Давайте проектировать и строить. Гвоздева А.А - 4 стр.

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UNIT 1
Warming Up
1. When did the Gothic style appear?
2. What are the characteristic features of this style?
3. Where did the Gothic style flourish?
4. Why is this style called Gothic?
5. What famous buildings of this style do you know?
GOTHIC: ENGINEERED FOR HEAVEN
If ever architecture expressed spiritual ideals, it would be in the lofty Gothic structures of medieval Europe
and Great Britain. From the remarkable Saint-Denis in France to the Alteneuschule Synagogue in Prague,
Gothic was a style that humbled man and glorified God. Yet, with its innovative engineering, the style was a
testament to human ingenuity.
The earliest complete Gothic structure is the ambulatory of the abbey of Saint-Denis in France. Built be-
tween 1140 and 1144, the church became a model for most of the late 12th-century French cathedrals, including
those at Chartres and Senlis. However, features of the Gothic style are found in earlier buildings in Normandy
and elsewhere.
Gothic architecture is usually associated with Christianity, but the style became so predominant that build-
ers routinely used Gothic ideas for all types of religious structures. Constructed in 1279, Prague's Old-New
Synagogue was an early example. The small building features a classic Gothic roofline and eye-lid windows.
Gothic and Renaissance design combine in the interior. Also known by the names Staronova and Al-
teneuschule, the Old-New Synagogue has survived wars and other catastrophes to become the oldest surviving
synagogue in Europe.
Secular buildings also took on Gothic forms. The style found expression in town halls, royal palaces,
courthouses, hospitals, castles, bridges and fortresses. However, in medieval days, most building was done for
and by the church, and the bold new ideas of Gothic design proved to be especially suited for religious celebra-
tion and prayer. Medieval man considered himself an imperfect reflection of the divine light of God, and Gothic
architecture was the ideal expression of this view. New techniques of construction permitted buildings to soar
to amazing new heights, dwarfing anyone who stepped inside. Moreover, the concept of divine light was sug-
gested by the airy quality of Gothic buildings, which were much lighter than churches in the earlier Roman-
esque style.
Structures in Romanesque style often included pointed arches, but builders of the day did not capitalize on
the advantages of this shape. Gothic builders discovered the amazing strength and stability of pointed arches. In
Gothic buildings, the weight of the roof was supported by the arches rather than the walls. This meant that walls
could be thinner.
Romanesque churches relied on barrel vaulting. Gothic builders introduced the dramatic technique of
ribbed vaulting. While barrel vaulting carried weight on continuous solid walls, ribbed vaulting used columns
to support the weight. The ribs also delineated the vaults and gave a sense of unity to the structure.
In order to prevent the outward collapse of the arches, Gothic architects began using a revolutionary "flying
buttress" system. Freestanding brick or stone supports were attached to the exterior walls by an arch or a half-
arch.
Since the walls themselves were no longer the primary supports, Gothic buildings could include large areas
of glass. Huge stained glass windows and a profusion of smaller windows created the effect of lightness and
space.

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