The document discusses the evolution of architectural technology and construction shapes throughout history. It begins with ancient shapes like beams and columns used by early civilizations, as well as pyramids constructed by the Egyptians. It then examines the development of arches during the Romanesque period. A case study of the Alhambra palace highlights innovative water supply technologies used. Newer construction shapes introduced during the Industrial Revolution included trusses, cables, and thin concrete shells, as exemplified by notable structures like the Eiffel Tower and Guggenheim Bilbao museum. The future of architecture is predicted to continue innovating with new materials and sustainable designs.

1. TYPOLOGIES: The shapes of the
built environment

2. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate

3. ARCHITECTURE.
The professional service rendered by architects is known as
architecture. It is basically the science and art of
conceptualizing, designing, and constructing buildings and
other structures either for human shelter or for other purposes such
as storage, production, entertainment, or exhibition. Often,
famous works of architecture have been identified as cultural
symbols and also as works of art. Many historical civilizations
have also been made famous due to their architectural
uniqueness.

4. ARCHITECTURE. ORIGIN AND HISTORY .INDEX
• Basic survival needs. (architecture took the form of a craft).
•The early civilizations saw the splendid architecture of the Egyptians,
Mesopotamians, Persians, Greek, and Romans.
• Architecture as a religious symbol. (Roman Coliseum and the Egyptian
Pyramids) .
•The medieval period: saw the emergence of Islamic architecture.
•The Renaissance period: emphasized on the individual and humanity.
•The early modern and the industrial age saw the emergence of new
materials and technology. (Everyday needs).
•The concept of environmental sustainability.

5. ARCHITECTURE. ORIGIN AND HISTORY (I)
The earliest known form of architecture evolved from the
interaction between the basic survival needs and the available
resources. Through the process of trial and error and gradual
technological evolution and progress with the help of improvisation
and replication, architecture took the form of a craft.
The gradual progress from rural living to the urban area saw the
magnificence of architecture, and how it has been developed along
history.
The early civilizations saw the splendid architecture of the
Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Persians, Greek, and Romans,
each with its own distinct style. In Asia, architecture, sometimes,
was developed along religious lines with different characteristics.
The Roman Coliseum and the Egyptian Pyramids are examples of
their cultural symbols.

6. ARCHITECTURE. ORIGIN AND HISTORY (II)
The medieval period saw the emergence of Islamic
architecture which also influenced European styles of that period.
The Renaissance period emphasized on the individual and
humanity instead of religion and buildings were dedicated to the
architects such as Michelangelo, Palladio, Alberti, and Brunelleschi.
The early modern and the industrial age saw the emergence
of new materials and technology and the architects started to get
formal education and training starting from the drawing board.
The industrial revolution at this stage helped the production of
better quality materials for construction purposes.

7. ARCHITECTURE. ORIGIN AND HISTORY (III)
The modern age viewed structural design as a convenient blend
of art, craft, and technology. Emphasis shifted from historical
styles, to a new style that focused on the aspirations of the middle
and working classes.
The modernist architects reduced buildings to pure form with
functionalist details based on everyday needs of people and
creating a livable environment.
The concept of environmental sustainability has now
pervaded architectural thought and most modern architects and New
Zealand have pioneered the integration of green building
sustainable design principles into their architectural projects.

8. TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO ARCHITECTURE IN THE
EARLIEST AGES (I)
Along the history, we can see many examples of technology applied
to architecture in different civilizations , but unfortunately we do
not have a lot of information about them.
An example are Egyptians , The pyramids are chiefly impressive for
their enormous size and the staggering manpower that must have
been employed in their construction. Of these the largest is the Great
Pyramid of Giza which remained the tallest structure in the world
for 3800 years.

9. TECHNOLOGY APPLIERD TO ARCHITECTURE IN THE
EARLIEST AGES (II)
The methods used in the construction of the pyramids have been
the subject of considerable research and discussion.
The Egyptians achieved extraordinary feats of engineering, they
appear to have done so with relatively primitive technology. As far
as is known they did not use wheels or pulleys.
They transported massive stones over great distances using rollers,
ropes, and sledges, with large numbers of slaves hauling the loads.
There are no surviving Egyptian manuals so there has been
considerable speculation on how stones were lifted to great heights
and obelisks erected. Most theories centre around the use of ramps.

10. TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO ARCHITECTURE IN THE
EARLIEST AGES (III)
Some years later we have other examples of development of great
technologies applied to construction.
In the Roman ages, Vitruvius gives details of Roman machines.
The Romans developed sophisticated timber cranes allowing them
to lift considerable weights to great heights.
A list of the longest, highest and deepest Roman structures can be
found at List of ancient architectural records.
Roman building ingenuity extended over bridges, aqueducts, and
covered amphitheatres. Their sewerage and water supply works
were remarkable and some systems are still in operation today.

11. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate

12. Simple beam bridge: stone slabs on stone supports (Dorset, England)

13. BEAM AND COLUMN (I)
In the Neolithic period, the first bridges made by humans
were probably wooden logs or stone slabs placed across a
river stream.
The first buildings were simple shelters meant to suit the
basic needs of protection from the elements, built by their
inhabitants.The most used materials were the mud brick,
wood (timber) and stone (masonry).
The set of beam and pillars is the simplest solution the
Neolithic man imagined.

14. Beam-and-column scheme is the 2nd simplest typology.

15. BEAM AND COLUMN (II)
The architecture and urbanism of the Greeks were very
different from those of the Neolithic but the structural
scheme of beam supported by columns is the same.
Building structures used a simple beam and column system
without vaults or arches, which imposed strict limits on the
spans that could be achieved. Although Greek
mathematics was technically advanced the Ancient Greeks
never developed strong mortars or used arches and domes
to their limit which were an important feature of more
practical Roman construction.

16. Age of the pyramids
A pyramid is like a mountain, and it is the simplest
and most stable shape.

17. PYRAMIDS
Both Egyptian and Incan architectures are mostly noted for
their pyramids which are the largest in the world and try to
imitate the natural shape of the mountains. Due to the
stable shape and the sophisticated skills of the stone cutters
the masonry needs no mortar.
The pyramids are impressive for their enormous size and
the manpower that must have been employed in their
construction.
Of these the largest is the Great Pyramid of Giza which
remained the tallest structure in the world for 3800 years.

18. The Age of the Cathedrals
The Romanic cathedral
-Reduced space, little light and small windows
-Buttress leans outward, arch deforms and
foundation deforms.

19. Córdoba Mosque (IX) León Cathedral (XIII)

20. ARCHES
Romanesque buildings were entirely roofed in timber or
had stone barrel vaults covered by timber roofs: spans
were narrow and walls did not allow ample windows. The
Gothic style of architecture with its vaults, flying
buttresses and pointed gothic arches developed in the
twelfth century to provide wider spans and galleries to the
urban churches: the cathedrals.
The resulting thin stone vaults and towering buildings
were raised entirely using rules derived by trial and error
and failures were frequent.

21. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate

22. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (I)
General view Court of the Myrtles (Arrayanes)

23. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (II)
Generalife
Water supply of Arrayanes

24. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (III)
The fountain of the lions

25. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (IV)
Literally "the red one”, is a palace and fortress complex constructed
during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate
of Granada in Al- Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the
Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada in
Andalusia.
In this building we can see a great example of technology applied
to architecture in our country. Its water supply- system was built,
to create the necessary water supplies needed for the Alhambra's
survival.

26. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (V)

27. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (VI)
In 1238 AD, a six-kilometer water channel was constructed the
acequia real: the royal canal.
•Water was taken at the point of the Toma de la Acequia: the
capture point of the canal.
•Water traversed countryside till it reached an old waterwheel,
which created the dynamic-power to convey the water, across the
aqueduct, at Cortijo Jesus del Valle, in the Darro valley
•From there, water travelled on the flats of the Llano del Perdiz,
parallel to the Darro River

28. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (VII)
•Later, the acequia real was spread out, in order to supply water to
the Generalife and the high fields of the Generalife
•The water path purposely forked, in order for water to descend
through the emblematic Escalera de Agua: Water Staircase
further down, it reunited, with the Generalife's lower flow
•The water paths continued and descended...
•Water was entered into the Alhambra, crossing over to the
Torre de Agua aqueduct (above the Camino de los Chinos).
•From this point on - the Alhambra, its vast cisterns and the
original Alcazaba were supplied with the precious liquid.
Moorish Hydrology Technology had been successful

29. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (VIII)
A vast albercon: large pool was constructed on the highest slope
The water then was entered inside the hill by means of a
horizontally-pierced underground passage
Three wells were positioned above the underground water-path,
each well, at different heights Finally, the underground passage
reached the level of the vast albercon At that point, the water
was lifted, by means of another waterwheel and deposited inside
the albercon.
•Lately an cistern or tank was built, capturing rain water to
supply water to the Dar al-arusa and Alixares palaces which
were built on higher levels

30. EXAMPLE: ALHAMBRA (IX)
The Sophisticated Interior Alhambra Granada Spain Water
Technology.
•Interior Water conduits varied
•Some were narrow - accelerating the flow
•Curved conduits led into containing hollows - slowing the water
passage Burbling and spilling from the low marble basins.
•The Alhambra water systems were designed to cool in summer and
warm in the winter.
The reflection pools: Patio de los Arrayanes and the Partal pool -
were mirrors for the exterior architecture.

31. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate

32. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: STEEL ARCHES (I)
Eiffel Tower, Champs du
Mars, Paris. 1889. Grew
from Eiffel’s bridge-building
expertise. Was world’s tallest
structure for 40 years. 300 m
tower built of puddled iron.
The “arch” shape at the
bottom is purely decorative.

33. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: STEEL ARCHES (II)
Ironwork arches in the Musée d’Orsey, Paris, which is now the most
beautiful museum in Paris having being converted from a disused
railway station.

34. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: STEEL ARCHES (III)
The industrial revolution was manifested in new construction
devices (steam engines, machine tools and explosives) and a
new material arose: steel was mass-produced since the 19th
century, it was used, in form of I-beams and reinforced
concrete. Glass panels also went into mass production.
Plumbing appeared, and gave common access to drinking water
and waste water collection at houses.
Rationality and the universal laws of physics behind the
building problem lead to the emancipation of history

35. CABLE-SUSPENDED BRIDGE
Brooklyn Bridge over the East River, New York. 487 m span.
Designed by John Roebling, completed by his son (Washington
Roebling) in 1883: First bridge to use steel wire suspension cables.

36. CABLE-SUSPENDED ROOF
The Dome is the original name of a large dome-shaped building,
originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition
celebrating the beginning of the third millennium in London.

37. CABLES
The funicular concept can be best described and visualized
with cables or chains suspended from two points that adjust
their form for any load. Suspended structures are used for long-
span roofs.
Cables effectively resist gravity load in tension, but are
unstable under uneven loads. For example, under its own
weight or under uniform loads a cable assumes the funicular
shape of a perfect parabolic catenary. However, under wind
uplift suspended cables tend to flutter and become unstable.

38. TRUSSES
Trusses are common
elements in many types of
buildings. Why?
Typical beam and colum scheme
shows three problems for long
spans:
1- Cracks may appear
2- Bending deformation could be
uncomfortable.
3- Horizontal instability.

39. John Hancock Center, Chicago.
The braced tube structure employed
for the John Hancock Center uses
the least amount of steel compared
with the framed tubes.
Hearst Headquarters, New
York
The use of perimeter
diagonals for structural
effectiveness and
aesthetics has generated
interest from architectural
and structural designers of
tall buildings in diagrid
structures.

40. TRUSSES
Trusses support load much like beams, but for longer
spans. As the depth and thus dead weight of beams
increases with span they become increasingly inefficient,
requiring most capacity to support their own weight rather
than imposed live load. Also trusses serve to replace
walls by triangulation to reduce dead weight.
Only triangles are intrinsically stable polygons.
Since the 1960s, the new structural system of framed tubes
appeared in the construction of Hanckock Centre, Sears
Tower, World Trade Center, Petronas Towers and other
supertall skyscrapers. They are often known as the “2nd
Chicago School".

41. SHELLS
Eero Saarinen (1962) Milo Ketchum (1910-1999)
Sir Norman Foster (1997)

42. Modern Thin Concrete Shells
Oceanogràfic
Valencia, Spain
(2002)
Félix Candela, †1997

43. SHELLS
With reference to modern shell it is key to remember the legacy
of Saarinen and Candela. Shells can be compared to an igloo.
The most famous work of Saarinen is the TWA Flight Center,
which represents the culmination of his previous designs and
demonstrates his structural expressionism and the technical
marvel in concrete shells.
Candela worked very hard during his life time to prove the real
nature and potential that reinforced concrete had in structural
engineering.
Reinforced concrete is extremely efficient in a dome or shell-
like shape. This shape eliminates the tensile forces that the
concrete without the help of reinforcement cannot bear.

44. INDUSTRIAL SHELLS: LNG TANKS

45. INDUSTRIAL SHELLS
Above ground LNG tanks are large double-containment
pressure vessels to store Liquefied Natural Gas at -170ºC.
The role of these tanks is to act as a buffer guaranteeing a
stable supply of gas during seasonal peaks of demand.
The range of potential locations for future LNG projects is
very disparate with a range of seismic and soil conditions
with net storage volumes up to 300,000 m3.

46. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate

47. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (I)

48. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (II)

49. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (III)

50. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (IV)

51. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (V)
Plans for a new museum in Bilbao date to the late 1980s, when
the Basque Administration began formulating a major
redevelopment of the region.
It was not until 1991, however, that Basque authorities
proposed the idea for a Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
In moving forward with the museum a site was selected and
three architects, Arata Isozaki from Japan, Coop Himmelb(l)au
from Austria, and Frank O. Gehry from the United States, were
invited to participate in a competition to produce a conceptual
design. These were no requirements in terms of drawings or
models to be produced; rather, the architects were only
asked to present what they thought would convey their
concept for the new museum.

52. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (VI)
Almost from the moment it opened in 1997, Gehry's
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, with its distinctive titanium
curves and soaring glass atrium, was hailed as one of the
most important buildings of the 20th century.
Gehry's use of cutting-edge computer-aided design technology
enabled him to translate poetic forms into reality. The resulting
architecture is sculptural and expressionistic, with spaces
unlike any others for the presentation of art.
The museum is seamlessly integrated into the urban context,
unfolding its interconnecting shapes of stone, glass, and titanium
on a 32,500-square-meter site along the Nervión River in the old
industrial heart of the city.

53. EXAMPLE: GUGGENHEIM (VII)
Eleven thousand square meters of exhibition space are
distributed over nineteen galleries. Ten of these galleries have a
classic orthogonal plan and can be identified from the exterior
by their stone finishes. Nine other irregularly shaped galleries
present a remarkable contrast and can be identified from the
outside by their swirling forms and titanium cladding. The
largest gallery, measuring 30 meters wide and 130 meters long,
was used for temporary exhibitions for several years. In 2005, it
became the site of the largest sculpture commission in history,
Richard Serra's monumental installation The Matter of Time.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a pinnacle in Gehry's
outstanding architectural career as well as in the field of
museum design. It remains unsurpassed in its integration of art
and architecture.

54. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate

55. TECHNOLOGY IN FUTURE EDIFICATIONS (I)
SeaO2 project

56. TECHNOLOGY IN FUTURE EDIFICATIONS (II)
Today with lot of environmental developments happening world
over like global warming, energy crisis, lifestyle changes, it’s
become even more difficult to design houses meeting all these
requirements.
More and more architectural designs are using digital
technologies with respect to modeling, simulation,
evaluation and fabrication resulting in complex shaped
buildings which incorporates the above challenges.

57. TECHNOLOGY IN FUTURE EDIFICATIONS (III)
One such project is coming up in Tel Aviv whose primary
resources are sun, wind, and land making an optimum
utilization of all.
SeaO2 is an experimental ecological housing project. The
project poses an alternative to current plans for Tel Aviv North
West coastal district. SeaO2 demonstrates vast use of cutting
edge computer software, some being used in the aerospace
industry. The project final form is a consequence of a scientific
approach that calculates numerous of elements: the sun orbit,
wind conditions and more, all in a free-form organic manner .

58. TECHNOLOGY IN FUTURE EDIFICATIONS (III)
Advanced Computer Simulations ensure the project’s
credibility. The project’s unique morphology enables:
•Optimized solar reception for heating at winter time.
•Self-shadowing and solar reception for electricity generation at
summer time.
• Natural lighting.
•Optimized natural ventilation
•Public green spaces.
•Rain collection and more.
Various passive mechanical systems complement the basic
morphology, enable better performance and create an energy
efficient, environmentally friendly housing project.

59. HOW WILLL BUILDINGS LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE?
Possible future edifications

60. 1. Introduction to architectural technology
2. Ancient construction shapes
2.1. Beams and columns
2.2. Pyramids
2.3 Arches
3. Case Study: Alhambra palace
4. New construction shapes
4.1 Trusses
4.2 Cables
4.3 Shells
5. Case study: Guggenheim Bilbao museum
6. How will buildings look like in the future?
7. Debate