Architecture

What caught my attention the most in the chapter entitled, “Architecture” in the book Living with Art by Mark Getlein were the sections on the Hagia Sophia and R. Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome. The Hagia Sophia was built over 1,000 years ago and remains to be an architectural icon. Fuller’s geodesic dome is a fairly new building compared to the Hagia Sophia, but it is still thought to be an architectural wonder. I thought it would be interesting to dive deeper and gain a better understanding of how domes have since evolved from the Hagia Sophia and how Fuller created the geodesic dome.

                  The Hagia Sophia was built by two mathematicians named Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus in 537. The Hagia Sophia was first built at a church during the 6^th century when Istanbul was still called Constantinople, and was the capitol of the Byzantine Empire. In the 15^th century, when the Turks over ruled the city, it was then turned into a mosque. In this section Getlein writes that, “The domes of the Pantheon and the Hagia Sophia serve primarily to open vast interior spaces” (294). This is one of the first buildings to use pendentives, which are triangular structures used to make a smooth transition between the rectangle and dome. The Hagia Sophia was considered one of the most important pieces of architecture during the Byzantine era and many mosques and domes have been modeled after it like the Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia is now a museum and is opened to the general public.

Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus. Hagia Sophia. Istanbul. 532-37.

Moving on to a more modern dome-like structure, the geodesic dome was created by the American architectural engineer R. Buckminster Fuller. Fuller made the dome for the 1967 World’s Fair in Montreal to serve as the United State’s Pavilion. The dome is 250 feet in diameter and it very light, but extremely strong. The dome’s structure is based off of the triangle and needs to no support from within the structure. After the dome was presented in 1967, many people thought that the architectural design would take over the world and it would be seen everywhere. Sadly, that didn’t become a reality, but the dome has been used around the world for government and scientific purposes.

R. Buckminster Fuller. Dymaxion House. 1933.

R. Buckminster Fuller. U.S. Pavilion, Expo 67, Montreal. 1967. Geodesic dome, diameter 250’.

Although geodesic domes may not be seen on every street corner, I do think that it is an example of how architecture can develop and grow. I believe that there will always be staples in architecture that we will continue to see in building, like columns or arch ways, but I believe architecture will continue to expand with time.