Architects in Venice were presented with a fairly unique architectural challenge. While the city is not exclusively accessed by water, as there are many streets, water is the primary means of transportation from building to building. The architects must take many things into account that most others never have to think of, primarily making buildings that have easy to access entrances no matter the tide. The buildings are beautiful, but utility seems to be the main concern, and buildings must be built to avoid water damage during the higher waters that tend to come in the winter. Balconies are very common among the buildings, and they seem to have a Roman influence particularly in the semi circular archways.