to respond to that growth. And if they fail, the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousand of people can be affected, particularly if it’s a public sector Enterprise.”

Women of Architecture throughout History

Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham (1632–1705)

Celebrated as the UK’s first female architect, Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham was a prominent designer of grand houses. This happened during a time when women weren’t allowed to practice the art, so there is no written record, however, scholar John Millar believes Wilbraham designed around 400 exquisite buildings.

Notable works include Belton House, Uppark House and Windsor Guildhall. The one building she is credited as having designed herself, is her family home, Weston Hall, an estate with unusual architectural details that were later found at Cliveden House and Buckingham Palace.

Sophia Hayden (1868 – 1953)

Originally from Santiago, Sophia Hayden Benett was the first woman ever to receive an architecture degree from MIT, graduating in 1890.

Marion Mahony Griffin (1871 – 1961)

Marion Mahony Griffin was not only one of the first licensed female architects in the world but was the first employee of Frank Lloyd Wright. She studied architecture at MIT and after graduating in 1894, was hired by Wright in 1895.

Being his first employee, she exerted significant influence on the development of the Prairie style and produced impeccable watercolour renderings which became famous for Wright’s work, although as was typical for this point in time, she was not openly credited for any of her talents. One of her notable designs was the Adolph Mueller House in Decatur, Illinois.

Julia Morgan (1872 – 1957)

Julia Morgan has achieved multiple architectural firsts. She was the first woman to study architecture at the highly prestigious l’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was the first woman architect to be licenced in California.

Morgan designed more than 700 homes, churches, office buildings, hospitals, stores, and educational buildings during her 45-year career. One of her most famous works is the sensational Hearst Castle,

57 years after her death in 2014, Morgan became the first woman to receive the AIA Gold Medal, the American Institute of Architects’ highest honour.

Norma Merrick Sklarek (1926 – 2012)

Norma Merrick Sklarek’s life as an architect was filled with firsts, with discrimination faced as both a woman and an African-American. She was the first Black woman to be licenced as an architect in both New York and California as well as the first to become a member of the American Institute of Architects (later being elected a fellow).

Throughout her life, Norma encountered immense discrimination, making her achievements all the more impressive. She graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1950, being one of two women and the only African-American person in her group. She faced rejection after rejection in her quest for a job but finally was offered a position with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1955. On this topic, she remarked, “They weren’t hiring women or African-Americans, and I didn’t know which it was [I was being discriminated for].”

Dame Zaha Hadid (1950 – 2016)

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Zaha Hadid is undeniably one of the most successful female architects in history. She was the first woman to take home architecture’s highest honour, the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2004) and was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal (Britain’s top architectural award) in 2016, the year of her death. She left behind a hefty $126 million fortune.

Her famous parametric designs are found across the world, demonstrated in many fields of architecture and urban planning to product and furniture design. Among the structures that made Zaha Hadid Architects a household name were the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics, the Guangzhou Opera House, the Generali Tower in Milan and the Heydar Aliyev Centre.

Katherine Briçonnet (1494–1526)

Known for her role as the daughter of a nobleman and the wife of an architect as so many women were in her day, Katherine Briçonnet’s importance in the architectural history books was forgotten for centuries. She played a significant role in designing the famous Château de Chenonceau in France’s Loire Valley during a time when her husband, Thomas Bohier, was away fighting the Italian war.

Madame Briçonnet oversaw much of the architectural decisions at a time when women were often denied a proper education and rarely played active roles in shaping arts and culture. Today the chateau has a rich history influenced by a long line of women who have lived, worked and owned the property over the years — the chateau is fondly nicknamed Le Château des Dames.

Perin J. Mistri

The first Asian and Indian woman to become a professional architect in 1936.

Urmila Eulie Chowdhury

Urmila Eulie Chowdhury (4 October 1923 – 20 September 1995) was an Indian architect who worked during the mid-to-late 20th century. She worked in the fields of general architecture, landscape architecture and design, and was also a teacher and writer. She was a pioneer woman architect working in India. Some sources state that she was also the first female architect in Asia