burda, blog post 6, iarc 221

In comparing the inside/outside of the gothic churches of Salisbury and Cologne, our group found that despite their apparent similarities that are really built quite differently.

Height:

Both churches have towers that remind the viewer of the heavens while pointing to the sky.  The church in Cologne is quite a bit taller (although narrower).  Our group discussed that one reason for this was because of it's location at the center of town, it needed to make a statement.  The height of the church, however, came at a cost.  The building is very narrow because the architects at the time didn't have the technology or understanding as to how to make the building wider at the height they desired without it collapsing upon itself.

http://www.agent2magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Cologne_Cathedral.jpeg

Built later than the cathedral at Cologne, the cathedral at salisbury was able to achieve significant height, width, and depth.  

portfolio.du.edu

The effect from the inside gives the impression that it really is massive and impressesive, truly built on a grand enough scale to be a house of God.

ronsaari.com

Although large, the narrowness of Cologne's cathedral is quite noticable.

apriha.com

Notice also the amount of arches in Cologne.  When compared with salisbury, it's easy to see that there are significantly more arches despite the fact that the square footage is smaller.  Again, this tells us that the designers had to use that many arches to support the height because of they lacked a method to achieve the height otherwise.

Location:

When comparing the location of the two churches, one can speculate about the reasons for some of their architectural and design elements.  Cologne's cathedral is located in the center of two, on the center axis of two main roads.  I believe the reason that there are two towers is because visually and physically, one could draw a line right down the center of the main road and end up through the entrance and inside the church.

postmuse.blogspot.com

Salisbury, though located in a bustling urban center, is surrounded by a grassy knoll.  A small side street is barely detectable.  It only has 1 tower, which marks the center of it's location.  It says "hey, come check me out" instead of "you must walk through me to get to the other side.

geograph.org.uk

In order to remember the churches and their differences, I used an adapted version of symbols we learned in class.

Cologne:    ^ + ^

         This reminds me that there are 2 tall towers and the church falls at the center of an axis.

Salisbury:    ^

          O

         The circle with an arrow head tells me that the church is at the center of an open area and only has 1 tower.