The document provides information on Renaissance architectural theories and the works of key theorists and architects such as Brunelleschi, Alberti, and Vitruvius. Brunelleschi is credited with bringing about the Renaissance view of architecture through his experiments with linear perspective. He applied mathematical perspective and new rules of proportioning to projects like the dome of Florence Cathedral. Alberti's treatise De re Aedificatoria had a lasting influence, while Vitruvius' De Architectura from 27 BC is the only surviving book on architecture from antiquity and discussed key principles of solidity, usefulness, and beauty in structures.

1. RENAISSANC
E
Architectural Theories and their work
by MARION PALAMEÑA

2. GEOGRAPHY
• FLOREN
CE
• FRANCE
• GERMAN
Y
• ENGLAN
D
• RUSSIA
• OTHER

3. THE RENAISSANCE
PERIOD
• Renaissance (1400–1500); also known
as the Quattrocento and sometimes
Early Renaissance
• High Renaissance (1500–1525)
• Mannerism (1520–1600)

4. RELIGIOUS
INFLUENCES
 The return of the Pope from Avignon in
1377 and the resultant new emphasis on
Rome as the center of Christian
spirituality, brought about a boom in the
building of churches in Rome such as had
not taken place for nearly a thousand
years.

5. Brunelleschi
1377 – April 15, 1446

6. BRUNELLESCHI
 The person generally credited with bringing
about the Renaissance view of architecture
is Filippo Brunellesci.
 Brunelleschi began to look at the world to see
what the rules were that governed one's way
of seeing. He observed that the way one sees
regular structures such as the Baptistery of
Florence and the tiled pavement surrounding it
follows a mathematical order—linear
perspective.

7. BRUNELLESCHI
He holds up a picture of the Baptistery painted on a panel, its back
towards you, and has you squint through a small hole in the painting.
Through the hole you saw a mirror which reflected the painting itself so
you see the front of the painting in the mirror. Then Pippio whisks away
the mirror so that you see the real Baptistery through the peephole and
you are amazed because they are so similar.

8. BRUNELLESCHI
Difference between pictures before and after perspective

9. BRUNELLESCHI
 The entire theory of perspective can be
developed from a single fact: that the apparent
size of an object decreases with increasing
distance from the eye.
 No written record exists from Brunelleschi's
experiments. He probably passed the method
verbally to Masaccio, Masolino, and Donatello,
who used it in their works.

10. BRUNELLESCHI
 Brunelleschi was the first architect to
employ mathematical perspective to
redefine Gothic and Romanesque space
and to establish new rules of proportioning
and symmetry. Although Brunelleschi was
considered the main initiator of stylistic
changes in Renaissance architecture,
critics no longer consider him the "Father
of the Renaissance".

11. BRUNELLESCHI
DISTINGUISHED
BY ITS 9 BAY
LOGGIA
Hospital of the Innocents/ Founding

12. BRUNELLESCHI

13. BRUNELLESCHI
 Soon other commissions came, the most
important of which were the designs for the
dome of the Cathedral of Florence (1419-
1436) and the Sagrestia Vecchia, or Old
Sacristy of S. Lorenzo (1421-1440).
 As Brunelleschi began to build the dome, most
people in Florence shook their heads and said
it was impossible. There was no conceivable
way to build a dome that size that would be
self-supporting. Brunelleschi was undaunted,
and his plans began to take form.

14. BRUNELLESCHI
Brunelleschi's design contained two shells for the dome, an inner shell made
of a lightweight material, and an outer shell of heavier wind-resistant materials. By
creating two domes, Brunelleschi solved the problem of weight during construction
because workers could sit atop the inner shell to build the outer shell of the dome.

15. BRUNELLESCHI
 ingenius ring and
To support the dome Brunelleschi devised an
rib support from oak timbers. Although this type of support
structure is common in modern engineering, his idea and understanding about
the forces needed to sustain the dome was revolutionary. The rings hug both
shells of the dome, and the supports run through them. Other than a few
modifications to remove rotted wood, the supports still hold up the entire dome.

16. BRUNELLESCHI
 Another fear that a lot of people observing the construction had was how to actually
get the bricks on the dome to stay up in the dome, and not fall to
the ground during the construction. Once again, Brunelleschi had an ingenious idea
that is common practice today, but revolutionary in its time. He created a
herringbone pattern with the bricks that redirected the
weight of the bricks outwards towards the dome's
supports, instead of downwards to the floor. By observing carefully the curve of
the dome as it took shape, Brunelleschi was able to place this bricks in key areas.

17. BRUNELLESCHI
The Dome of Florence Cathedral

18. BRUNELLESCHI
Basilica of San
 Lorenzo Brunelleschi, and
Designed by
after his death,Antonio Manetti
finished the Ciaccheri church
Floor Plan ofBasilica of San Lorenzo

19. BRUNELLESCHI
Old Sacristy the nave of the

20. BRUNELLESCHI
Santo Spirito,
Florence
designed by Brunelleschi and finished by his followers Antonio
Manetti, Giovanni da Gaiole, and Salvi d'Andrea

21. RENAISSAINCE
 The Renaissance style places emphasis:
 on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the
regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in
the architecture of Classical antiquity and in
particular, the architecture of Ancient Rome, of
which many examples remained.
 Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters
and lintels, as well as the use of semicircular
arches, hemispherical domes, niches and
aedicules replaced the more complex
proportional systems and irregular profiles of
medieval buildings.

22. RENAISSAINCE
 Quattrocento
 In the Quattrocento, concepts of
architectural order were explored and rules
were formulated. Characteristics of
Renaissance Architecture. The study of
classical antiquity led in particular to the
adoption of Classical detail and ornamentation.
 Space, as an element of architecture, was
utilised differently to the way it had been in the
Middle Ages. Space was organised by
proportional logic, its form and
rhythm subject to geometry, rather than
being created by intuition as in Medieval
buildings. The prime example of this is the
Basilica di San Lorenzo in Florence by Filippo
Brunelleschi (1377–1446).[6]

23. THEORIST
RENAISSANCE ARCH THEORY AND THEIR
WORK

24. VITRUVIUS
(born c. 80–70 BC, died after c. 15 BC
High renaissance

25. VITRIVIUS
 Vitruvius is famous for asserting in his
book De architectura that a structure must
exhibit the three qualities of firmitas,
utilitas, venustas – that is, it must be solid,
useful, beautiful.
 Vitruvius Pollio’s treatise De Architectura,
was written circa 27 BC and is the only
book of its kind to survive from antiquity.
These extracts from Vitruvius comprise
the first Book and his comments on what

26. VITRIVIUS
 The Ten Books on Architecture, a treatise
written in Latin and Greek on architecture,
dedicated to the emperor Augustus.
 According to Vitruvius, architecture is an
imitation of nature. As birds and bees built
their nests, so humans constructed
housing from natural materials, that gave
them shelter against the elements.

27. VITRIVIUS
The subjects of Vitruvius Ten Books, using modern
terminology, are:
 Landscape architecture
 Construction materials
 Temples (Part 1)
 Temples (Part 2)
 Public places: square, meeting hall, theatre, park,
gymnasium, harbour
 Private dwellings
 Finishes and colours
 Water supply
 Sundials and clocks
 Mechanical engineering

28. Leon Battista Alberti
February 18, 1404 – April 20, 1472
High renaissance

29. ALBERTI
 Leon Battista Alberti, born in Genoa (1402–
1472), was an important Humanist theoretician
and designer whose book on architecture De
re Aedificatoria was to have lasting effect.
 An aspect of Humanism was an emphasis of
the anatomy of nature, in particular the human
form, a science first studied by the Ancient
Greeks. Humanism made man the measure of
things. Alberti perceived the architect as a
person with great social responsibilities.

30. ALBERTI
 The first treatise on architecture was De re
aedificatoria(English: On the Art of
Building)
 by Leon Battista Alberti in 1450. It was to
some degree dependent on Vitruvius' De
architectura, a manuscript of which was
discovered in 1414 in a library in
Switzerland. De re aedificatoria in 1485
became the first printed book on

31. ALBERTI
De re aedificatoria(English: On the Art of
Building)
 Lineaments
 Materials
 Construction
 Public Works
 Works of Individuals
 Ornament
 Ornament to Sacred Buildings
 Ornament to Public Secular Build
 Ornament to Private Buildings

32. ALBERTI
 The first was Della pittura [On Painting] in 1435 in
which he provided the first systematic exposition of
the rules of one-point perspective and the theory of
painting as grounded in visual experience with
geometrical principles. The second was Della statua
(On Sculpture) in 1436 (with a later version in 1450) in
which he argued that statues are geometric imitations
of nature and for which he worked out a canon of
human proportions.
 Alberti's own summary:
Short: 1:1, 2:3, 3:4
Middling: 2:4. 4:9, 9:16
Long: 1:3, 3:8, 1:4

33. ALBERTI
The Tempio
Malatestiano
 The tall central
element gives the
impression of a
basilican church. This
may have been
Alberti's way of giving
the church additional
impact without making
any structural changes
on the interior.

34. ALBERTI
Details of the facade at the Church of San
Francesco
dominant motif: the triple arch as in such a Roman monument as the Arch of Constantine.

35. ALBERTI
 The use of the arches on
the facade and along the
sides reveals another
important aspect of Alberti's
study of ancient
architecture and his
position as a theorist.
 In his examination of
Roman buildings He
posited that arches are
openings in walls and thus
correctly rest on piers.
 By contrast, columns (and
pilasters as their
The distinction between the columns and
counterparts) carry
piers.
entablatures (horizontal

36. ALBERTI
The New Facade of Santa Maria
Novella, Florence
 The general view
here reinforces
our understanding
that in Italy the
facade of a
building such as
Santa Maria
Novella was seen
as belonging to
the public space
in front of the
church, not as
necessarily
revealing
anything about

37. ALBERTI
 The symbolic quality of
the triumphal arch is
clear; but even more
important, Alberti fused
it with a temple motif.

38. ALBERTI
The Church of Sant' Andrea, Mantua
 The facade accomplished its
task by virtue of Alberti's
boldness in combining typologies
from the ancient world into a new
synthesis. To give the facade
monumentality, he imposed on it
a triumphal arch, not unlike the
Arch of Titus in Rome.
 The symbolic quality of the
triumphal arch is clear; but even
more important, Alberti fused it
with a temple motif.

39. ALBERTI
Alberti's design for the church did not end, of course, with the facade, but
continued with a new interpretation of the cruciform plan. Wishing to avoid the
notion of an arcade on columns, regardless of the frequency of such a solution
even among other Renaissance architects, Alberti reintroduced the triumphal
arch motif on the interior in an overlapping ABABA rhythm.

40. Andrea Palladio
30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580
Mannerism

41. PALLADIO
 Published I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura (The
Four Books of Architecture) in Venice. This
book was widely printed and responsible to a
great degree of spreading the ideas of the
Renaissance through Europe. All these books
were intended to be read and studied not only
by architects, but also by patrons.
 From his principle, Palladio said all
architecture should have "Firmness,
Commodity, and Delight."

42. PALLADIO
 Due to the new demand for villas in the
sixteenth century, Palladio specialized in
domestic architecture.
 Palladio's villas are often centrally planned,
drawing on Roman models of country villas.
 Palladio based his principle design on
classicism, like Vitruvius and Alberti. He mostly
focused in building villas and churches.

43. PALLADIO
 True Palladianism" in Villa Godi by Palladio. The
extending wings are agricultural buildings and are
not part of the villa. In the 18th century they
became an important part of Palladianism.
 Palladio always designed his villas with reference
to their setting. If on a hill, such as Villa Capra,
facades were frequently designed to be of equal
value so that occupants could have fine views in
all directions.

44. PALLADIO
 Porticos on both sides
 Double loggia
 Façade elevation were like roman temple
 dual purpose: farmhouses and palatial weekend
retreats
 Design of the whole- square
 Observes proportionality and symmetry
 Rooms are in 3:4 and 4:5 ratio

45. PALLADIO
Villa Capra "La Rotonda"

46. PALLADIO
Redentore

47. PALLADIO
The Palladian, or Serlian, arch or window, as
interpreted by Palladio Roman dities in top of the
porticco

48. Giorgio Vasari
30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574
Mannerism

49. VASARI
Vasari's Le Vite de' più
eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed
architettori (Lives of the
Most Eminent Painters,
Sculptors, and Architects)
 It included a valuable
treatise on the technical
methods employed in the
arts.

50. VASARI
 In Florence, Vasari also built the long passage, now called
Vasari Corridor, which connects the Uffizi with the Palazzo
Pitti on the other side of the river.

51. VASARI
The Uffizi

52. RENAISSAQNCE ARCHITECTURE
CHARACTERISTICS
 Classicism
 Square, Symmetrical and Proportional Plans
 Symmetrical arrangement of windows and
doors
 Extensive use of Classical
columns and pilasters
 Triangular pediments
 Square lintels
 Arches
 Domes
 Niches with sculptures
 Piers

53. BUILDING MATERIALS AND
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
 Bricks
 Pietra Sirena
 Timber
 Stone
 Marble

54. Comparative Analysis
 PLAN
square, symmetrical appearance in which
proportions
 FAÇADE
Façades are symmetrical around their
vertical axis. Church façades are generally
surmounted by a pediment and organised
by a system of pilasters, arches and
entablatures. The columns and windows
show a progression towards the centre.
 COLUMNS and PILASTERS
The Roman orders of columns are used:-
Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and
Composite.

55. Comparative Analysis
 CEILINGS
Roofs are fitted with flat or coffered ceilings. They
are not left open as in Medieval architecture. They
are frequently painted or decorated.
 DOORS
Doors usually have square lintels. They may be
set within an arch or a triangular or segmental
pediment. Openings that do not have doors are
usually arched and frequently have a large or
decorative keystone.
 WINDOWS
Windows may be paired and set within a semi-
circular arch. They may have squarelintels and
triangular or segmental pediments, which are
often used alternately.

56. Comparative Analysis
 WALLS
External walls are generally of highly-finished ashlar
masonry, laid in straight courses. Internal walls are smoothly
plastered and surfaced with white-chalk paint. For more formal
spaces, internal surfaces are decorated with frescoes.
 DETAILS
Courses, moldings and all decorative details are carved with
great precision. Studying and mastering the details of the
ancient Romans was one of the important aspects of
Renaissance theory. The different orders each required
different sets of details. Some architects were stricter in their
use of classical details than others, but there was also a good
deal of innovation in solving problems, especially at corners.
Moldings stand out around doors and windows rather than
being recessed, as in Gothic Architecture. Sculptured figures
may be set in niches or placed on plinths. They are not integral
to the building as in Medieval architecture.

57. Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_archite
cture
http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Basilica
_of_San_Lorenzo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvius
http://arts.muohio.edu/faculty/benson/alberti/
http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/g/r
enaissance.htm