Egyptian Architecture
Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahari, Egypt
The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari (1570-1314 BC) is a remarkable piece of architecture. Setting at the foot of a mountain cliff, it raises from one platform to another connected by series of huge axial ramps. The temple, unique in its design, sits at the highest level at the base of the cliffs. It is selected as one of the major components of the library for it represents Egyptian culture and is ruined at the current time.
According to Jordan (1970) "The main avenue of sphinxes ran from the Nile to the foot of the first ramp. On the platform between the top of this first ramp and the foot of the next one, the sphinxes were of red granite. The platform was probably planted with cedar trees..." In this reconstructed model, the sphinexes and cedar trees were not included.
The incised figures and hieroglyphs on the walls of the first floor were scanned from Edouard Naville (1895) and included in the model. Naville indicated that the entire building was at one time covered in a white plaster. He mentioned that this would create an illusion that the temple was carved from a single massive piece of stone, and that rays from the sun would be reflected by the plaster and cause the building to shimmer and glow in an almost blinding white light. Thus, most of the walls have a light sandstone-like texture. A few in the lower colonnade are textured to simulate the appearance of the stone pillars and columns before they were plastered over.
In order to establish an efficient VRML model, the model should be streamlined as much as possible to increase the speed of accessibility through the Internet. Thus, the polygon count of the model had been simplified. Because part of the temple is excavated into the surrounding cliffs, the backs of the walls were not modeled.
The main structure of this model was completed by QiYi Sun and the texturing was done by Hamlin Krewson.
Bibliography:
Furneaux Jordan, (1970), A Concise History of Western Architecture, New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, pp. 17-20.
Edouard Naville, (1895), The Temple of Deir El Bahari (London: Offices of the Egypt exploration fund), pp. 1-6.
Greek Architecture
Parthenon, Athens, Greece
The Parthenon, the most famous of Doric temples, was selected as the Greek example. It was dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos and was begun in 447 B.C., by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates and completed in 432 B.C. The building was badly damaged in an explosion in the 17th century and exists in a partly restored state today. This model restores the building to its 5th century BC state.
In renovating the Parthenon to its original state, major sources were from drawings in Les monuments de l'Acropole; relevent et conservation (Balanos, 1938). The primary tool used was MultiGen. The plan data was initially drafted into the database from which the elevations were extruded. Our visual and aesthtic understanding of the building during its early years were from Benoit Loviot's reconstruction of the Parthenon (1879-1880) in Tournikiotis (1994). This was used as a visual foundation for the texturing and painting. The images of the metopes were developed from J. Carrey's work in The Carry Drawings of the Parthenon, 1674.
The ceiling roofed by a beam structure was assumed to be solid. Both the roof and ceiling were modeled as timber structures. The inner naos also was judged from the drawing to be one step down. The floor was marble whose reflections are shown on the model. Lights enter from the eastern door.
The status of Athena also was from (Loviot 1994). In addition to the written references, images were based on the similar sculpture created by "e-spaces" provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Other additional information has come from Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture, 19th ed.
The reconstruction was done by Timothy Griepp.
References:
Balanos, N. (1938). Les monuments de l'Acropole; relevement et conservation. Paris: C. Massin et A. Levy.
Loviot, Benoit (1994). Reconstruction of the Parthenon, In P. Tournikiotis (Ed). The Parthenon and its Impact in Modern Times, Athens: Melissa Publishing House, pp 274-275.
Fletcher, B. (1987). A history of architecture. In J. Musgrave (Ed). Sir Banister Fletcher's A history of architecture. 19th edition, Londonz: Butterworths.
Roman Architecture
Pantheon, Rome, Italy
The Pantheon in Rome (AD 120-4) is a domed cylinder with an attached portico. The building was dedicated to the deities of the seven planets. The spherical form symbolizes the cosmos, the opening in the center of the dome symbolizes the sun, and the bronze stars set in each coffer are the stars of heaven. The dome is seated on top of a rotunda which has thick walls. The thick walls of the rotunda on which the dome sits are cut at a lower level by niches and recesses for altars or statues.
The Pantheon remains largely intact. This project attempted to recreate the original interior and exterior as well as the forum that once stood in front of the building. Visitors can enter the model through the main entrance in the forum and leave through the opening on the top of the building.
Major sources of information for this project are William MacDonald, The Architecture of the Roman Empire (1965), The Pantheon: Design, Meaning and Progeny (1976), and Sir Banister Flectcher's A History of Architecture, 19th ed.
The model and its details were completed by Terry Welsh and Ben Meyer.
References:
MacDonald, W. L. (1965). The Architecture of the Roman Empire, Volume 1: An introductory Study. New Haven: Yale University Press.
MacDonald, W. L. (1976). The Pantheon: Design, Meaning, and Progeny. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p.23.
Fletcher, B. (1987). A history of architecture. In J. Musgrave (Ed). Sir Banister Fletcher's A history of architecture. 19th edition, Londonz: Butterworths.
Romanesque Architecture
Cathedral, Speyer, Germany
Having gone through several reconstructions over the last 900 years, it is difficult to model the original form of the Speyer Cathedral. The construction of this building began in 1030 on the ruins of a much older temple. It was founded by Emperor Conrad II who had intended the building as a bruial place for himself and his descendants. His burial place rests at the east end of the nave, and his descendants were interred here until the 14th century. Henry IV initiated some extensive rebuilding of the Cathedral in 1080 because it was in danger of collapse due to flooding. Fires that occurred in 1137 and 1159 spured further rebuilding. The Cathedral again caught fire and burned down in 1689, leaving only the south aisle, the east end of the nave and the ground floor of the west end. It was restored in 1772-78.
This VR model reconstructed the original form built by Emperor Conrad II with a wood truss roof and wood ceiling. A series of 18 plan and section drawings of Speyer Cathedral in its current state with designations of previous construction were the basis for the model. These drawings were furnished by the diocese of Speyer. The dimensions of the main floor were based on these detailed drawings.
The modeling process started from building the walls. Then a groin vault was created and repeatedly applied throughout the crypt and side-aisles. On floor plans, it was found that the building is askew in several places. Because the differences were slight and unnoticeable by view, in this model, the askew parts were ignored. According to the information provided by Kubach (1976), the area of interrement within the nave was enclosed, but probably not until the time of Henry III or Henry IV.
The textures of the building materils were scanned from images and mapped to the model. For instance, the color and materials of the piers of the nave were from a photo of the side aisle. The plaster-like texture surrounding the windows along the side aisle was taken from a postcard of the crypt. Much of this building is textured more as a way to delineate differences in all of the articulations along the walls and engaged columns.
Modeling by: Hamlin Krewson
References:
Ernst Gall (1963). Cathedrals and Abbey Churches of the Rhine. (Harry H. Abrams Inc., New York), pp 26, 27.
Kubach, Hans Erich (1976). Der Dom Zu Speyer. (Wissenshaftlich Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, Germany).
Thomas H. King (1868). The Study Book of Medieval Architecture and Art. (Henry Sotheran and Co., London), Vol. 1, 136 Strand, and 42 Charing Cross.
Gothic Architecture
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
The challenge of this project was to reconstruct the Notre-Dame in its original twelfth century state. The appearance of the building at this time was much "less Gothic" when compared to the landmark we know as Notre-Dame of the present time. Much use was made of the sketches and notes of E. E. Viollet-le-Duc who was the key behind the twelfth century restorations and additions that transformed the building into what it is now.
By far, the most beneficial reference used in the process of rebuilding twelfth century Notre-Dame was Marcel Aubert's "Notre-Dame de Paris." This book published in 1928 contained dozens of high quality black and white photographs of Notre-Dame as it stood during that time. Although many key features of the building had changed between the twelfth and twentieth centuries the photos gave us the foundations for creating our own textures representative of the building in its original form.
Other references relied upon included "Notre-Dame de Paris and the Sainte-Chapelle" by Yves Bottineau, "Light, Wind and Structure: The Mystery of the Master Builders," by Robert Mark, and "Notre-Dame de Paris" published by Newsweek Press.
This model was completed by Timothy Griepp.
Bibliography:
Yves Bottineau, (1967). Notre-Dame de Paris and the Sainte-Chapelle, (Allen, London).
Robert Mark, (1990). Light, Wind and Structure: The Mystery of the Master Builders, (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA).
"Notre-Dame de Paris" published by Newsweek Press.
Renaissance Architecture
The Tempietto, Rome, Italy
The Tempietto was built by Bramante about 1502 on the supposed site of the crucifixion of St. Peter. The focus of this model was to recreate the unbuilt circular courtyard in which the Tempietto was to have been built. The basic drawings used were those of Sabastian Serlio and Letarsuilly.
The process of creating the Tempietto, as a three-dimentional model was drastically simplified by the symmetrical shape that allowed the designer to revolve surfaces creating a shell that would become the basic shape of the structure. The details included structures such as the metops and triglyphs. The geometry that makes up the Tempietto and courtyard are very schematic to enable detailed texture mapping to create the illusion of three-dimensional elements.
This model was completed by Shane Wirth and Timothy Griepp.
Bibliography:
Paul Marie Letrouilly, (1928) Edifices de Rome Moderne, (Tiranti, London).
Paolo Portoghesi, (1972) Rome of the Renaissance, (Phaidon, London) p.55. (Page 55 contains a reconstruction drawing of the courtyard based on Serlio's plan.)
Michele Furnari, (1995) Formal Design in Renaissance Architecture from Brunelleschi to Palladio (Rizzoli, NY), p. 79. (Some sections drawings. E.g. pg. 79)
Modern Architecture
Des Moines Art Center, Iowa, USA
Locate in Greenwood Park, Des Moines, Iowa, the Des Moines Art Center was designed by Eliel Saarinen in 1945, with additions by I. M. Pei in 1968, and Richard Meier in 1985. Each design represents a period of modern architecture. This model reconstructs the original phase designed by Saarinen.
The lannon stone cladding was suggested by the Board of Trustee to maintain consistency with the existing stone pylons in the Rose Garden. The U-shaped design consisted of the galleries, foyer, auditorium, classrooms, and studios. The initial design is intact except for the auditorium which was converted into exhibition galleries when a new auditorium was built in the Pei addition.
Information used to construct this model was based on the working drawings provided by William Anderson of Brooks Borg Skiles Architects. Permission to use this material was granted from Kevin Roche of Kevin Roche, John Dinkeloo, and Associates. Colors and textures of materials was applied from photos taken on site.
This model was completed by Timothy Griepp.