User:Johndeines/sandbox

Editing an Article

Hagia Sophia

Notes

.Built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time.

.It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture".

Evaluating Content

Everything within the article seemed to be correct and valid with the current times based upon my understanding.Once again everything seemed to be closely related to the topic and I believe little changes need to be made to the article. One thing i noticed about the article was the lack of information about the building materials. I feel like information about the building materials would be helpful to anyone reading this.

Evaluating Tone

The tone of the article seemed to be very balanced and was not biased to one side, or the other.

Evaluating Sources

Most of the sources within the article worked perfectly and were tied to a reliable source that was not biased.

Checking the talk page

The talk page seemed to be under-construction and the creators are looking for more people to add to the article. The article received a C rating on the quality scale meaning; The article is substantial, but is still missing important content or contains much irrelevant material. The article should have some references to reliable sources, but may still have significant problems or require substantial cleanup.

The article I chose was part of a multitude of WikiProjects;

Choose your Article
Gothic architecture

The article of Gothic Architecture seems to be a good starting point for an article. The article's subcategories have received C ratings, so I know that the article could be improved. I noticed while viewing the article that the key players of Gothic Architecture are barley included in the article and should be added. The links and sources seem to be credible.

Hagia Sophia

The article of the Hagia Sophia is the article I am most interested in editing. Once again on the talk page for the article, the page has a current rating of a C. The page is currently under-construction and the creators are looking for more people to add to the article. This is a perfect opportunity to add a contribution to this article. All of the links seem to be from credible sources, and the article is not biased in presenting the information. I have found a source relating to the protection of the mosaics within the Hagia Sophia that I would like to use; Diagnostics and protection of Hagia Sophia mosaics

Renaissance architecture

The third article I have chosen is Renaissance Architecture. Within the talk page Renaissance Architecture has a B class rating, meaning that the articles current standing on the scale is very well thought out. All of the resources seem to be from reliable sources, and the article does not seem to be leaning in one direction of view. Although the article already has a fair amount of information relating to the subject, I believe that adding a section that describes the relationship between the artists and architects could be beneficial. I am planning on using the following source; Payne, Alina. “Materiality, Crafting, and Scale in Renaissance Architecture.” Oxford Art Journal, vol. 32, no. 3, 2009, pp. 365–386. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25650875.

Final Article Hagia Sophia

The Mosaics located within the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople have undergone enormous amounts of stress due to natural disasters, vandalism and renovations. The Hagia Sophia has mosaics dating back to the fourth century which require a tremendous amount of maintenance. A large factor that has affected the mosaics is the transition from a church to a mosque which took place in 1935. The transition from church to mosque left some of the mosaics to be covered with plaster. The National Technical University of Athens has begun to use Non Destructive Techniques along with infrared technology to scan walls of the Hagia Sophia to locate mosaics that have been previously covered with plaster. The National Technical University of Athens is using infrared technology to asses the damage mosaics have taken within the Hagia Sophia beneath the plaster. The National Technical University of Athens uses categories such as water intrusion to determine a mosaics current state of condition.

Through out history the Hagia Sophia has been a victim to natural disasters; such as earthquakes and has also fallen victim to vandalism. Structural damage can easily  be seen on the exterior surface of the Hagia Sophia. To ensure that the Hagia Sophia did not ensue any damage on the interior of the building, studies have been conducted using ground penetrating radar within the gallery of the Hagia Sophia. With the use of GPR (ground penetrating radar), teams discovered weak zones within the Hagia Sophia’s gallery and also concluded that the curvature of the vault dome has been shifted out of proportion, compared to its original angular orientation.

The Hagia Sophia construction consists of mostly masonry. Composed of brick and mortar joint that are 1.5 times the width of the bricks. The motor joints are composed of a combination of sand and minute ceramic pieces displaced very evenly throughout the motor joints. This combination of sand and ceramic pieces could be considered to be the equivalent of modern concrete at the time.

Built between 532-537 a subsurface structure under the Hagia Sophia has been under investigation, using LaCoste-Romberg gravimeters to determine the depth of the subsurface structure and to discover other hidden cavities beneath the Hagia Sophia.The hidden cavities have also acted as a support system against earthquakes. With these findings using the LaCoste-Romberg gravimeters, it was also discovered that the Hagia Sophia’s foundation is built on a slope of natural rock.

The Hagia Sophia has been a victim to natural disasters that have caused deterioration to the buildings structure and walls. The deterioration of the Hagia Sophia’s walls can be directly relate to salt crystallization. The crystallization of salt is due to an intrusion of rainwater that is at fault for the Hagia Sophia’s deteriorating inner and outer walls. Diverting excess rainwater is the main solution to solve the deteriorating walls at the Hagia Sophia.

The great dome at the Hagia Sophia is one hundred and seven feet in diameter and is only two feet thick. The main building material for the Hagia Sophia composed of brick and mortar. Brick aggregate was used to make roofs easier to construct. The aggregate weighs one hundred and fifty pounds per cubic foot, an average weight of masonry construction at the time. Due to the materials plasticity it was chosen over cut stone due to the fact that aggregate can be used over a longer distance. Peer Review

Overall, the entire article seems to be constructed very well. For the article, you established the history of the Royal Exhibition Building extensively, which will be helpful for any viewer looking to gain a general understanding of the Royal Exhibition Building. Continuing with the history aspect of your article, each section is separated into almost perfect decades, which is essential to gain an understanding of historical events that took place during specific decades, and how those events shaped the Royal Exhibition Building to what it is today. The article seems to be written in a neutral tone and does not voice personal opinions. All of the sources seem to be from reliable places, and all of the links to the sources work great! The talk page is clean and organized, and no rising issues can be found. In an overview, the article is written greatly and stands as a great resource for anyone looking to gain an understanding of the history and renovation processes of the Royal Exhibition Building. Great job - John Deines