Column
- For other uses, see Column (disambiguation).
A column in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. Other compression members are often termed columns because of the similar stress conditions. Columns can be either compounded of parts or made as a single piece. Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest. Column in architecture refers specifically to such a structural element that also has certain proportional and decorative features.
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History
In the architecture of ancient Egypt as early as 2600 BC the architect Imhotep made use of stone columns whose surface was carved to reflect the organic form of bundled reeds; in later Egyptian architecture faceted cylinders were also common.
Some of the most elaborate columns in the ancient world were those of Persia especially the massive stone columns erected in Persepolis. They included double-bull structures in their capitals. The Hall of Hundred Columns at Persepolis, measuring 70 x 70 meters was built by the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes I (465-424). Many of the ancient Persian columns are standing.
The impost (or pier) is the topmost member of a column. The bottom-most part of the arch, called the springing, rests on the impost.
Structure of columns
Columns vary in design. Some are produced out of single pieces of stone, usually by turning on a lathe-like apparatus. Single-piece columns are among the heaviest stones used in architecture. Other columns are created out of multiple sections of stone, mortared or dry-fit together. In many classical sites, sectioned columns were carved with a center hole or depression so that they could be pegged together, using stone or metal pins. More recently, columns have been constructed out of poured or precast cement, or even brick, and then faced with stone veneer.
The design of most columns incorporates entasis (the inclusion of a slight outward curve in the sides) plus a planned reduction in diameter along the height of the column, so that the top is as little as 83% of the bottom diameter. This recution mimics the parallax effects which the eye expects to see, and tends to make columns look taller and perhaps straighter than they actually are while entasis adds to that effect in a manner not easily distinctable.
The Classical orders
The Roman author Vitruvius, relying on the writings (now lost) of Greek authors, tells us that the ancient Greeks believed that their Doric order developed from techniques for building in wood in which the earlier smoothed tree trunk was replaced by a stone cylinder.
Doric order
The Doric order is the oldest and simplest of the classical orders. It is composed of a vertical cylinder that is wider at the bottom. It generally has neither a base nor a detailed capital. It is instead often topped with an inverted frustum of a shallow cone or a cylindrical band of carvings. It is often referred to as the masculine order because it is represented in the bottom level of the Colosseum, and was therefore considered to be able to hold more weight. The height-to-thickness ratio is about 4:1. The shaft of a Doric Column is almost always fluted.
Tuscan order
The Tuscan order, also known as Roman Doric, is also a simple design, the base and capital both being series of cylindrical disks of alternating diameter. The shaft is almost never fluted. The proportions vary, but are generally similar to Doric columns.
Ionic order
The Ionic column is considerably more complex than the Doric or Tuscan. It usually has a base and the shaft is often fluted (it has grooves carved up its length). On the top is a capital in the characteristic about the size of a small vacuum cleaner, called a volute, or scroll, at the four corners. The height-to-thickness ratio is around 6:1. Due to the more refined proportions and scroll capitals, the Ionic column is sometimes associated with academic buildings.
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is named for the Greek city-state of Corinth, to which it was connected in the period. However, according to the Greek architectural historian Vitruvius, the column was created by the sculptor Callimachus, probably an Athenian, who drew acanthus leaves growing around a votive basket. In fact, the oldest known Corinthian capital was found in Bassae, dated at 427 BC. It is sometimes called the feminine order because it is on the top level of the Colosseum and holding up the least weight, and also has the slenderest ratio of thickness to height.
Composite order
The Composite order draws its name from the capital being a composite of the Ionic and Corinthian capitals. The acanthus of the Corinthian column already has a scroll-like element, so the distinction is sometimes subtle. Generally the Composite is similar to the Corinthian in proportion and employment, often in the upper tiers of colonnades.
Notable columns
- Alexander Column
- Berlin victory column
- Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc
- Monument to the Great Fire of London
- Nelson's Column
- Rostral Columns
- Sigismund's Column
- Trajan's Column
See also
- Pier (architecture)
- Forms in architecture
- Colonnade
- Persian column
- Pilaster
- Buckling
- Spur (architecture)
- Marian and Holy Trinity columns
- Doric Order
- Tuscan Order
- Ionic Order
- Corinthian Order
- Composite Order
- Entasis
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Categories
Columns and entablature | Architectural history | Buildings and structures