Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a row of columns spaced at regular intervals in a similar way to a balustrade. They can be used to support a horizontal entablature, an arcade or covered walkway, or as part of a porch or portico. The most iconic example of a portico lined with a colonnade is the Parthenon in Greece. Colonnades can also be used to line open courtyards, and may often be a feature of landscape design.
The use of colonnades dates back to Ancient Greece and Roman architecture where they were used for large public buildings to border open spaces, such as temples and marketplaces.
Colonnades were later used in Baroque and Neoclassical architecture for buildings such as museums and courthouses to create an aesthetic of importance, and grandiosity, such as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C (see image above).
Colonnade size and design can vary. They are usually made from materials such as marble, limestone and painted timber. Larger columns are used for more monumental buildings, while smaller and more slender columns can be found in the Regency architecture of formal homes.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Agora.
- Anta.
- Arcade.
- Architrave.
- Blind arcade.
- Blind arch.
- Church.
- Classical orders in architecture.
- Cloister.
- Courtyard.
- Crypt.
- Difference between pillars and columns.
- Egyptian hall.
- Elements of classical columns.
- Entablature.
- General Post Office, Dublin.
- Flying buttress.
- Frieze.
- Loggia.
- Monopteros.
- Narthex.
- Parthenon.
- Pedestal.
- Pergola.
- Pilaster.
- Pilotis.
- Portico.
- Pteron.
- Vault.
- Xystus.
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Listed structures on the rail network
Heritage interests and operational requirements must be balanced.
Historic England publishes research into embodied carbon when retrofitting traditional buildings.
New Prime Minister delivers on ECA call for cut in electricity costs.
CIOB reacts to the announcement of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister.
Heritage and conservation science workforce survey - Have your say.
England's Suburbs 1820-2020. Book review.
New, more proportionate and targeted approach for higher-risk building assessments.
Government brings British Steel into public ownership.
UKCW Birmingham returns with bold new theme and focus.
New guidance published on competence requirements for self-certification schemes.
Construction Management, 8 July
NEETs crisis drives interest in trades, but apprenticeships barriers remain.
Passive fire protection webinar
MEP services penetration seals.


















