Opus 7

As building design looks back to classical elements and means of expression, architecture as a whole takes a step forward. This step is made primarily in the new, professional approach to design. As wealth spreads through society, more people have the ability to commission buildings. It is no longer only the church or few royal families that drive building and design. Families begin to have buildings designed for their own homes and businesses in addition to community or religious spaces. “Here was an architecture rooted in the human intellect, not serving to convey religious dogma but to provide for the very human needs” (Roth, p.353) Buildings are being constructed at a great rate and architecture becomes personal.

Trades are becoming more specialized and this is true for architecture as well. To keep with this more specialized, trade-oriented society, architects and designers begin to write things down. Buildings begin to be designed in both plan and perspective, making the everyday patron able to have a visual picture of the final outcome before a brick is laid. The perspective drawing can be seen as a type of contract between the architect and financier as they are now able to have a concrete understanding of the building’s final form before beginning construction. Perspective painting was of utmost importance on interior surfaces as well and used to extend interior space. “Painters dissolved the opaqueness of the walls,…[and] fictive architectural elements…were also depicted.” (Blakemore, p.96) It takes a highly trained and talented hand to draft these meticulous drawings and this skill assists in recognizing architecture and design as a highly regarded specialty within the Italian Renaissance.

The building form itself affects the process of building design across Italy. In Florence, where the palazzo is the primary form, the façade is used to delineate space. The “money maker” or business space commands the bottom third to one-half of the façade, with the public and private family spaces above being split equally between the remaining vertical space. Building materials became more refined as they approached the private residence on the third level to connect the family’s refined nature and conceal them from the dirt of the streets and city life. Symmetry as a whole is extremely important through the horizontal placement of elements across the façade to demonstrate a sense of balance and order. “The perceived need for greater privacy influenced the arrangement of interior spaces [as well], …with more public spaces nearer the vestibule…Rooms for greater privacy were set farther from the main entrance, as were rooms that could be accessed only by persons of high privilege.” (Blakemore, p. 94) The city house attempted to draw individuals away from the city without having to leave their home.

In Venice, the inherent properties of a city on water affect the buildings and organizational arrangement of the city as a whole. The presence and interaction of nature directly relates to the organic planning and building designs. The sacred and profane blend together spatially throughout the public squares of the city and, being a primary port of trade, the textile and glass industries relate directly to the building forms and are depicted on the buildings themselves through elaborate detailing of the façade..

The villas of Vicenza begin to exist on the periphery of Venice and, despite being on the outskirts, move design forward by blending the sacred and profane into a single building form. Palladio used the temple front pasted on the relative plainness of the Pantheon as inspiration on his Villa Rotunda. Here a residence claims its importance through its form and relation to classical religious architecture. “The house was, as Palladio wrote, not strictly a villa but a belvedere, an elevated pavilion designed to offer pleasing views over the surrounding countryside…The Villa Capra summarizes the confident spirit of the Renaissance and its ideal of a rational, intelligible order superimposed on nature. [and] At the center of it all…stands man, the “measure and measurer of all things.”” (Roth, p. 381) The villa design utilizes both plan and elevation in equal importance to create the ideal residence. Symmetry and geometry remain important organizing units of building design and this expands onto the landscape, creating an organizational link between man, the building and its environment.

Future villas begin to stake their claim and architectural relevance by taking classical elements, exclaiming their importance and altering their use or application to show an even higher command. “Once the rules had been set down – they were quickly flouted by a few architects in favor of subtle variations on the rules, deviations from the established norm.” (Roth, p.381)

A primary move within the Italian Renaissance was the documentation of designs and design ideals by the architects. The portfolio created from this depicts an Italian Renaissance that saw a rebirth in the importance of symmetry and geometry in building design, with value placed on humanism and horizontal expression. Facades are important and work to orient the individual and describe what the building is about. Interior spaces are highly decorated and painted in such a way to extend the interior beyond the confining walls. The residence becomes a temple in which the family is able to state their importance on earth and religion moves to the periphery of society. Beyond buildings themselves, architectural elements begin to define gardens and landscapes, organizing the space surrounding the building. Through this portfolio and in publishing their work, architects begin to quickly influence building design throughout the world.

This week’s opus prompts bring building design, process and the final product to the forefront. Roth’s quote on pushing boundaries and deviations from the norm speaks directly to what moves architecture and design forward. Keeping within the constraints of commodity, firmness and delight; design is about moving the individual to understand a new beauty – something that has never been done before and brings clarity to an uncertain state. A designer must first learn the techniques of “antiquity”, learn through the process and create a portfolio in which to reflect and push forward. In the 21st century, relating back to earliest design ideals to incorporate the life cycles of earth and nature is of utmost importance to create a building, or re-create a building, who’s commodity, firmness and delight is sustainable across time and lighten the environmental impact. This is the new beauty, resurrected after a period of architecture that, once again, disregarded the landscape. The design cycle continues.