Eastern Europe & Imperial Asia
• Countries Unify later than Western Counterparts
• Fought more wars – Less chance to develop
• Less dominate leaders before the Renaissance/Baroque period
• Regional rulers lacked manpower & charisma to win over masses
• Feudal system – lords and serfdom
• Too many disparate ideas
• Largely Agrarian society – no centralization
• Development of Merchant & Mercenary Culture lead to improvements
• Bartering or taking of goods from across Central and East Asia
• Wars brought cultural diversity and integration
• Cities strengthened for defensibility
• Allowed cultures to amass great wealth thru trade
Eastern Europe & Imperial Asia
• Russia
•Strong rulers- Romanovs – Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great
•Tremendous caring for citizens especially children
•Tremendous cruelty towards their opposition & family
•Established common laws, armies and culture
•Built schools to teach trades and higher education
•Dedicated armies that enforced new
common law
•made examples of all who opposed
within own territory
•Conquered more land in the name of the
rulers
• Modernization of culture due to travel
•Each studied foreign land’s means &
methodology
•Brought forth a centralized religion
Eastern Europe & Imperial Asia
• China / Mongolia
•Feudal society – Dynasty culture - Regional rulers
• Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist faith all interlock
• Different methods toward the same goal – Inner Harmony
• Strong belief in nature and natural law
• Mongols unify under Ghengis Khan – Ming Dynasty
• Control all of Central and East Asia
• Invade as far west as Vienna Austria
•Cultural Diversity due to military control
• Trade routes – Silk Road
• Set up laws for society
• Based on common sense
• Based on defensibility
• Cared for children
• Lack of tolerance for crime
Eastern Europe & Imperial Asia
• Japan
• Controlled by the Shogun / Samurai
• Regional rulers that grew stronger to control Islands
• Fought wars to defend Territory
• Shinto and Buddhist Religion
• Sacrificing worldly pleasures
• Search for internal peace
• Strong Merchant culture
• Great Naval Fleet for trade & war
• Established trade with rest of Asia & Europe
• Feudal/Agrarian Culture
• Farming – grains, lumber
• Aquaculture – Fishing & plants
• Cultivating Precious Stones & fabric
Eastern Europe
• Johann-Friedrich Braunstein, Jean-Baptiste
Alexandre Le Blond, Niccolo Michetti, Mikhail
Zemtsov
• Peterhof (1710-1725)
Peterhof – Birdseye
Peterhof – Plan
The palace of Peter the Great, this palace was to rival
Versailles. Peter the Great had traveled all over
Europe in effort to learn from other cultures. In
doing so he learned much about politics and
architecture. Peter had hired many German and
Italian Architects to come to St. Petersburg and work
for him. His efforts to modernize Russia, resulted in
an increase in the arts. Peterhof was a combination
of German Rococo ornament with a more simplified
French & English Baroque.
Eastern Europe
• Johann-Friedrich Braunstein, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond,
Niccolo Michetti, Mikhail Zemtsov
• Peterhof (1710-1725)
Peterhof – Grand Stair
Peterhof – Grand Ballroom
The gold gilded and painted plaster ornament contrast
against the white backdrop. Russia being a very military
oriented country, also had talented blacksmiths and iron
workers to build elaborate wood & metal railings. All
ceilings were painted with Quadratura paintings.
Peterhof – Audience Room
What stands out about the Russian Baroque is the
elaborate wood flooring, that goes beyond typical parquet
floors using different woods and staining to create
wonderful patterning.
Eastern Europe
• Johann-Friedrich Braunstein, Jean-Baptiste
Alexandre Le Blond, Niccolo Michetti, Mikhail
Zemtsov
• Peterhof (1710-1725)
The baroque palace of Peterhof also following other English
models does not utilize corridors for passage between
rooms. Each space connects through a pair of double doors
to other rooms.
Artistry was highlighted in the overall design. Beyond the
intricate wood flooring. The porcelain, crystal, and brass
chandeliers become hanging sculptural elements that
become focal points. Peter imported the greatest painters
from Europe to fill his halls with portraiture. Where not as
proportionate as the Italian, the designs find ways to carry
the art & patterning.
Peterhof – Dressing Room
Peterhof – Throne Room
Peterhof – Chesme Hall
Eastern Europe
• Johann-Friedrich Braunstein, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond,
Niccolo Michetti, Mikhail Zemtsov
• Peterhof (1710-1725)
Russia was the link between Europe and Asia, Eastern
Culture was seen as quite fanciful to the Western
Aristocracy. Like many of his English counterparts, Peter
too, had rooms dedicated to the far east. In mimicking the
style of the Far East with its saturated colors and patterned
walls. More over, the furniture is distinctly Asian with its
black & red lacquered frames with jade inlays, these
pieces have a rigid logic that defines their beauty with their
simplicity.
Peterhof – Western Chinese Salon
Peterhof – Eastern Chinese Salon
Eastern Europe
• B. F. Rastrelli
• The Catherine Palace (1744-1756)
The Palace of Catherine the Great,
located near Moscow in Pushkin, follows
the same styling as Peterhof. This
palace is Baroque in plan with Rococo
ornamentation. As with Peterhof, the
Catherine Palace was to compete with
Versailles. The layout takes its queue
from Palladio, with its extreme symmetry.
Again one must traverse the plan from
room to room without corridors. The
Romanov Tsars took their queue from
their English Cousins.
In the Grand Ballroom one could enter
off the of the gardens through the French
doors, into the space. A quadratura
painting covers the whole ceiling. A
patterned parquet floor provides a bit of
subtle warmth to contrast with the gilded
ornamental plaster work.
Katerinen – Grand Ballroom
Eastern Europe
• B.F. Rastrelli,
• The Catherine Palace (1744-1756)
In the Grand Dining Hall the ornament is less
fanciful, than in the Ballroom. The walls are
broken proportionally and the Ornament
finds its space between the orders. The
orders are greatly de-emphasized. A creative
detail was the use of circular paintings
surrounded by gilded plaster framing. This
paintings occurred between paired corinthian
pilasters.
A creative feature that becomes highlighted
in the rooms are the ceramic furnaces in each
of the corners. They are covered in fine
porcelain and are finely ornate. In orders to
reduce the amount of soot, the furnaces are
loaded from a different room. Since the
furnaces are made of clay tile coated in
porcelain, they retain heat much longer than
a metal furnace would. This allowed for a lot
of convective and radiated heat within the
rooms while having a sculptural element in
the corner.
Katerinen – Grand Dining Room
Eastern Europe
• B. F. Rastrelli
• The Catherine Palace (1744-1756)
Katerinen – Chapel Antechamber
Katerinen – Grand Blue Salon
The Damask wall coverings used were fine milled from Moscow. Since the Russian
State stretched from Eastern Europe all the way to the Pacific, they had the ability to
farm the finest cotton and flax and shepard herds for their wool. Moscow became a
textile center in the 18th century.
The ornate detailing of the wall covering is matched by the stained wood floorings
patterns. Since these rooms are smaller and more intimate, the wall covering and
flooring provide a nice level of scale to the rooms.
Katerinen – Wallcovering
Eastern Europe
• B. F. Rastrelli
• The Catherine Palace (1744-1756)
Katerinen – Chinese Blue Salon
Again, Asian influence mixed together with French
Baroque styling of the furniture. The Damask wall
covering shows images of Pagodas and Flowering
Trees. Pink wainscot fabric offsets the decorative
fabric above. The ornament is carried through
every aspect of the room from the wall covering to
the crown molding.
Katerinen – Chinese Blue Salon
Eastern Europe & Imperial Asia
Feng Shui •Study of natural law – not law imposed by man. Law influenced by nature.
• Nature works in cycles
• All events repeat themselves – good and bad
• Western society believes in linear progressions every cause has an effect
• Eastern Society looks for how one ripple can create a tidal wave.
• Lao Tze developed theories on how to work with nature to create harmony
• Understanding the Universe begins with observation
• Recognize and learn patterns in nature
• Develop arrangements that do not interrupt the natural flow of Chi – or inner
vital energy such that these arrangements develop in the Way of the Universe
or the Tao
•Tai Chi = The Great Extreme – everything in the universe is bound together to
create a greater whole. The life of a gnat can influence the death of an elephant.
Eastern Europe & Imperial Asia
Feng Shui •Natural Forms influence building location
• Dragon/Mountain, Tortoise/hills, Tiger/ River, Red Bird/ pond & the energy
spot
•Must build defensible location that breeds psychological comfort
•Buildings or cities to back up to mountain, be surrounded by hills,
ponds & rivers, and situate themselves on flat land
• Principles inherently rely on logic
• What makes you feel good, is good
• If you feel bad it is bad
• Philosophical study also included. Methodology for enlightenment
• Break bad patterns and establish successful ones
• Yin and Yang – Good and Bad – Potential and Kinetic energy
• Energy or Chi is always in flux.
• Yin relates to and influence Yang and vice versa
• Proportion, Quantity & Quality all interrelated.
Imperial Asia
• Typical Chinese Buildings
Confucian culture tied to nature and Feng Shui. Jian
is the typical module. Jian can be added to itself to
create a Ting which is a axial hall oriented along the
horizontal axis. These modules can arranged in
horizontal arrangements to create a hall or around a
courtyard to create a home. These spaces are
multidirectional and multifunctional. They can be
anything.
Feng Shui is the ancient practice of siting a building
such that it becomes in tune with nature. Most
entrances have to be oriented to the south and
southeast to take advantage of the wind and sun. The
practice goes beyond just placement to talk about
colors and forms as well as the arrangement of
furniture and walls. The highly observed practice of
creating and reinforcing harmony and oneness of
nature has been around for 3000 years.
Feng Shui works at different scales. Cities can be
situated next to mountains and hills. Houses can be
situated amongst roads and other buildings. But
within the house you use function, solid and void to
develop good Chi. Main living areas which back up to
a main wall (Dragon) are protected on either side by
walls (the tortoise). There were very few direct
openings near. Courtyards act as the Red Bird
perched. All of this to establish the appropriate
positive energy spot for living.
Typical Housing Types - Plans
Imperial Asia
• Typical Chinese Buildings
Fundian roofs, like a gable but with upturned ends create
dramatic forms on the interior and exterior while providing
necessary protection from the sun. Controlling sunlight allows
these homes to be conditioned through passive means.
Arrangements & layouts had deeper meanings. Axiality and
Symmetry show respect to the ethics and rituals of society,
while Feng Shui and orientation related to the religious beliefs.
But the form related to the individual and his or her
mannerisms.
The houses could be arranged in any fashion depending upon
the surrounding area. Typically due to the nature of
Chinese/Mongolian society, elders were considered revered.
Generations of extended family would live under one roof. This
meant the layout of the Jian often times related to the age of the
inhabitants. Grandparents would be situated in the back,
Parents rooms along the sides approaching the Grandparents
and the kids would always be situated toward the front. This is
related to Confucian theory and ethics. The general plan of a
house reflected ancestral worship and authority. Multiple Jian
could then be strung together in plan to create a series of
pavilions or dian that house the functions for daily life as well as
the living quarters.
Typical Jian
Typical Housing Types
Imperial Asia
• Temple of Heaven
•Quinian Dian (1530)
Set atop a white marble base, the painted stone
and wood temple is set up to approach axially.
Many of the pagodas are set up similarly. You
enter the complex through a main gate. There
are also secondary gates that align with the
plinth. The pagoda, itself, is a large dedicatory
temple with an altar concentrically located. In
true Feng Shui fashion, you enter the temple
from the south. The temple itself is
Temple of Heaven - Plan
Temple of Heaven – Dome Interior
The ceiling of the dome is coffered and highly
ornate. Painted wood and ceramic tile detail
brings scale to the space along with saturated
color.
Temple of Heaven - Exterior
Imperial Asia
• The Forbidden City, Beijing, China
• Bahoe Dian (1407 - 1723)
The ruling palace of the Ming Emperors of China.
Today, it stands as a monument to past time. In line
with other palaces of its time, the Forbidden City is
set up in separate pavilions or Dians.
In the Dian, the emperor’s throne sits for public
audience. Like most fine furniture of the region, it is
comprised of black lacquered wood, with painted or
gilded detail. There is a hand painted & sculpted
wood screen, serving as a backdrop.
Forbidden City – Hall of Supreme Harmony
Forbidden City – Exterior
Hall of Supreme Harmony - Throne
Imperial Asia
• The Forbidden City, Beijing, China
• (16xx-16xx)
Similar to it’s European counterparts, the Guan
Yu dome consists of a clerestory drum and a
coffered dome. The black and gold coffers
frame the central sculpted light fixture. Much
more colorful than the European domes, the
Guan Yu appears lighter.
Western influence can be seen with in the living
quarters of the palace within the Hall of Culture.
The arrangement is very western with its use of
pilasters and wainscoting. Black stone floors
offset the finely colored woolen rugs showing
floral patterns. Black lacquered tables offset
the stained wood paneling. The wainscot is
hand painted and gives way to windows and a
clerestory that work within the module of the
framing. Within Asian architecture, the
framework becomes a key interior component,
expressing its structure and qualities of the
wood.
Forbidden City –Guan Yu Dome
Forbidden City -Hall of Culture
Imperial Asia
• Japanese Construction
These illustrations are a manual on how to build the proper
house. The methods of construction became
commonplace all across Japan. Japanese design is known
for its use of wood. Wood holds up in the variable
Japanese climate. Northern Japan can be very cold
whereas Southern Japan is very tropical. This dependency
on wood as their major building material has the
unfortunate side effect of also making their cities very
susceptible to fire.
Japanese construction is based on its beliefs of the Shinto
& Buddhist religions. Wood is sacred, in coming from the
earth. Being tied to the earth at all times meant the interior
spaces had to blend with the outside world. This lead to a
lot of screening and windows. Often times, these screens
were moveable so that the lines of distinction blurred.
Japanese Design is based on the measurement, Kanejaku,
or the square. This unit of length comprises the shaku, the
sun, and the ken; 10 sun equal 1 shaku and 6 shaku equal
1 ken. These units have been used for centuries in Korea
and Taiwan as well as in China. In the Japanese kanejaku
system, one shaku is about 30.303 cm or approximately 1
foot, and the smallest unit, the bu, is about 3 mm or 1/8
inch.
Japanese Construction Illustrations
Imperial Asia
• Typical Row House
•Kansai, Japan
The structure is made up of a shop
that faces the street to the east, a
residence, and a patio that separates
them. The two buildings are
connected by an entrance hall
structure that projects to the south.
Beyond the residential building are a
backyard and two storehouses. On
the south side of the compound is a
connecting yard, an earthen floor
connecting the front to the back and
serving as the main indoor corridor.
The kitchen of the residential building
is located in this connecting yard.
This type of kitchen, called a hashiri
moto, is open, wellhole-style, up to
the roof. True to the spirit of daily
activities using water and fire, the
kitchen space has a skeleton
structure of main pillar, girders, and
beams.
Typical Japanese Row House- Kansai
Very utilitarian in its function, its arrangement reflects the
connectivity to nature as well as the basic principles of good
environmental design. The courtyard and patios help to
control the temperature, by controlling the light and air flow.
The overall arrangement also delineates lines of privacy. The
Shop is publicly oriented. While the other function can be
accessed through doors creating privacy and separation. The
verandahs and corridors provide buffers space between the
functions.
Imperial Asia
• Nijo- Jo, Kyoto, Japan
• (1603)
Nijo - Plan
The palace is made up of two parts. The first is a
series of interconnected pavilions that house
ceremonial functions of the Shogun. The hommaru
is the protected walled residence of the Shogun
providing protection from invasion. Gardens that
have an organic layout engulf the complex. This
provides a duality of form with the very
symmetrical, square pavilions.
Nijo - Plan
Imperial Asia
• Nijo- Jo, Kyoto, Japan
• (1603)
In the Hommaru or the protected central chambers of the
castle, painted screens divide the rooms. These screens
can be opened to enlarge the rooms. The screens
themselves have paintings depicting nature and other
more pastoral themes. This again gets back into the
religious doctrine of the Shinto and Buddhist. There is a
subtle art in the creation of spaces with the warm glow.
Translucent screens were used on the South and West
walls to minimize the effects of the sun.
Hommaru – Central Chamber
Rooms in the castle are set up following the
basic proportions of the Tatami mats. The
Tatami are based on the proportion of the
Kanejaku. One tatami mat is approximately 6
shaku and 3 sun by 3 shaku and 1.5 sun (75” x
37.5” or 1 meter by a half of a meter) This
rectangular proportion caries through the
building. Most Japanese architecture of this
period is based on the proportions of either
the square or the rectangle.
Hommaru – First Chamber
Imperial Asia
• Nijo- Jo, Kyoto, Japan
• (1603)
The palace of the Shogun housed various
chambers of utilitarian function. Each separate
pavilion within the complex houses multiple
chambers. Each chamber was set up proportionally
based on the Tatami. Painted wood screens depict
scenes of the bonsai. When the screens are
opened the delineation of the spaces begins to blur.
Free-flowing open plan allows for the flexibility of
function.
Besides the decorative wood screens, the framed
ceiling becomes coffered with inset painted wood
panels. The faming is all connected with brass
fasteners bring color and a detailed scale to the
space.
Nijo – Shogun Chamber
Much like in Chinese Design, there had to be a
connectivity or a flow of space to not allow for
blockages of the natural energy. This lead to the
screen design. Also, due to the ties to nature and
need of incorporating nature into the design,
sliding walls allowed for the visual and physical
connection to the outside world, while still being
sheltered.
Nijo – First Chamber
Imperial Asia
•Ustad ‘Isa
• Taj Mahal, Agra, India (1626-1648)
The Taj Mahal stands on a raised plinth of white
Marble, with its four corners truncated, forming an
unequal octogon. The design uses an interlocking
Arabesque pattern, in which each element stand
on its own and also fits into a larger system. The
pattern uses a self replicating geometry and
symmetry within the whole complex. A large gate
begins the approach that transcends through
gardens and reflecting pools until you arrive upon
the main tomb.
Taj Mahal stands on the bank of River Yamuna,
which otherwise serves as a wide moat defending
the Great Red Fort of Agra, the center of the
Mughal emperors until they moved their capital to
Delhi in 1637. It was built by the fifth Mughal
emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his
second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Muslim Persian
princess. She died while accompanying her
husband in Burhanpur in a campaign to crush a
rebellion after giving birth to their 14th child. The
death so crushed the emperor that all his hair and
beard were said to have grown snow white in a few
months
Taj Mahal
Imperial Asia
•Ustad ‘Isa
• Taj Mahal, Agra, India (1626-1648)
Taj Mahal - Plan
the Taj Mahal is a prime example of Islamic design
during the period. This complex features a
symmetrical plan with the Mausoleum and Mosque
anchor the major axis and secondary entrance
gates that anchor the minor axis. The plan of the
Mausoleum itself is perfectly symmetrical as well.
Much attentions was paid to the approach.
Taj Mahal – Mausoleum Plan
Again the processional nature of the complex is
emphasized by the symmetry. The only real
directional aspect in the Islamic faith is that
followers must pray to Mecca 5 times daily. So
must religious complexes incorporate nondirectional space. A philosophy that differs from
the Christian orientation practices of the major
axis in the east/west direction.
Imperial Asia
•Ustad ‘Isa
•Taj Mahal, Agra, India (1626-1648)
Taj Mahal – Mosque
Taj Mahal - Tomb
Architects from Italy, Germany and India all worked together
to build this complex. The tomb is constructed of quartz and
other precious stone. The main material used in the buildings
was Indian Sandstone. It’s a soft limestone like stone with an
Orange/ Red finish. The detail was achieve with Ceramic
inlays. The pointed archways are distinctly Muslim. The
geometric patterning of the wall and ceilings shows the ability
the Indian craftsmen had with fine stone.
Taj Mahal – Entry Arch Detail