Column

**Historical Development of Columns**:
– Iron Age civilizations in Near East and Mediterranean first used columns.
– Ancient Egyptian columns date back to 2600 BC, highly decorated with hieroglyphs and motifs.
– Minoans used tree-trunks for columns, and Greeks and Romans developed classical orders of architecture.
– Greeks and Romans extensively used columns in their architecture, with Persians erecting elaborate stone columns in Persepolis.

**Architectural Features of Columns**:
– Columns were made of stone, wood, or metal supports like posts.
– Design elements included flutes, fillets, and various decorative elements based on classical orders like Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
– Nomenclature of classical columns involved bases, capitals, and various elements like plinth, torus, scotia, and trochilus.
– Modern columns can be made of steel, concrete, or brick with different finishes.

**Construction and Design of Columns**:
– Early columns were made of stone, either monolithic or assembled from multiple sections.
– Classical columns had entasis, flutes, and fillets, with different designs based on the orders.
– Structural analysis involved factors affecting column strength, buckling, and torsional buckling in asymmetric cross-sections.
– Foundations for columns included reinforced concrete, masonry, and steel columns with base plates on concrete foundations.

**Classical Orders of Columns**:
– Doric order, the oldest and simplest, is widest at the bottom with no base or detailed capital.
– Tuscan order, also known as Roman Doric, has a simple design with cylindrical disks for base and capital.
– Ionic order is more complex with a base, fluted shaft, and volutes at the capital’s corners.
– Each order has specific characteristics, proportions, and historical significance in architecture.

**Significance and Evolution of Columns**:
– Columns played a crucial role in transmitting weight, supporting vertical loads, and resisting lateral forces.
– Throughout history, columns evolved from basic structural elements to highly decorative features in various architectural styles.
– Different civilizations and periods contributed to the development of columns, showcasing unique designs and construction techniques.
– Columns continue to be integral elements in modern architecture, adapting materials and styles to meet contemporary structural and aesthetic requirements.

Column (Wikipedia)

This article is about the structural construction elements that bear and transmit vertical loads (weight). For other uses, see Column (disambiguation).

"Pillar" redirects here. For other uses, see Pillar (disambiguation).

A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. The term column applies especially to a large round support (the shaft of the column) with a capital and a base or pedestal, which is made of stone, or appearing to be so. A small wooden or metal support is typically called a post. Supports with a rectangular or other non-round section are usually called piers.

For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces. Other compression members are often termed "columns" because of the similar stress conditions. Columns are frequently used to support beams or arches on which the upper parts of walls or ceilings rest. In architecture, "column" refers to such a structural element that also has certain proportional and decorative features. A column might also be a decorative element not needed for structural purposes; many columns are engaged, that is to say form part of a wall. A long sequence of columns joined by an entablature is known as a colonnade.