Sketching architectural monuments

Architectural sketches are a fundamental part of the preparation for architecture. Unfortunately, most students face difficulties in choosing what monuments to study and deciding which is the best approach to sketching for increasing the learning efficiency... 

Why should we sketch architectural monuments?

There are many reasons apart from the exam requirements. Sketching monuments improves your understanding of architectural history, of rules and proportions, of principles that lay behind the exterior appearance of buildings. This translates into wider knowledge and experience that show up later in the design process. By implementing different styles of drawing you gain valuable experience and confidence. Your drawings will become more expressive, accurate and quick.

How should we approach it?

While studying architectural history it is extremely useful to add sketches to the usual notes. It definitely helps you understand the notions and images better and to remember them after a long time. 

As far as the exam preparation is concerned, you should study several monuments in more detail so as to be able to draw them from memory. Therefore I think it is best to learn them a few months before the exam and to revise them from time to time. In learning to sketch a monument you should pay attention not only to shape, proportion and overall image, but also to the historical context, materials, building techniques, composition principles, anything that adds more meaning to the building that you are learning about. This will considerably expand your knowledge and will help you remember the monument much easier. 

Sketching a monument should begin by understanding its volume as a composition of more simple volumes, each of them having some particular proportions. The details and hatching come only at the end. The line drawing is essential and all construction lines should be visible in the final stage of the drawing. Everything should be done freehand. 

What are the monuments we need to know for the exam?

The principle is that you should know at least one monument corresponding to every architectural style or movement, to the most remarkable personalities in the history of architecture, to different characteristic elements (arch, tower, dome, etc), materials (wood, stone, glass, metal, brick, reinforced concrete, etc) and architectural programs (hotel, administrative/ educational/ commercial/ religious buildings, etc). The following is a list of the monuments I sketched for the exam:

Antiquity:

•  Egipt - The Pyramids of Giza
• Greece - Classical orders; The Parthenon
• Rome - The Pantheon; Colosseum; The Arch of Titus (or the Arch of Constantine)

Byzantine:

• Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)
• San Mark's Basilica (Venice)

Romanesque:

• The Pisa ensemble
• The Tower of London - The White Tower

Islamic:

• Taj Mah
• The Alhambra Palace

Gothic:

• Notre Dame (Paris)
• The Doge's Palace (Venice)

Renaissance:

• Villa Capra "La Rotonda" (Vicenza) - Andrea Palladio 
• Piazza del Campidoglio (Rome) - Michelangelo 
• Tempietto (Rome) - Bramante 

Baroque:

• Santa Maria della Salute (Venice) - Baldassare Longhena
• St. Peter's Square (Vatican) - Bernini

Classicism:

• The Triumph Arch (Paris)
• The Brandenburg Gate (Berlin)

Neo-Gothic:

• Westminster Palace and the Big Ben (London)

Eclectism:

• Palais Garnier (Paris)

Art Nouveau:

• Sagrada Familia - Antoni Gaudi

The Eiffel Tower - Gustave Eiffel

The Bauhaus Building - Walter Gropius

Expressionism: 

• The Einstein Tower - Erich Mendelsohn
• Sydney Opera House - John Utzon

Art Deco:

• Chrysler Building - William van Allen

Frank Lloyd Wright:

• Fallingwater
• Guggenheim Museum (New York)

Le Corbusier:

• Villa Savoye (Poissy)
• Notre Dame du Haut (Ronchamp)

Mies van der Rohe:

• The Barcelona Pavillion
• Seagram Building (New York)

Postmodernism:

• Sony Tower - Philip Johnson
• Vana Venturi Villa - Robert Venturi

High-tech:

• Century Tower (Tokyo) - Norman Foster
• Georges Pompidou Centre (Paris) - Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers

Deconstructivism:

• The Dancing House (Prague) - Frank Gehry
• Heydar Aliyev Centre - Zaha Hadid

Rem Koolhaas - Seattle library

I. M. Pei - The Louvre Pyramid (Paris)

Richard Meyer:

• Smith House (Connecticut)
• Jubilee Church (Rome)

Mario Botta - Casa Rotonda

Romanian Architecture

Traditional architecture:

• Rural houses from Maramures, Oltenia, Transilvania and Dobrogea
• Rural annexes (wood structures)
• Perspectives of the Village Museum
• "Cula": Maldarasti, Curtisoara

Churches:

• Curtea de Arges Monastery
• Sucevita Monastery
• Maramures wood church 
• Alba Iulia Cathedral (romanesque)
• St. Michael Cathedral from Cluj (gothic)

Brancovenesc style:

• Stavropoleos Church
• Mogosoaia Palace

Eclectism:

• Romanian Atheneum - Albert Galleron
• The CEC Palace - Paul Gottereau

Neo-classicism:

• The Triumph Arch - Petre Antonescu
• The Victoria Palace - Duiliu Marcu

Neo-romanian style:

• The Lahovary house - Ion Mincu
• The old building of UAUIM - Grigore Cerchez

Modernism:

• Horia Creanga: Malaxa Building, ARO Building, interbelic houses
• Bucharest National Theatre
• The Romexpo Pavillion - Ascanio Damian
• The State Circus (Bucharest)
• Intercontinental Hotel
• The new building of UAUIM

Socialism:

• Bucharest National Opera House - Octav Doicescu
• Casa Presei Libere - Horia Maicu

Contemporary architecture (Bucharest):

• The OAR Building
• Europa House
• AFI Palace Mall

Perspective of the University Square

Below there are some examples of the my sketches and studies that will hopefully inspire you in terms of graphic presentation and page layout. They are made with pencils on A4 size paper. It is also a good idea to draw on a sketchbook, following the list of monuments in chronological order. This depends on  your own style of learning. 

No matter what approach you choose, perseverance is the key to success. Even if the task seems hard to complete, it will prove to be extremely rewarding in the end. Good luck!