Parthenon, Athens

On the macroscopic scale, pillared layer structures are frequently found in ancient buildings, such as the Parthenon in Athens. Even on the microscopic scale, the pillared layer motif is very useful for the construction of various porous frameworks, because simple modification of a pillar module can be used to control porous structures and properties. The Cu11 coordination polymers, [Cu2(pzdc)2(L)] (L = pillar ligand), known as coordination pillared layers (CPLs), have pillared layer structures and are a suitable system for the design of porous functionalities.78 107 108 Two-dimensional... 

By contrast, for a building without a pointed top, columns (which work in compression) are used to support continuous beams (working in bend). This is exactly how the glorious Parthenon in Athens was designed and constructed. 

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An example of the effect of existing imperfections on the stability of ancient columns is shown in Fig. 19 for the column of the Parthenon in Athens (Psycharis et al. 2003). The maximum permanent displacement of the column is plotted versus the pga of the ground motion, and it is seen that the presence of the imperfections shown in the left drawing of Fig. 19 leads to larger displacements and significantly earlier collapse. 

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