Architecture

Every human requires shelter from the elements, whether they live under the intense African sun or by the frigid Arctic Ocean. Our need to build has produced countless styles of architecture, from ancient temples to modern skyscrapers, some soaring into the air and some containing just one room for an entire family. Architecture is a complex endeavor, encompassing a variety of artistic and technical fields to create the spaces where we live, work, play, eat, relax, pray, and enjoy ourselves. Some buildings are meant to be works of art while others need only shelter a family temporarily before they move on. The past and the future are ever present in the architecture around us. At the same time that we build taller and taller towers of glass and steel, we work to restore the structures that have survived through the centuries in the hopes that the next generation can look up at them with the same sense of awe. A wide range of traditions, from those of ancient Greece and Rome to the Renaissance and Art Deco, inform modern architecture. By contrast, some cultures have perfected simple buildings that have remained virtually unchanged over the course of centuries. Join us on this world tour of architecture as we explore some of the greatest structures around the globe.