What is Colonial Architecture?
Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. It happens when a country is colonized and begins to use architecture from the country that colonized it. At times, the resulting design style and characteristics are a replica of ideas from the mother country, which created hybrid designs in their new lands. Much of colonial culture was a balancing act between home customs and adjustments to a new location. This also applies to architecture. As Europeans settled in their colonies, they discovered innovative methods to bring a little touch of home into, well, their colonial dwellings.
Characteristics of Colonial Style Houses
- Most of the colonial houses have 2 or 3 stories.
- Symmetrical floor plans and exteriors are the features of colonial architecture.
- It has a steeply pitched roof.
- They used decorative entryways for the house design.
- They used multi-paned windows that were aesthetically pleasing and allowed natural light to enter the home.
List of Colonial Architecture throughout the World
- Portuguese colonial architecture
- Spanish colonial architecture
- French colonial architecture
- British colonial architecture
- Portuguese colonial architecture
- Dutch colonial architecture
- Italian colonial architecture
- American colonial architecture
