Architecture in the World of Avatar

Artistic and creative architecture is seen all throughout the World of Avatar. Different nations use different materials to design buildings, such as metal, stone, and ice; which shows that the constructions are made of different material types depending on the climate of each nation and locally available equipment, in addition to the inheritance and cultural traditions of each region. Palaces, temples, houses, and small huts are examples of architectural work. Most buildings throughout the Avatar World are very similar to traditional Chinese and Japanese structures.

Air Nomads
Air Nomads believed in peace and harmony in the world, and their architecture reflected positively their beliefs.



The temples were generally comprised of towers and pagodas arranged on a tall mountain, or in the case of the Western Air Temple, hanging from a cliff. The style is similar to Bhutanese temples ( see Taktsang Dzong, Tango Monastery),since most are primarily built on craggy mountains and foothills. Air Nomad roofs were made from ceramic tiles which were painted. With the exception of the Southern Air Temple, all Temple roofs were green. All of them, especially the Western Air Temple, were architectural marvels, being built on high mountains, or even upside down.

List of Architectural Works

 * The Southern Air Temple - The Southern Air Temple has large towers and is the only temple with blue roofs. Along with the Northern Temple, it has Avatar statues in the Sanctuary.
 * The Northern Air Temple - Like the others, this temple has many towers and features green roofs. It is built on a mountain like the Southern and Eastern Temples.
 * The Eastern Air Temple - The Eastern Air Temple's towers are built over three mountains. The three towers are connected by extraordinary bridges. The temple also featured a Flying Bison stable.
 * The Western Air Temple - This temple is located in the mountains north of the Fire Nation. Its design allows wind to flow into even the deepest chambers, which made the Air Nomads feel quite at home.
 * Air Nomad Statues - In each of the Air Temples, there are statues of respected Air Nomads who lived in it or were just known to all Air Nomads.

Water Tribes
Most constructions of the Water Tribes are made of ice. They are starkly different in this respect and others to the buildings of the other three nations. There is not a significant example of architecture in the case of the Southern Water Tribe, houses are made of branches with animal skins to cover them. In the Northern Water Tribe, the Chief's Palace draws inspiration from the 'Gopurams' of South-Indian Dravidian style temple architecture. In the foggy swamp, the swamp people live in small huts supported a few feet above ground.

List of Architectural Works



 * Water Tribe Avatar Temple - The Water Tribe Avatar Temple, made out of ice, featured a type of bright light of unknown origin and build that shone when the Avatar entered the Avatar State.
 * Layout of the Northern Water Tribe - This city is made entirely of ice. The city is divided into two areas - an outer area primarily for defense, and an inner area which consists of the main city and the Spirit Oasis. A very tall and wide wall, also made of ice, defends the city from naval attack. There are also water canals and pathways.
 * Spirit Oasis - Built with perfect symmetry, the Spirit Oasis was noted for its tranquil, warm and green look and feel.

Earth Kingdom


The Earth Kingdom, with its immense size and diversity, has a variety of building methods and designs, ranging from very simple farmhouses to vast palace complexes.

Building methods and designs in rural areas of the Earth Kingdom are generally simple: houses and halls are generally built using wood; roofs are unpainted and have eaves; and walls are made from thin wood.

More elaborate, sophisticated materials and designs are utilized in more developed areas; in large cities like Omashu and Ba Sing Se, for example, buildings are constructed in a combination of wood and stone, with tiled roofs. A large number of buildings, especially the larger ones, are often constructed by Earthbenders, who can often get the majority of the work done in a fraction of the time it would take with more standard methods.

Due to the large open spaces of the Earth Kingdom, buildings and estates tend to be more spread-out over a larger area than in other nations, and tend to have a smaller percentage of high-rise buildings than the Fire Nation or the Air Nomads.

List of Architectural Works

 * Earth Kingdom Avatar Temple - The Earth Kingdom Avatar Temple is hidden away in a high mountain range. The colossal stone temple can only be reached by a series of hundreds of steps. It features a painting of several Avatars, the eyes of which glow when an Avatar enters the Avatar State.
 * Layout of Omashu - Omashu is built on a number of hills raised long ago by Oma, one of the first human earthbenders. The Palace sits on the tallest hill, which is in the center behind some of the other hills. It has a complex mail system. The cities' three gates are composed from massive stone, each five feet thick and towering over thirty feet high. As a result, the gates can only be opened by skilled Earthbenders who guard the single entrance. Buildings in Omashu are generally built from stone and, unlike most buildings in the Earth Kingdom, have green tiled roofs.




 * General Fong's Fortress - The fortress is one of the few remaining strongholds for the Earth Kingdom in this part of the country, and is built like a small city. It has barracks for the troops, guest quarters, a large infirmary to care for injured soldiers, a temple to pray, and a recreation area for soldiers to relax.
 * Bei Fong Estate - The Bei Fong Estate, located in the midst of a great garden, has the family symbol--a flying boar--over its front gate.
 * Layout of Ba Sing Se - The capital of the Earth Kingdom is closer in size to a small country than a city, and it's years of isolation have given it a distinct architectureal style slightly different from many other towns. The majority of the buildings are made of stone, with wood supports and plaster covering the outside. The color of roofing tiles on buildings indicate their prestige and vary by ring. Lower Ring buildings have black or dark green tiles, and Middle Ring buildings have vibrant green, and Upper Ring nobility use golden tiles as a sign of class. Earth Kingdom symbols are often placed on gates, government buildings, and military sites. Roads in the Middle and Upper rings are made of flagstones, while the Lower Ring has muddy dirt paths for most of its streets and alleys.
 * Walls of Ba Sing Se - The walls of Ba Sing Se are the highest, thickest and strongest walls in the world- similar in concept to The Great Wall of China, giving Ba Sing Se its name "Impenetrable Fortress". The Outer Wall in particular is dozens, if not hundreds, of meters high and thick, and features large guard tower complexes build inside the wall itself. The Outer Wall is also supplied with large boulders for defense.
 * Earth Kingdom Royal Palace - The palace is contained within a vast circular compound that is walled. The Palace is comparable more to a city in terms of size rather than a mere palace. It is structured around a meridian line that cuts through the center of the city, from West to East, and leads directly to the Earth King's throne. The Royal Palace itself is a tiered compound of towers, gardens, pavillions, shrines, and courts that has been the home of the Earth Kings since the city was founded.

Fire Nation


The Fire Nation is less diverse and more centralized than the Earth Kingdom. Industrialization is a likely cause for centralization in the Fire Nation, as expressed by the fact that nearly every city has an industrial compound at its heart.

Building methods and designs in the Fire Nation are on average more elaborate than most areas of the Earth Kingdom. Houses and halls are generally built using wood and stone. Roofs are painted with warm colors, with red being most common. Gold (or gold paint) is also a popular color in Fire Nation architecture.

The Fire Nation also seems to have a tendancy for building vertically as much as possible. This is more and more evident in the Home Islands, where the amount of stable, even land on which to build is limited by the uneven volcanic landscape.

List of Architectural Works (Fire Nation Proper)

 * Fire Nation Avatar Temple - The Fire Temple, a five-tiered pagoda, sits on a hill near the volcano's base on Crescent island, and is managed by the Fire Sages.
 * Coronation Plaza - The Coronation Plaza, where Fire Lords are crowned, is a symmetrically built plaza with large structures on both ends. A series of steps at the front end lead up to the building from where the new Fire Lord would emerge just before his/her crowning.




 * Fire Nation Royal Palace - The Palace itself is a single structure. An elaborate tower with triple eaves is at the center, with three distinct wings joining it. The two smaller wings stand on either side of the main entrance to the Palace building. There are towers at the ends of these wings as well. Directly opposite of the main entrance is the third, larger wing, which houses the Fire Lord's Throne Room. Inside, the palace is comprised of enormous halls and retains an intricate array of wings and chambers. Large tapestries line the walls and elaborate fire-themed images and moldings are laid out all throughout the numerous sections of the structure.
 * Dragonbone Catacombs - Located underneath the Fire Sage's temple in the capital city, these creepy catacombs hold many rooms and many secrets about Fire Nation history they also hold the skulls and bones of dead dragons. Zuko sneaks in to find information about Fire Lord Sozin.
 * Layout and Defenses of Fire Nation Capital - The city is one of the larger cities in the Four Nations. It has a distinct layout, consisting of a harbor surrounded by a dock and the Royal Plaza, an industrial Harbor City behind the Plaza, and finally Royal Caldera City, a neighborhood in the crater of a dormant volcano where Fire Nation elite live around the Royal Palace. The city has extensive defense works and is heavily fortified. Due to the limited space in Caldera and the growing number of nobles as the Fire Nation gains ever-more territory, mansions and buildings have steadily been rebuild higher and higher, in an attempt to get as much floorspace out of as little land as architecturally possible. A number of homes are being built further and further up the rocky crags which line the crater.
 * Boiling Rock - This massive Fire Nation prison is located in a boiling lake, making it impossible to escape by swimming as one would be severely burnt, if not outright boiled alive. Its walls are made out of an extremely thick and most indestructible metal available, and the only access to the outside world is via a gondola over the lake.

List of Architectural Works (Sun Warriors)

 * Sun Warriors' Ancient City - Much of this stone metropolis is now covered in vines and sits unused. This is because the tribe is much smaller than it used to be. Some of the architecture of this ancient city is mirrored in today's Fire Nation architecture, including the Fire Sages' temples. Their pyramids look a lot like the Maya, and their design was likely done to counteract earthquakes.

List of Architectural Works (Colonies)

 * New Ozai (Omashu) - New Ozai's architecture was far different than that of the Fire Nation, as a result of building over existing Earth Kingdom architecture. It had developed extensive metal bridges to overcome the gorge to allow incomming building supplies greater access than the single stone road at the city's main gate. Omashu's palace was leveled and replaced by a metal pagoda more favored by the Fire Nation. Most of the ordinary buildings were commandeered by the Fire Nation and turned into factories with chimney's coming out of the top.

List of Architectural Works

 * Wan Shi Tong's Library - Wan Shi Tong's Library was an immense structure located in the Si Wong Desert. It was said to contain information on everything in the world. However, it was buried during the course of Aang's journey.