What Is Trabeation?

This is a comparative essay of the architectural design of Trabeation and Arcuation in Greek, Roman, Egyption, Byzantine and Ancient Chinese architecture. There are similarities between each Empires’ designs and use of Trabeation and Arcuation throughout history. Some Empires’ have notably taken influence from one another and adapted it with slight variations to mark it as their own. This has meant that the variations have become a distinct part of what we recognise as their design stamp in history. Below are some examples of how the different design techniques were used by the different regions.

Trabeation is an architectural design term which means the use of lintels and columns. The most commonly recognised use of trabeation design in
buildings today is our doorways. Although this is a very common style of design, each country has their own take on it. Arcuation is a different architectural design term which uses arches or vaults in buildings for both structural and aesthetic purposes. This is to create more aesthetically pleasing buildings and larger open spaces. This style of architecture is commonly seen in Greek and Roman design.

Egypt
Egypt uses trabeation in their temples and sacred burial chambers.
Due to the sparse nature of wood in the deserts of Egypt, buildings were generally made from brick. They were then sun baked and assembled together. Stone was a secondary source of material for the Egyptians, Limestone being their preferred choice. This stone was easy to carve due to its soft nature when mined. Granite, which is a harder stone, was used for obelisks and special objects as it took a lot of time to sculpt.
The building of temples was done with many rows of columns and beams and surrounding open courtyards to let light in, which is a typical Egyptian trabeation design. As the beams were made from Limestone they could only be a certain length due to the weight and the tension/strain that was going to be put on them. The columns had to be spaced close together so that the beams could rest half on the column, only just joining together so they could make a longer beam.

Greece
Greece mainly uses trabeation. Although today their buildings are mostly ruins, you can still see the design style and concepts of the ancient traviated design. Like Egypt, this is very evident in their temples. Structure and decoration was a big part of Greek design. They had carved designs of the surrounding landscape evident in their buildings. Ancient Greek architecture was defined by the three orders, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The orders are columns of different heights and
widths.
The Doric order uses a circular cushion rising from the top of the column to the square abacas where the lintel rests. Doric columns are always cuts with grooves, known as fluting which run the length of the column. There are usually 20 in number, although sometimes fewer. Doric columns typically have no base but there are a few from the Hellenistic period which do.

The Doric entablature is in three parts, the architrave, the freeze and the cornice.

Architectural elements of the Doric order showing simple curved echinus of capital.

The Ionic Order is recognised by its voluted capital which are horizontal bands that scroll under to either side forming spirals or valute. In the Hellenistic period four-fronted Ionic capitals became common. The collumns are fluted with narrow, shallow flutes that do not meet at a sharp edge but have a flat band or fillet between them. The usual number of flutes is 24 but there can be up to as many as 44. Their base has 2 convex mouldings called torus, and form the late hellenic period. The collumn stands on a square plinth.

The architrave of the ionic order is somethimes undecorated, but more often rises in three outwordly stepped bands like overlapping timber planks. The frieze, which runs in a continuous band is seperated by other members but rows of small projecting blocks. They are refered to as dentals, meaning teeth. The Ionic order is all toether lighter in appearance than the Doric.

The Corinthian order was derived from the Ionic order in the mid fifth century BC. It is much of the same style and proportion but it is distinguished by its more ornate capitals. The capital was much deeper than the Doric or Ionic capitals, being shaped like a bel shaped mixing bowl and being ornamented with a double row of Aacanthus leaves above which rose voluted tendrils.

Rome
Ancient Roman architecture was developed from different aspects of ancient Greek Architecture.
Arcuation is evident in their designs. Factors such as wealth and their cities high populations created the need for Ancient Romans to discover new architectural solutions of their own. Some of their adapted technology was the arch and the dome and new materials such as concrete, cement and baked brick were important in creating what we now define as Roman architecture. The use of vaults and arches together with a sound knowledge of building materials enabled them to achieve success in the construction of infrastructure for public use. Examples include, The Aqueducts of Rome, The Baths of Diocletian, The Basilicas and The Coliseum. The Coliseum would have to be one of the most famous examples if Arcuation. Although intended for public use, the Romans felt it was important that their buildings impress and
amaze.
The Romans based most of their architecture on the dome. The use of arches that sat on the top of columns was a Roman development seen from the first century AD, which was very widely adopted in Medieval Western, Byzantine and Islamic architecture. The dome permitted construction of vaulted ceilings without cross beams and made it possible to have large covered public spaces such as public baths and Basilicas.
Although Greek architecture was a major influence for the Roman’s so was Hellenistic prototypes. In Hellenistic architecture the column of orders were fully exposed in design. While in Roman work it was reduced in status becoming engaged or used decoratively. The orders came from the Greeks but the Romans made their own variations to the classic orders making distinct roman types of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders.

Byzantine Empire
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Later Roman or Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantine mainly uses Arcuation in their buildings. Early Byzantine revolved around their religious buildings called Basilica’s. The Basilica was a rectangular hall with a semi circular apse at one end and the entrance at the other. The apse generally faced east as it was symbolic that light and wisdom came from the east. A series of archways separated the nave from the arcade and gave support to the above galleries.
Throughout the history of Byzantine Religious Architecture, the centrally planned structures continued to dominate with its central domed space surrounded by smaller domes and half domes. It is evident that they adopted and adapted The Roman dome and further enhanced it by providing a smooth transition from a square plan of the church to a circular dome. They did this by using pendentives to create a more fluid transition from the square to the dome, for a more aesthetically pleasing finished product.

China
China, like the European countries, mainly uses trabeation in their designs. An important feature in Chinese architecture is its emphasis on articulation and bi lateral symmetry. The use of large structural timbers was used for primary support of the roof of a building, usually made of large trimmed logs which were used as load bearing columns. The lateral beams were used for framing the buildings. These beams are connected to each other in smaller buildings or tied together with brackets in larger buildings. These structural timbers are on display and uncovered in finished structures. Timber frames are typically constructed with joinery and doweling. These types of semi ridged structural joints allow the timber structure to resist bending and torsion while under high compression. Structural stability is further ensured through the use of heavy beams and their rooves, which weigh the structure down.
It is evident that China’s architecture and use of trabeation is so different to that of the European countries due to the resources they had available. While European architecture focuses on the use of mud brick, concrete and stone, China’s main building material was wood.

In conclusion, it is evident that although each country used trabeation and Arcuation similarly, differing design choices were made based on functionally of their public buildings. Whether it was due to resources available, the desire for an artistic masterpiece or the functionality of the building, they all adapted the same ideas. The extravagance and effort put into these buildings is evident in their Cathedrals, Basilicas and Tombs. We too have now taken influence from these design fundamentals from history, and adapted trabeation and Arcuation for use in today’s building designs.