Roman Building

1
Roman Building

• Greek elements
• Concrete (with marble or mosaic veneer)
• Arch (making possible aqueducts, colosseum,
  triumphal arches, sewers)
• Use of space light and soaring structures
• Solid walls and roads (lava stone)

2
Domus
3
Basic Traditional Elements

• Atrium initial room
• Compluvium opening in the ceiling
• Impluvium collection pool for water
• Alae wings off the atrium
• Tablinum reception area, back of atrium
• Cubiculum sleeping room
• Fauces entrance hall
• Peristyle open garden behind the atrium with
  colonade and rooms around it

4
Atrium
5
Domus, continued

• Doors (Janua) opened inward bolts and bars and
  doorkeepers.
• Furniture lectus, or couch, used for sleeping,
  reading, writing, conversation, eating.
• Décor used mosaics and wall paintings

6
Domus

• Faced inward light and air from the compluvium
  and peristyle
• No view out windows are rare
• Usually a single floor
• Single purpose rooms (e.g. cubiculum, triclinium)
• Sometimes rooms on street opened out and were
  rented out out as shops (taberna)

7
Wealthy Domus
8
Thermae Public hot baths

• Available to everyone wealthy, poor, slaves
• Men and women bathed at different times or in
  different areas
• Open at noon, often signaled by a gong
• Participants usually alternated cold and hot
  baths, hot first
• Strigils (scrappers) used for cleaning, soda for
  soap, towels and slaves to assist.
• Shavers and depilators available at extra charge
• Busiest in the late afternoon after work and
  before dinner

9
Baths could involve multiple stations

• Apodyterium changing room
• Frigidarium cold bath
• Tepidarium transit room between hot and cold
• Caldarium hot bath

10
Additional features

• Palaestra room for wrestling or gymnastics
• Unctorium room for oiling down
• Natorium open air swimming pool
• Laconicum hot room for sweating
• Libraries

11
Bath design
12
Hypocaust system of heating
13
The closer to the fire, the warmer the room above
and water piped in.
14
Public Latrines
15

• Latrines provided with water circulating under
  the seating holes.
• Water also flowed in the trough in front of the
  seats for rinsing the cleansing sponges

16
Latrine drawing, cutout, and sponge model
17
Forum open space

• Leveled oblong piece of ground surrounded by
  buildings houses, temples, basilicas, or
  porticoes (markets or courts)

18
Basilica State building used as public meeting
place/hall of justice
19
A basilica used the arch in construction, of
course.
Basilica of Constantine
20
Pattern adapted to later Christian use

• Central great room often with curved apse at
  end
• Columned side halls

21
Pantheon All Gods

• Built during period of the five good emperors
  (Hadrian?)
• Huge domed structure
• Converted to a Christian church in 609

22

• 18th century painting of interior
• Only light source is the oculus above.