Second Pre Jury

After the Pre Jury 1, we continued to study on our project. We tried to develop our section drawings and model. After many critic and intense working process, we had the Pre Jury 2. For the jury, apart from the section drawings, we were also expected to produce plan drawings, section model and the mass model.

Until the Pre Jury 2, I made a lot of changes in my project. My main idea and the activities didn’t change. The organization and the dimension of the spaces changed, so that my section and plan drawings changed. I strengthen my strategy and I created more clear scenario. According to my strategy: in my habitation, there is two different major activity that people exist for and as the base; I distributed these people at first, than gathering them, that relates with the activities.

 

 

Unlike the Pre Jury 1, this time, I had some positive critics and my jury passed well more than I expected. Therefore, I have motivated much more and my self-confidence have increased.

Humanist Italy, Renaissance / The Ottoman Empire

   The Renaissance was the revival of antique-classical- culture (Greco-Roman culture) and rebirth of the urban civilization in Europe. This antique architecture knowledge came from rest of the ancient buildings and the Vitruvius. Vitruvius like a bible of Renaissance architecture. Besides, new style that based on symmetry, proportions and the columns were followed. *Actually, because of the importance of the proportions that was the factor of beauty, in Renaissance there was a relation between the human proportions and structures. Moreover, to create an ideal city, the city’s role was reconsidered in the human culture.

The Renaissance arose in Florence in the 15^th century and replacing the Gothic style. However, when the Renaissance started, Gothic style didn’t stop, but we started to see the revival of the ancient Roman forms. It started with the education in terms of humanism and the humanism spread along the various field that one of was art- architecture. Instead of imitating the antique structures, the architects tried to discover the basis of design. The palaces and churches that were affected by the humanism, gave a new character to the Italian cities with its’ geometric and uniform formation.

 

‘Respect to Proportions’

The rounded arches, symmetrical bays and the proportions that were create a harmony were mostly used in the 14^th century Florence. On the other hand, the idea of perspective-optics- became important because it is thought that the architectural proportions had a relation with the perspective. At this point, I can give an example of a painter, Piero della Francesca, who draw the Renaissance ideal city with organizing things in perspective sense. Thus, the Renaissance ideal perspective attended the development of city’s public spaces.

The construction of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral started(1296) with a suggestion of four pieces ribbed vaults Gothic style. Over time, the construction stopped and resumed, then an area was designed for an octagonal dome and the cupola was set as wide as Pantheon, with a double height. As a note, we don’t see a dome in the Gothic churches but in St. Maria del Fiore the dome was constructed. The buildings that were surrounding the cathedral, rebuilt with stone and round-arched doors to echo the outline of dome. After a while Brunelleschi who considered as the first Renaissance architect, started to work on a solution for dome. He built a new dome without falsework. The structure supported itself. Brunelleschi built the double-shell dome with the strong masonry and support techniques.

Santa Maria del Fiore

 

Brunelleschi designed the Foundling Hospital-Ospedale degli Innocenti-, most like an orphanage that had the urban square courtyard and long halls set behind the public loggia. It had unified façade with the Corinthian columns. Besides, he started to work on the San Lorenzo. It designed as a cube that covered with hemispherical dome on pendentives. Also, the round windows were used that was the Gothic style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apart from the benefitting from the classical influences, Brunelleschi continued to use Florentine Gothic style.

 

The Ottoman Empire

In the 14^th century, the Ottoman Turks that the origin came from Central Asia, settled in the western Anatolia and the continuous territorial expansion could be observed. When we consider their architecture, Byzantine influences and architectural traditions of the Central Asia were seen. The significant elements such as mosques, tomb, religious schools (madrasah) and soup kitchens that related with the imaret, created the basis of Ottoman architecture. Besides, the dome also placed almost every significant building and achieved huge inner spaces.

Bursa was the first capital of the Ottoman principality, then they moved to the European side and took Constantinople, they got the territory of Byzantines. The Byzantine creation, Hagia Sophia church served as a source for many other churches in Ottoman. On the other hand, Sinan who was the greatest Ottoman architect, master in the mosque and other buildings construction. He established the Ottoman style and transformed the empire landscape.

“I saw the monuments, the great ancient remains. From every ruin I learned, from every building I absorbed something.” – Sinan

 

Throughout the 15^th and 18^th century, Ottoman had the power on Mediterranean and to control the whole empire, they became a great builders. As an indicator of wealth, they built great markets, baths, religious structures; they placed the mosques with spiky minarets and huge domes over the hills. Besides, the local symmetry was preferred for the Ottoman urbanism.

During the 13^th century, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Osman I, settled the people in northwestern Anatolia. Orhan, the son of Osman decided on Bursa as a capital city. At the end of the 14^th century the capital moved to Edirne. Ottoman architects influenced from the architecture style of Anatolian region. The Persian arcades, vaulted masonry of Armenian churches and the dome style of Seljuk tombs were imitated. The Orhan Gazi mosque, built in Bursa, had the reverse-T plan type as in the other Ottoman mosques. Its’ entry façade made with pointed arches(Gothic style). Besides, two central domes covered the prayer hall leading to mihrab. As an other example, Yeşil Camii (Green Mosque) has also reverse- t plan and all the elements of the mosque are in a proportion and repeated. During the 14^th century The Yeşil Camii belonged to an imaret and imarets mostly included a mosque, a turbe, madrasa, hamam, sometimes hospital and public soup kitchen. The imaret term united with the soup kitchen, then in the 20^th century, the new term külliye was introduced.

Orhan Gazi Mosque

Green Mosque

Instead of these reverse-T plan mosques, The Ulu Camii followed the hypostyle type. It’s bays carry the rounded dome. The bay with a rounded dome considered as a standard unit of Ottoman architecture.

 

 

 

 

Gothic Europe

In the 12^th  and 13^th century, the trades and activities of artisans effect the European cities characteristic. It led to the revival of the cities. The necessity of market places increased; France tried to bring an environment for trade, so that emergence of markets began. Besides, the public spaces and new cathedrals began to increase. On the other hand, as a new style the Gothic architecture, started to occur in France. It was like an attempt in terms of national and cultural values. When it emerges, it became a one and basic style.

 

Market Towns and New Towns

At the end of eleventh century, we saw an increment in the farming, agricultural production (this brought new and innovator solutions) and so population in medieval cities. Thus, the cities began to develop; the living conditions, welfare and life expectations changed. These medieval cities protected with high city walls, including narrow streets, cathedrals, public places such as marketplaces, town halls, hospitals etc. with an orthogonal plan.

Artisans can meet at a place for exchanging, through the fairs and the champagne fair –medieval European fairs- was the cycle of trade fairs that was in the France. These champagne fairs placed outside the city walls. These walls enclosed the permanent settlement areas (faubourgs) and surrounded the Troye city. The palaces in Troye were placed away from the bartering. The European commercial cities prefigured with the transformation of Troye: the perimeter of the city become larger with the layers that had a connection with streets. On the other hand, in Brugge that is the Belgian medieval city, the walls rebuilt as an oval. The canal system was developed and some monuments were built. (Bruges traders had a major role on distribution)

The new town concept as an enterprise started in Zahringer that part of south Germany. They supported the market towns such as Berne, that were placed on central street. Almost at the end of the 12^th century, the city planners of Freiburg (a city of Germany) formed the second street cross to the first. Because of the city emerged as a market, the planners constituted sites on side streets as a secondary position for sacred and institutive structures.  Besides, the Berne’s central market street had a huge width unlike the classic medieval streets. In addition, Berne had a linear formation with increasing their parallel streets. The deep arcades on the front of the building and single arches could be seen during the 14^th and 15^th century.

In France, the region was doubled and the new polygonal town include blocks that were in grid of square formation. At the center of the town, one square had left for the city markets. On the other hand, during the 13^th century, the several “new town”(bastides) built by both English and French to strength their power and these new towns had a grid plan with streets. Lastly, we can say that these new towns and commercial cities offered accessible and free movement.

 

The Gothic Cathedral

During the 13^th and 14^th century, in Europe, Gothic as a new style in architecture that was evolved from Romanesque architecture, started to be seen firstly in the churches. As in the classical Roman style, it has some different details. It had a spirit of its own but also it carry the Romanesque architecture style.

The elongated structural elements mostly used to emphasize verticality and to create an interior light as in heaven. Rib vault, flying buttresses and pointed arch are the main architectural features that are seen in Gothic structures (as a supporting system.) These are together served to the potential of the light (fill the interior with light).

In addition, the Gothic style first appeared in St-Denis, Paris. The church of St-Denis have elongated members and windows with stained glass. The façade of the church was inserted between the two towers an oculus, rounded windows. In all Gothic churches façade, we can see this novel motif (rounded window) that symbolized the wheel of fortune.

St-Denis Church

*Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral can be another examples.

Throughout the century most of the cathedrals were evolved in Gothic style. Notre Dam, as a new cathedral at Laon (one of the territories of France), provided a symbol of unity for divided city. It consist of choir that extends beyond the transept and apse, a nave which is surrounded by double aisle and square chapels. The apse at the east of the cathedral has clerestory windows that supported with flying buttresses. Ribbed vaults that are supported by flying buttresses, spread to areas and creating a rhythm in the elongated supports (ground-floor columns).

On the other hand, verticality was mandatory for Gothic cathedrals. As another example, The Chartes Cathedral that was placed on top of the hill, served as both a community center, town meetings, law courts and theatre. It seemed over scaled for a city and had higher ribbed vaults in the nave. The shafts go up along the crossing to apse without any interruption to the vaults that increase the verticality. Besides, to make the building more high, flying buttresses were used on exterior.

Stained glass windows

During the 13^th century, the structures in St Denis were let to work on them. The structures had the walls were reduced to thin skeleton of stone (rayonnant). Apart from that, in the mid-thirteenth century the works on Notre Dam was continued. They created something like “rayonnant” to enlarge the windows.

The Spread of Gothic

As I mentioned, Gothic architecture firstly originated in France (with church of Saint-Denis) and then spread throughout the Europe. Outside of France, other nations people associated the Gothic style with the French buildings. The English also had a role on the development of this style. Actually the ribbed vaults started to be seen at Lincoln Cathedral very early. On the other hand, in plan, the vault over the choir at St-Hugh Cathedral seemed like contiguous Y shape. As an addition, these structures had never collapsed.  Apart from these, there was a structural failure in English cathedrals that related with the collapse of the central tower. When we pass to the Germany, the Gothic style appeared through the coming of French masons. In Trier, city in Germany, Liebenfrau church’s choir windows were imitation of the Reims Cathedral’s, that exposed the entity of French masons.

Although Italy tried to resist against Gothic style, they create new types of the ribbed vaults and pointed arches. In 14^th century, the plan of the cathedrals in Florence and Bologna benefit from simplified Gothic style, but flying buttresses could not be seen. However, in Milan the tyrants supported the Duomo di Milano or Milan Cathedral that has an in full and spectacular Gothic.