Introduction to the History of Architecture

Explore Byzantine architecture, the Eastern Roman Empire's domed churches, mosaics, and the Greek cross plan, epitomized by Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.

Explore the rise of Gothic architecture in medieval Europe, its ribbed vaults, pointed arches, and flying buttresses, and its light, vertical cathedrals with stained glass, sculpture, and gargoyles.

Study art nouveau architecture, a modern, nature-inspired movement spreading from Belgium to Europe and the United States, with curved lines and integrated ornament.

Explore steel frame construction, the rise of skyscrapers, and the chicago window, highlighting form follows function and the shift to functional, modern architecture.

Explore how the Bauhaus united fine arts, crafts, and architecture into a total work of art, emphasizing simple rectangular forms, open floor plans, and minimal ornament with modern materials.

Explore Art Deco, a 1920s–1940s movement blending modern technology with luxury, bold geometric forms, and streamlined designs in architecture, interiors, and everyday objects.

Explore brutalism, a postwar modernist movement defined by raw concrete, exposed structures, and monolithic forms, tracing its global rise, key architects, iconic buildings, and shifting reception.

Discover high tech architecture, a late modern style that exposes building services on the exterior, emphasizes structural expression, and enables reconfigurable spaces through prefabrication and lightweight materials.

Explore deconstructivist architecture, a postmodern break with tradition that uses surface manipulation, fragmentation, and non rectilinear forms, enabled by computer design and celebrated in Gehry, Koolhaas, and Eisenman projects.

Contemporary architecture in the 21st century blends diverse styles, from blob architecture to parametricism, driven by computer aided design and digital modeling.