San Fransisco City Hall

Architecture is not simply a structure that serves as a place of business, religious center, or judiciary hall; rather, it is a device used for communication. Architectural forms and materials, whether they are columns, sculpture, or precious metals, are intended to convey a particular message. For the Greeks, part of this message was of the grandeur of Greek men and their ability to bring order to chaos (as shown through the Parthenon and the Alter of Zeus). The Romans, however, convey a slightly different message through their architecture--that of the power and permanence of the empire (the Forum of Trajan references Roman military might). …