The mission of an architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life.” – Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
The word ‘Architecture’ comes from the Greek ‘Arkhitekton’ meaning ‘chief builder’. Architects design homes, hospitals, office buildings, museums, libraries, bridges, structures. While their designs take into account safety and comfort, they should also adhere to three classic ideals of architecture: function, durability and beauty. Many of today’s architects also conceive buildings that conserve energy and help the environment.
Additionally they design things outside of architecture. Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe, for instance, created one of the 20th century’s most iconic lounge chairs: the Barcelona chair (1929).
In anticipation of World Architecture Day on Monday, today’s post gives a dozen fun facts about architecture:
- The base of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is large enough to cover ten football fields. Approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone were cut, transported and assembled to create the 5.75-million-ton masterpiece.
- The idea of forming a complete military defensive line to protect China from invaders began when Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China (221–206 BC), connected various fortifications built between the 8th and 3rd centuries. Construction of the Great Wall continued for over 2,600 years, longer than from the start of Christianity to today.
- Stone masonry mortar mixed with 10,000 egg whites of seabirds went into the building of Puente de Piedra (1608) in Lima, Peru. Dubbed the Bridge of Eggs, it still stands today.
- Beneath the streets of Cincinnati lies the largest abandoned transit system — about 2 miles — in the U.S. Begun in the early 1900s as an upgrade to the City’s streetcar system, the project was interrupted by WWI and cancelled in 1928 because of escalating costs and political infighting.
- During four decades in the 20th century, juries awarded 151 Olympic medals to original works in the arts — architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture — inspired by the concept of sports. In 1912 Eugène-Edouard Monod and Alphonse Laverriére of Switzerland won the first Olympic gold medal in architecture for their building plan of a modern stadium. After the London Games of 1948, however, the IOC decided to discontinue the arts awards; most of the arts participants were professionals not amateurs.
- The 1250 ft high Empire State Building (1931), a striking example of Modernist Art Deco design, was the tallest building in the world until 1971. Construction took only 410 days. In 2020 a ten-year retrofitting reduced the Building’s emissions by about 40 percent and increased its energy efficiency.
- Today the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa (2010) in Dubai at 2717 ft. It sustainably collects 15 million gallons of water per year that’s then used for irrigation and cooling systems.
- Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, which opened in 1959, six months after his death at age 91. Wright prepared 700 sketches and six sets of working drawings to turn his vision “into an extraordinary sculpture of a building … that should be acknowledged as one of the most spatially beautiful International-style works of architecture.” (The famous or, according to some critics, infamous Guggenheim appears in many Hollywood movies: for example, “Cactus Flower”, “Three Days of the Condor”, “Someone to Watch Over Me” and “Men in Black.”)
- In 2019 Bauhaus celebrated 100 years of design. First opened in Weimar by Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus school brought together fine art, architecture, graphic design, and interior design into one movement whose radical influence lives on. “Bauhaus married functional design with aesthetic pleasure to create a modern art form that could bring beauty to everyday objects and beyond.” (Bauhaus artist/teacher Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) ranks in my top five.) Thanks to more than 4,000 Bauhaus buildings, many designed by German Jews who fled the Nazis in the 1930s, the city centre of Tel Aviv is a UNESCO-recognized site.
- China is home to seven of the ten longest bridges in the world, the first being The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge (2011) that’s an incredible 102 miles long (defining the word ‘grand’). The U.S. has two: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway (1956) in southern Louisiana at 24 miles and running parallel to it the Manchac Swamp Bridge (1979) at 23 miles.
- While China also claims six of the ten longest suspension bridges in the world, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan at 2.4 miles is number one.
- The longest pedestrian suspension bridge is Arouca (2021) in northern Portugal: 1692 ft in length, suspended 574 ft above the Paiva river. SkyBridge (2019) is the longest in North America, at 680 ft and 150 ft high, offering spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
Which architect’s work — new or old — impresses you? Please add your favourite(s) in the comments below. •
P.S. If you appreciate the work and influence of Frank Lloyd Wright, then you’ll enjoy reading Loving Frank (2007) by Nancy Horan for a glimpse into his fascinating, unconventional life. Additionally, in his specific ideas about architecture and the pattern of his career Wright partly inspired the character of Howard Roark in The Fountainhead (1943) by Ayn Rand. (Her philosophy will determine your interest in reading, or rereading, her novels: “unfettered self-interest is good and altruism is destructive”).
Tracy Ware says
One measure of Ayn Rand’s dubious misunderstanding of Frank Lloyd Wright is that the school that he established in Wisconsin is called “Taliesin” (uncertain spelling) after an Arthurian poem by Richard Hovey, an American poet inspired by William Morris and the arts and crafts movement. I doubt that Rand would have admired that connection. Pam is right about Wright’s fascinating life. We are glad that we visited the Wisconsin school (near La Crosse in the western part of the state), which beautifully demonstrates some of the architect’s best ideas. He tried to have the window frame the landscape as if it were a painting. Of course, what works in rural Wisconsin may not work in Pittsburgh or Sudbury.
Pam McPhail says
Tracy, Thanks for adding your insights. You may also know Frank Lloyd Wright was 70 years old when he worked on Taliesin West, transforming a rugged desert terrain into a residential school for testing design innovations, structural ideas and building details. We’ve toured this property, located ten minutes from our winter home in Scottsdale, and marvel at his arduous undertaking and also the many “firsts” credited to him. For instance, FLW conceived the floor lighting in theatre isles. I believe he deserves the honour bestowed by the American Institute of Architects: the “greatest American architect of all time.”
If/when you and Brenda visit Arizona, Glen and I will happily take you to Taliesin West. It should be on your “bucket list.”
Pam McPhail says
BTW: Although I read Ayn Rand’s novels as a teenager, I do not agree with her philosophy — and won’t reread “The Fountainhead” or any others as an adult.
Janet Anderson says
Thanks for another interesting and educational article Pam.
I did enjoy FLW’s home/museum in Scottsdale and will search for the book about his life.
Pam McPhail says
Janet, You will love “Loving Frank” in its blending of fact and fiction about Frank Lloyd Wright’s scandalous affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney at the turn of the 20th century.
Patricia Young says
An interesting set of facts, Pam, and another great photo. I have often walked past this building but you have captured it from a perspective I have not enjoyed – yet. This serves as an excellent reminder that we should not forget to look up when walking along city streets – just as we should always remember to look at the floors and ceilings of buildings and not just at how they are furnished and what is on the walls.
Pam McPhail says
Pat, The Credit Foncier Building (1913-14) in the photo exemplifies Edwardian Commercial architecture. There’s sure an interesting melange of designs along West Hastings.
Al Frank says
One of my favorite architectural wonders is the Mackinac (mak•in•naw) Bridge, a 5 mile long suspension bridge that connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. It was designed by David Steinman and opened in 1957. It takes 7 years to paint which begins again as soon as it is completed.
The view from the center of the bridge rising 200 feet above the water is spectacular when not shrouded in the clouds. The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a Drivers Assistance Program that provides drivers for those with gephyrophobia.
I have fond memories of walking across the bridge with my young son on one of the annual Labor Day bridge walks led by the Michigan governor. And a terrifying memory of having a flat tire in the middle of the bridge while on my way to a camping trip to the upper peninsula.
An average of 11,600 vehicles cross the bridge every day. Famously, in 1989 a driver died when her Yugo plunged over the railing into the water below.
Pam McPhail says
You shared informative and entertaining comments, Al. I especially admire the Drivers Assistance Program — and learned a new word in gephyrophobia. Hope no one showed road rage when you had the untimely flat tire.
At five miles, the Mackinac seems to deserve the longest suspension bridge designation. Puzzled by this contradiction, I checked my research and discovered suspension bridges are measured by the main span length, which is the distance between towers — 6532 ft for the bridge in Kobe compared to 3773 ft of the Mackinac — rather than the overall length.
Ian Wallace says
Another fine post, Pam. Thank you for enlightening us once again. In NYC there is no shortage of attractive buildings but isn’t the Guggenheim in a class of its own? For more FLW architecture, and numerous outstanding works by some of his disciplines, I recommend Oak Park, Illinois, easily reached by public transit from central Chicago. FLW was undoubtedly a great architect but, for my money, some of the very best architecture is hundreds or even thousands of years old, e.g. the Pont du Gard in southern France or the historic centre of Bruges, Belgium. In addition to the Egyptian pyramids would you agree that the Sphinx remains one of the coolest and most mysterious structures ever created?
Pam McPhail says
Ian, When I visited Chicago several years ago, Oak Park did not fit my itinerary (the extraordinary Chicago Art Institute commanded extra time). Must plan a return sojourn. Like you I have seen some impressive older architecture, but I prefer modern to ancient. Maybe the Sphinx is considered a mysterious structure to architecture as the Mona Lisa is to painting? Have you seen either? Only in photos, for me.