History of Architecture II (Renaissance to Contemporary): Renaissance architecture — The Early Renaissance in Florence
How Brunelleschi, Alberti and Michelozzo turned Florence into the birthplace of Renaissance architecture.
Try 3 questions
1. What was most innovative about how Brunelleschi built the dome of Florence Cathedral?
- It was cast in one piece of concrete
- It rests on hidden iron columns
- It rose without full wooden centering
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Answer: It rose without full wooden centering
Instead of a huge timber frame supporting the masonry from below, the dome was built in self-supporting rings, a method no one had used at that scale.
2. Why was vaulting the cathedral's existing octagonal drum such a challenge when the dome competition was held in 1418?
- Florence had banned building in brick
- The span was too wide for usual centering
- The drum had not been built yet
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Answer: The span was too wide for usual centering
The opening was over 40 meters across, too wide for the timber centering normally used to support a vault while the mortar set.
3. Why did Brunelleschi give the Florence dome two shells, an inner and an outer one?
- To hide stained-glass windows between them
- To store rainwater for fighting fires
- To reduce weight while keeping a tall profile
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Answer: To reduce weight while keeping a tall profile
A double shell creates an imposing exterior silhouette with far less masonry than a single thick dome, easing the load on the drum.
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