European Gothic Architecture “Los Angeles Adaptation”

Architectural history began long ago. Nomads are a group of people who move from one place to another to find evacuation centers and food to survive. As they progress, their survival techniques continue to evolve. The need for permanent housing is important to improve the stability of the group. This is when the first structure that provides protection emerges. Post and lintel are the first architectures to meet basic needs. The architecture has become more complex and evolved to meet the needs of people.

Gothic architecture is the top of medieval European architecture. Whether it is engineering skill or artistic expression, it reached an unprecedented level and became the golden age of religious architecture in Europe. The church building is the most elegant and sophisticated building of all Gothic architecture. Amiens Cathedral is the most typical Gothic building; we can almost find all the Gothic style architectural features of this building. Amiens Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral. It is located in Amiens, the main city of Picardy in the northern part of Paris. It is the highest complete cathedral in France, the height of the nave is 42.30 meters and the maximum internal volume is estimated at 200,000 cubic meters (Wikipedia, 2009). It is said that it can accommodate all citizens of Amiens of that time more than enough (Baidu, 2009).

Gothic architecture and Renaissance architecture are comprehensive expressions of their own era culture. Gothic architecture started in France in the 12th century and continued for the 4th century until the 16th century. After that, Renaissance architecture superseded Italian Florentine gothic architecture from the 15th century to the 17th century. Two different era backgrounds, different cultural standards of social culture, religious beliefs, and origins are the main reasons for the formation of these two polar architectural styles, Gothic style and Renaissance. They represent their time and country, and they become specific languages. In this article we will compare the two most beautiful works of each era, Amiens Cathedral and Florence Cathedral, trying to compare these two architectural styles through the historical evolution of European architecture.