RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE

(Summary)
INTRODUCTION

• Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 14th
and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and
development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture.
Stylistically, Renaissance architecture followed Gothic architecture and was succeeded by 
Baroque architecture. Developed first in Florence, with Filippo Brunelleschi as one of its
innovators, the Renaissance style quickly spread to other Italian cities. The style was carried to
Spain, France, Germany, England, Russia and other parts of Europe at different dates and with
varying degrees of impact.
PHASES

Historians often use the following designations:

• Quattrocento (c. 1400–1500)

Known as the Quattrocento[note 2] and sometimes Early Renaissance[note 3] In the Quattrocento, concepts of architectural order were
explored and rules were formulated. 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 from 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).[2]

• High Renaissance (c. 1500–1525)

During the High Renaissance, concepts derived from classical antiquity were developed and used with greater confidence. The most
representative architect is Donato Bramante (1444–1514), who expanded the applicability of classical architecture to contemporary
buildings. His Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio (1503) was directly inspired by circular Roman temples. He was, however, hardly
a slave to the classical forms and it was his style that was to dominate Italian architecture in the 16th century.[3]
PHASES

• Mannerism (c. 1520–1600)

         During the Mannerist period, architects experimented with using architectural forms to emphasize solid and spatial relationships. The
Renaissance ideal of harmony gave way to freer and more imaginative rhythms. The best known architect associated with the Mannerist
style was Michelangelo (1475–1564), who frequently used the giant order in his architecture, a large pilaster that stretches from the
bottom to the top of a façade.[4] He used this in his design for the Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome. Prior to the 20th century, the
term Mannerism had negative connotations, but it is now used to describe the historical period in more general non-judgemental terms.[5]

• From Renaissance to Baroque

As the new style of architecture spread out from Italy, most other European countries developed a sort of Proto-Renaissance style, before
the construction of fully formulated Renaissance buildings. Each country in turn then grafted its own architectural traditions to the new
style, so that Renaissance buildings across Europe are diversified by region. Within Italy the evolution of Renaissance architecture into
Mannerism, with widely diverging tendencies in the work of Michelangelo and Giulio Romano and Andrea Palladio, led to the Baroque
style in which the same architectural vocabulary was used for very different rhetoric. Outside Italy, Baroque architecture was more
widespread and fully developed than the Renaissance style, with significant buildings as far afield as Mexico[note 4] and the Philippines.
[note 5]
CHARACTERISTICS

• Characteristics

• Plan

• The plans of Renaissance buildings have a square, symmetrical appearance in which proportions are usually based on a module. Within a church, the module is
often the width of an aisle. The need to integrate the design of the plan with the façade was introduced as an issue in the work of Filippo Brunelleschi, but he was
never able to carry this aspect of his work into fruition. The first building to demonstrate this was St. Andrea in Mantua by Alberti. The development of the plan
in secular architecture was to take place in the 16th century and culminated with the work of Palladio.

• Facade of Sant'Agostino, Rome, built in 1483 by Giacomo di Pietrasanta

• 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. One of the first true Renaissance façades was the Cathedral of Pienza (1459–62),
which has been attributed to the Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Rossellino) with Alberti perhaps having some responsibility in its design as
well.

• Domestic buildings are often surmounted by a cornice. There is a regular repetition of openings on each floor, and the centrally placed door is marked by a
feature such as a balcony, or rusticated surround. An early and much copied prototype was the façade for the Palazzo Rucellai (1446 and 1451) in Florence with
its three registers of pilasters.
CHARACTERISTICS

• Columns and pilasters

• Roman and Greek orders of columns are used: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite. The orders can either be
structural, supporting an arcade or architrave, or purely decorative, set against a wall in the form of pilasters. During the
Renaissance, architects aimed to use columns, pilasters, and entablatures as an integrated system. One of the first buildings to
use pilasters as an integrated system was in the Old Sacristy (1421–1440) by Brunelleschi.
• Arches
• Arches are semi-circular or (in the Mannerist style) segmental. Arches are often used in arcades, supported on piers or columns
with capitals. There may be a section of entablature between the capital and the springing of the arch. Alberti was one of the first
to use the arch on a monumental scale at the St. Andrea in Mantua.
• Vaults

• Vaults do not have ribs. They are semi-circular or segmental and on a square plan, unlike the Gothic vault which is frequently
rectangular. The barrel vault is returned to architectural vocabulary as at the St. Andrea in Mantua.
CHARACTERISTICS

• Domes

• The dome is used frequently, both as a very large structural feature that is visible from the exterior, and also as a means of roofing smaller spaces
where they are only visible internally. After the success of the dome in Brunelleschi's design for the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and its use
in Bramante's plan for St. Peter's Basilica (1506) in Rome, the dome became an indispensable element in church architecture and later even for
secular architecture, such as Palladio's Villa Rotonda.[note 7]

• 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 with in an arch or surmounted by 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 square lintels and triangular or segmental pediments, which are often
used alternately. Emblematic in this respect is the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, begun in 1517.
CHARACTERISTICS

• Walls

• External walls are generally constructed of brick, rendered, or faced with stone in highly finished ashlar masonry, laid in
straight courses. The corners of buildings are often emphasized by rusticated quoins. Basements and ground floors were
often rusticated, as at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi (1444–1460) in Florence. Internal walls are smoothly plastered and
surfaced with lime wash. For more formal spaces, internal surfaces are decorated with frescoes.

• Details
• Courses, mouldings 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. Mouldings 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.[6]
FA M O U S S T R U C T U R E S / B U I L D I N G S
• The Dome of Florence Cathedral

• Florence Cathedral, (called il Duomo), built by Arnolfo di Cambio, had a huge hole at the centre. The competition to build a roof over it was won by Brunelleschi who built the largest dome since Roman times. He cleverly got the whole city excited by
getting teams of workers from the eight parts of the city.

• Church of San Lorenzo

• This church in Florence was designed by Brunelleschi using all the things he had learnt by looking at the architecture of Ancient Rome. It has arches, columns and round-topped windows in the Roman style. It looks completely different to the pointy-arched
churches of the Middle Ages. Only the inside was finished. The outside is still all rough bricks and no-on knows exacly how it was meant to look. On the inside, however, Brunelleschi taught everyone a new set of architectural rule that revolutionised The
Renaissance.

• Church of Sant' Andrea

• When the Ancient Roman Emperors came back from winning a battle, they built a Triumphal Arch as a monument to themself. There are several of these monuments in Rome and they have the same design: a big arch at the centre, and a smaller lower arch
or doorway on either side. The architect Alberti used this as the design for the front of the church of Sant' Andrea in Mantua. He used the same pattern of tall and arched, low and square, all down the inside of the church as well. This was copied by many
other architects.

• Medici-Riccardi Palace
• When it came to building palaces, the rich people of the Renaissance had different needs to the Roman Emperors, so the architects had to use the rules to make a new sort of grand building. These Renaissance palaces are usually three stories high and quite
plain on the outside. On the inside there is a courtyard, surrounded by beautiful columns and windows. Architects like Michelozzo who worked for Cosimo de' Medici, looked at the Roman Colisseum (sports arena) which is three stories high with rows of
arches.
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_Medici_Riccardi_Palace.jpg
• Saint Peter's Basilica
• The most famous church in Rome was the ancient Church that had been built over the grave of St. Peter. By 1500 it was falling down. The Pope decided that instead of repairing it, it should be pulled down and a brand new church should be built. By the
time it was finished, lots of important artists had worked on the design including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bramante, Maderna and Sangallo. It was the first building to use huge columns called a "giant order". It has one of the most magnificent domes in the
world. It has been copied in many countries.
• Villa Rotunda
• This country house was built by Palladio in 1550. It is a square building which looks the same from every side. At the centre, there is a dome. On every side is a large porch, (portico), like a Greek temple. It is such an elegant design that other architects used
the same style which can be seen on churches, houses and palaces, including the White House.