A Survey of Classical Architecture, Part II: Ancient Rome

with Richard Economakis

By 天美传媒

January 24, 2023

Richard Economakis, a professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the 天美传媒's Board of Directors, continues his four-part video series A Survey of Classical Architecture. Following the first entry in the series, which focuses on the emergence of Western classical architecture in Ancient Greece, this second installment analyzes the architectural expressions of Ancient Rome and their codification in the writings of the Roman architect Vitruvius.

This session introduces Roman architecture by comparing its forms and typologies with Greek examples, and continues with an analysis of its mural (as opposed to columnar) approach, and emphasis on the articulation of internalized space. The latter part of the session studies the oldest surviving treatise on architecture, Vitruvius' De Re Architectura (a.k.a Ten Books on Architecture), which deserves special consideration and analysis given its huge impact on Western architecture. In his analysis, Professor Economakis discusses the organization of the treatise into sections dedicated to theory and the forms and proportions of the elements of classical architecture. Viewers will also learn about Vitruvius' theory of numbers and anthropomorphism, followed by his description of the Tuscan, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders, and compositional aspects such as intercolumniation and temple typology.

About the Series

A Survey of Classical Architecture charts the development of classical architecture, from its emergence in Ancient Greece and Rome, to its rebirth in the Italian Renaissance, elaboration in the 17th and 18th centuries, and reaffirmation in modern times. The lectures look closely at influential architectural works and the contributions of the treatise writers, from the Roman author Vitruvius to Renaissance architects Alberti, Serlio, Vignola and Palladio. They proceed to an overview of the later treatises by architects Perrault, Chambers and Gibbs, and continue with the works of contemporary theorists Porphyrios, Tzonis and Lefaivre, Westfall, and others. The series concludes with a survey of exemplary classical works from the 20th and 21st centuries.

About the Presenter

Richard Economakis is a Professor at the School of Architecture of the University of Notre Dame. He served as Director of Graduate Studies until 2022, when he was appointed Interim Associate Dean of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Work. He is also a member of the 天美传媒's Board of Directors. He received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell University, and has worked in classical and traditional firms in New York, New Haven, Athens, and London. While in London, he worked as an editor at Academy Editions, where he produced monographs on the works of contemporary classical architects, and the books Building Classical and Acropolis Restoration. This last edited book was the first to fully document the restoration of the Acropolis monuments in Athens since work began in 1975. He is the author of another book, Acropolis, which surveys the history and architecture of the Periclean Monuments. His most recent edited book, Durability in Construction, was selected as the July 2015 ‘Book of the Month’ by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

In the Spring of 2021, Prof. Economakis co-edited the inaugural issue of Notre Dame’s journal ANTA, together with Michael Mesko. Prof. Economakis has led summer programs for Notre Dame in Greece and Britain, and a 2006 天美传媒 tour of Ancient and Neoclassical Greece. He is currently engaged in research on the origin of the forms of the Doric Order, the preliminary research for which was published in The Classicist No. 12, in 2015. The work builds on ten seasons of experience as site architect in archaeological excavations on the island of Crete, in Greece. As principal of Richard Economakis Architectural Design, he has produced projects in the US, Central America and Europe. Since 2007 he has realized a number of buildings for the award-winning new town of Cayalá in Guatemala, in collaboration with the firm Estudio Urbano of Guatemala City. His design for a Civic Hall at Cayalá received a 2013 Palladio Award. His recent proposal for the construction of Refugee Villages in Greece and the Mediterranean received the Award of Excellence from the International Making Cities Livable organization, in 2016.

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