Architecture: Byzantine Constantinople, Chinese Gardens, and the Hagia Sophia

1. Respond to each in 1-2 paragraphs. Please note: do not write about projects you have discussed elsewhere. Be sure to paste in the questions so we know which ones you are answering! (22 pts each) (Give yourself about 25 minutes each)
• How did Ottoman rulers transform Byzantine Constantinople? What helped make their empire strong, and how did architects contribute to this imperial power? What role did water and infrastructure play in both empires? (See reading Hagia Sophia from the age of Justinian to the Present)
• How do Chinese gardens like those in Suzhou incorporate time and sequence like Chinese scroll paintings, which also incorporated poetry? In what other ways do the gardens relate to painting and poetry?(See reading Chinese Architecture)
2. Write a 3-5 paragraph essay about what you have learned in the first half of the semester that you think about most, or that has most changed the way you’ve thought about architecture, or that you find most impressive, or terrible, or remarkable in some other way. If you choose to write about a specific building or project, please describe it fully in terms of its setting, materials, culture, and form, describing how all of these parts relate to each other. You might consider comparing two projects. If you write about a text we read or an idea we discussed, analyze or present the text as you would in one of your reading responses, pulling out key ideas and explaining why they are significant. And it’s even better if you can relate buildings or projects to texts and ideas. (41 pts) (Give yourself about 45 minutes for this)
Here are some suggestions of things you might write about that were in the study guide:
o We’ve looked at churches, shrines, and mosques in several places. How does religious observation in the different faiths organize physical space? What are some of these physical features? Be prepared to compare similarities and differences in religious buildings?
o How was the profession of the architect defined in this time period? Think about the career of Sinan and the work of the Renaissance architects. What were architects supposed to be able to do? How did the development of the profession relate to the social positions and the wealth of commissioners of architecture? Why do we know the names of individual architects in some cultures and not others? How is this related to overall changes within the discipline and practice of architectural building?
o Architectural ideas traveled with people - along trade routes, crusade paths, and as empires conquered one another. How can you trace connections between different architectural styles? How is this reflected in the forms of buildings? You might think about the links between Venice, Florence, the Byzantine, Ottoman, Mughal and Persian Empires.
(you can write about the Forbidden city, beijing, see reading Chinese Spatial strategies)