IAR 222: Point-Explorations

For me, the most influential and the era that made the biggest impression on me was the Gothic era. It seemed as though architects and designers were venturing through many explorations of design. I feel as though they took ideas from many past designs, such as creating the element of power by making the visitor feel small when walking through the space, much like the Hypostyle Hall in Egypt. One could also say that the Gothic Cathedrals borrowed the idea of axial progression from the hypostyle because

http://homepages.udayton.edu/~schuerwc/Interior_Spaces_of_Gothic_Cathedral.jpg

of the long similar floor plan. Typically at one end of the building is the entrance and exit doors, while the "destination area" or alter usually is at the other end, to supports the idea of a journey through the space which gives everyone an incredible and amazing experience. Architects of this era also created huge detailed with ornament arches, featuring clerestory windows. The exploration of columns put in basically every possible place added to the feeling of being small and in an enormous place. It seems as though there was an extensive amount of architectural elements put into the Gothic Cathedrals, such as flying buttresses, vaults, and arches. You could say that it is alike to the Baroque style in that way by cramming many different and alike elements into one space. I personally think that the Gothic era does so in a tasteful way though, and it is pleasing to the eye because all of the elements are somewhat related and look alike.