BP 9

colonial expansion on architecture + design


colonial expansion to the united states
saint peter's square obelisk (rome, italy) : washington monument (washington d.c., america)


I think saint peter's square obelisk and the washington monument are very good examples of colonial expansion to the united states.  they are both placed in the capital cities of rome and america, and are "wu-wu's" in each city.  while the washington monument has a long reflecting pool that stretches longer than it is tall, the obelisk has a road that leads out into the city in replace of the reflecting pool. each of these directs your attention to either the object itself, or away from it into the rest of the capital.  on saint peter's basilica, there are also statues that look out into the city, which supports this idea of each object looking out onto the city.

the obelisk from egypt was brought to rome by emperor caligual in 37 ad, and originally stood in a spot that was to the south of the basilica.  sixtus v had domenico fontana move the obelisk to the center of st. peter's square in 1586 where it now stands and also works as a sun dial.

the washington monument was built between 1848 and 1884 as a tribute to military leader and president george washington.  it weights 81,120 tons and stands 555 feet tall with a wall thickness ranging from 15 feet to 18 inches.






colonial expansion from the united states
golden gate bridge (san francisco, california) : vidyasagar setu (west bengal, india)


the vidyasagar setu in west bengal, india is very similar to the golden gate bridge in san francisco, california.  they both have two main structures that support the bridge, and are both symmetrical.  they also both use cords that reach from the top of the two structures to the road of the bridge to support the structure.  the golden gate bridge is red and the tall structures are broken up into four sections while the vidyasagar setu is grey and only broken up into two sections.  although they are both very similar, their languages are different.  the golden gate bridge is somewhat softer looking and the two main cables connect, while the vidyasagar setu is much more sharp looking and the two main cables don't flow together.

the golden gate bridge

the vidyasagar setu

information and images:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter's_Square
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Exterior/Obelisk/Obelisk.htm
http://www.dailyventure.com/journal.php?day=WashingtonDC
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htm
http://www.visitingdc.com/san-francisco/golden-gate-bridge-picture.asp
http://www.shibpurinternational.com/sublink/html/Tourist%20Spot%20Vidyasagar%20Setu.htm