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Practical methods

How to read structure, detail and image

Three short checklists for keeping evidence, uncertainty and modern interpretation visible.

01

Read a façade

Move from platform to roofline before using architectural labels.

  1. Trace the platform, columns and horizontal layers as separate systems.
  2. Identify base, shaft, capital and entablature before naming an order.
  3. Use the record of the particular building for date, material and restoration.
  4. Treat a modern arch or impossible scale as a visible design choice.
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02

Compare the orders

Use coordinated relationships instead of identifying a building from ornament alone.

  1. Check whether the column has a base.
  2. Compare shaft fluting and capital profile.
  3. Look above the capital for the architrave and frieze.
  4. Confirm the result with a documented example.
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03

Read a modern image

Find the boundary between a documented reference and visual invention.

  1. Describe what is visible before assigning a historical identity.
  2. Locate any specific monument, object or publication the creator cites.
  3. Distinguish revival architecture from an ancient original.
  4. Caption contemporary concept art as contemporary concept art.
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One useful habit

Write the caption before writing the interpretation.

If the caption cannot say who made the image, what kind of image it is and what it does not claim to reconstruct, the research trail is not finished.

Our research standard