Minecraft Architecture: The Final Tour of the Cathedral

    On May 10, 2014, I posted the progress I had made on the cathedral, a giant survival build that would take over thirty hours to complete.  I finished it in late June, and it was the most enjoyable project I've ever worked on in Minecraft.  Today, I'll be showing the cathedral in its entirety, including the interior.  I feel like this one deserves a good wrap up here on my blog.  Last June I put the project to rest, posting the final cathedral video on my YouTube channel.  Let's get right into it!  (At the bottom of this post, I have included the world save download so that you can explore the cathedral in person!)

    First of all, let me point out that the pictures inherently do not capture the full scale of the cathedral, but aside from that, I hope these screenshots show a good perspective.   I tried to capture many different angles.

Minecraft Architecture: Barbarossa Cathedral

Cathedrals have always been the type of architectural masterpieces that I truly admire.  These works of art use some of the most structurally complicated designs in the world.  In Minecraft terms, building a large cathedral correctly takes time, planning, and a solid knowledge of the fundamentals used in real cathedrals.  For the past five days or so, off and on, I've been designing and constructing my first true cathedral.  (This is still a major work-in-progress.)

See the finished version in survival and explore my cathedral (with world download!) here:

Minecraft Architecture: The Final Tour of the Cathedral

    

    After creating a new world on our Minecraft survival server, I decided I wanted to build a cathedral.  I've always wanted to construct one of these massive beasts, but it is insanely difficult.  I went through many designs and prototypes until I was able to make a foundation that was "small" enough for me to start a good cathedral.  Most of you probably know that cathedral floor plans are made in the shape of a cross.  After searching for "Cathedral Floor Plans" on the internet, I was able to get a good idea of how to start.

 

    Roughly, the building as a whole is 31 blocks wide and 53 blocks long  Before I made the walls, I built up the wood frame to outline the building and get an idea of where I was going.  Before these wood frames were in place, I constructed a simple outline in the shape of a cross that I planned out in a special paint program.  The cathedral has three towers: the two bell towers in the front and the third tower in the center-back part of the nave.  

  
    The roof is made out of dark oak wood planks and stairs with the spruce wood frame every so often.  Each segment is separated using these frames.  On top of the frame are fences that give the whole structure a more ornate and intricate appearance.

    These walls are decorated with wooden archways and reinforced with a mix of stone brick stairs and polished andesite.

      

    Rose windows are an important and essential part of a cathedral.  Mine includes three rose windows: one on the front and two on either side of the nave.  To create a fairly realistic appearance, I used an assortment of colored glass in a pattern.  For this cathedral, I used blues, reds, purples, and greens.

    At night, the cathedral is very beautiful.  The torches on the wood frames outline the important parts of the building, like the roof and archways.  These lights make the whole thing sparkle.  

     The third tower in the back consists of many layers.  I added a stone archway in the front of each window to add some character and detail.

    So far, this is the progress in the survival world.  Our spawn is in a massive valley and this cathedral fits perfectly in it.  I've completed the wood frame, placing over 1,400 spruce wood logs in the process.  Over half of my time is spent gathering resources for this, and since we just started, ladders and dirt are essential to access the high vantage points on the cathedral.  I named the new world after the largest land invasion of a country in history.  So as the title of this post suggests, this is Barbarossa Cathedral.  I've recently uploaded a YouTube video showcasing the progress I've made, and I'm planning on making many more!  I'll be keeping this blog up-to-date also.

References:
>> Minecraft Survival - Episode 2: The Cathedral
>> Previous Minecraft Architecture Post

Minecraft Architecture :: Stoa of Doric (Video)

I finally got around to completing that YouTube video I promised in November!  :D

Before watching this video, I suggest checking out my blog post on the stoa:

Minecraft Architecture :: Stoa of Doric 

See you guys soon!

*Also: I call myself Southpaw on YouTube.  It's pretty much my second name.  (Yeah, I'm left-handed.)

References:

>> The Stoa of Doric (Blog Post) 

>> My YouTube Channel 

>> The Real Stoa of Attalos

Minecraft Architecture :: Stoa of Doric

 Welcome back to the next installment of Minecraft Architecture.  I'm back from a hiatus, and today I have a magnificent town hall inspired from the Stoa of Attalos in my previous Dazzling Designs post.  I am very proud of this structure.  In my eyes, it is truly one of my greatest personal accomplishments in Minecraft.  We started constructing this on September 28 and completed rather quickly, going off of a prototype in the creative world.  This was the result.  I call it "The Great Stoa of Doric."

    

    As you can see from above, this stoa is a cross-shape, which is intended.  I'm obviously using a style of architecture from the Greeks.  (Who doesn't love Greek culture?!)  I'm also very happy with the color scheme involved.  (Great color for the roof with that stone-brick outline.)

  

    Following a very close replica of the Stoa of Attalos, this stoa also has rows of colonnades, which are basically a line of columns.  The Stoa of Doric is very open, letting plenty of fresh air and sunlight through.  Behind each colonnade, or cobblestone wall, is sandstone.  Without the sandstone, this structure would be much more dull, and the color of sandstone really helps make the stoa even closer to a real-life counterpart.

    The front facade is made of a mix of quartz blocks with oak log supports on either side.  It even includes a balcony with a beautiful iron bar railing.

    Walking up to the front steps, you will see a sign with the building's name and two lamp posts on either side.  The steps are made of polished quartz.  There's even a jukebox before you reach the inside!

The Inside:

    The floors of the stoa are lined with red and black carpet with quartz (imitating marble) in the center.  In the entrance wing, there are paintings and flower pots, adding to the Greek, open-air atmosphere.

    Here's a side view of what the colonnades look like as a whole, with the sandstone behind them.  It is simply a pattern of stone-brick stairs and slabs and cobblestone pillars (walls).  This is really where the stoa shines: in its intricate colonnades.

    In the center is a very expensive floor with lights underneath and a glorious chandelier hanging above.  The pedestal in the center holds the only dragon egg in existence with clocks on each side.

   Here's another great view facing towards the entrance. ^^

    This is the town message board where people can post events and information for everyone to see.

    Here's a closer, outside view of the colonnades.

   I wanted to add big banners hanging from each side of the stoa.  So I worked on a design that would look weathered and worn, yet also pretty cool!  I used a mix of red wool (too make it look weathered), red stained clay, and the black stained clay for the cross.  This was the result:

    Final Thoughts:

    I thoroughly enjoyed designing and constructing this town hall.  It was seriously a first in my book, and through this I found that I really adore this style of architecture.  Here's a side tip for building: always PLAN.  I can't stress enough how helpful it is to build something in creative first where you can see your results right away and change on the fly.  After you complete your final product in creative, build it in survival.  It may seem like you are building it twice, but it is so much easier than building solely in survival.  You will be very content with your buildings as a result.  Hope to you see on the next one!

 - I really appreciate everyone involved in helping construct this magnificent beast!

Check out my YouTube video on this stoa here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPtFeXNqxmY 

References:

>> Stoa of Attalos 

>> Doric Style 

>> Previous Minecraft Architecture Post

Minecraft Building Guide :: Introduction

     Building things and making them look epic in Minecraft is tough.  (Especially with the default texture pack)  You have to have the right sense for aesthetics and know how colors mix and match.  You have to know how to add depth and detail, and you have to know how it ultimately affects the build as a whole.  Building in Minecraft is like painting on a 3D canvas, and this post is devoted to teaching you the basics of how to turn a very simple build into something people will admire.  This will teach you the fundamental concepts for building epic things in Minecraft.

Minecraft Architecture | Space Needle

    Ever since May of this year we've been working in a new world on the server.  This world is totally survival.  It is not creative where you give yourself the resources.  Anyways, just last night I recreated the Moonlight Space Needle from my first Minecraft Architecture post on the first world in May of last year.  It's very similar, especially at the top, but the differences in the tube and base make it look so much better.  Here's a picture of the old and new version.

 

ORIGINAL

 

NEW VERSION

 

    To get up and down from it, it uses a minecart elevator by just right clicking.  As you can see it has more curves to it then the old version and is more rounded, which in turn makes it look way better.  I didn't mean it to look this way, but it's similar in shape to a coke bottle!  (in my opinion)

*There might be more posts soon.  I've just felt out of it, but I felt like sharing an age old creation.*





Minecraft Architecture | The Bridge

Lately, we have been working on the bridge that will eventually cross the river and go up on a hill to the other side of the commerical district.  Welcome to the future town of Sidka, a new beginning in a series of Minecraft architectural projects.

    First of all, this bridge is simply complex.  Its structure and shape are also very intricate.

    It took us a couple of hours to make the bridge because we were mainly just framing it.  Later we started to make the arch on the bottom.

   We also messed around with the lighting.  We wanted to get a perfect type so we decided to stay with this street lamp design.

    This is underneath the bridge.  As you can see, its arch is very thick and has a very nice shape to it.

    That was the rest of the pictures.  I hope you liked our awesome bridge!  Join me next time in a couple of weeks for the next Minecraft Architecture post.  (We are taking a bit of a break for now.)  But this project is not dead.  It will stay fully alive until we completely finish it.  After we do, there will be more cities and projects to come.

References:

>> Previous Minecraft Architecture Post

Minecraft Architecture | The Layout

Welcome to the future town of Sidka, a new beginning in a series of Minecraft architectural projects. 

    I have started to map out where I think everything will be in the town, including the districts, homes, shops, and political buildings.  In the picture above (made using Paint), I marked out where each district will be.  (They may be called something less simple than just "residential" or "commercial" inside the town.)  As you can see, we already have buildings built in the residential district.  I am also thinking about having a mansion as the "wealthy home" inside the residential area.  In the picture though, the mansion will probably be where the big building in the top left corner is.

    In the residential district, we have added only a few more homes since the last time I saw you guys.  My favorite house out of all them is definitely the house in the middle/back.

    With a few additions made to the texture pack, we are able to have different rotations and colors of wooden planks.  As you can see, the light wood is facing forward, and the dark wood is facing sideways.

    This is inside of my favorite home, and yes, I will be removing the sign that says, "25% off Buy and Sell Prices".  (I initially thought this would be a shop.)

    (Just another picture of the same home.  This is a look at the ceiling.)

    As you go up the steps to the mountain, you will pass the homes that we built in the last Minecraft Architecture post.  There will be another update coming next week, and we will be trying to get more builders to help us this weekend. 

References:
>> Previous Minecraft Architecture Post
>> Texture Pack Download
>> Get Minecraft!