Man and the Universal Self:

Architecture in the Renaissance

Early
Renaissance
 Early
Renaissance

Early Renaissance
15th Century
(Quattrocento Architecture)
The first phase of Renaissance in which designers being
intent upon accurate transcription of the Roman
architectural elements of their use in contemporary
building.
 Early
Renaissance

A return to the forms and proportions of

ancient Roman architecture which occurred in
Italy, where classical studies were most
advanced and where surviving Roman
buildings could be studied and measured.
 Early
Renaissance Italy
• Florence
• Rome
• Venice
 Early
Renaissance Italy
Florence • Rome • Venice
Situated at the center and
considered one of the chief
powers of Italy. This state
included Genoa, a maritime
republic and Milan a powerful
state where Renaissance
building were first built.
 Early
Renaissance Italy
Florence • Rome • Venice
Its ruins from the ancient
times provided models for
new buildings which also
became the whole Europe’s
model
 Early
Renaissance Italy
Florence • Rome • Venice
A medieval city which is
located on a lagoon, protected
by a belt of island. Its strategic
location made Venice an ideal
for trading with the East
 Early
Renaissance Italy
ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
• Emphasis on symmetry

• Exact mathematical relationships

between parts

• An overall effect of simplicity and

repose

• Regional character survived

Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio, Rome by Bramante
 Early
Renaissance Italy
DESIGN ELEMENTS, STYLE, THEORIES, etc.
• Free and inventive use of
classical details (example:
fusion of round arch, and
Byzantine structural and
decorative practices)

• Regional character
survived

Florence Cathedral
 Early
Renaissance Italy
DESIGN ELEMENTS,
STYLE, THEORIES, etc.
• Use of classic Roman orders
which were standardized by
Renaissance architects
o Tuscan
o Doric
o Ionic
o Corinthian
o Composite
 Early
Renaissance Italy
DESIGN ELEMENTS,
STYLE, THEORIES, etc.

• Astylar - absence of pilasters as

decorative features in the façade

• Rustication – a method of forming

stonework with roughened surfaces and
recessed joints
 Early
Renaissance
BUILDING MATERIALS, TECHNIQUES,
Italy
TECHNOLOGIES USED
• Rusticated masonry
• Marbles (white, yellow, Carrara)
• Pietra Serena
• Pietra Forte
• Brick and terra-cotta
• Travertine
• Timber
 Early
Renaissance
BUILDING TYPES/SPACES
Italy
• Palazzo – a type of
palace-building to which
rusticated masonry was
used giving it a massive
and rugged appearance
 Early
Renaissance
BUILDING TYPES/SPACES
Italy
• Cortile – internal court
surrounded by an
arcade, in a palace or
other edifice
 Early
Renaissance
BUILDING TYPES/SPACES/FEATURES
Italy
• Piano Nobile
principal floor of an Italian palace raised one floor above the ground
• Belvederes and balconies

• Mud fireplaces

• Funnel topped chimneys

 Early
Renaissance
NOTABLE ARCHITECTS
Italy
• Filippo Brunelleschi
• Luciano Laurana
• Donato Bramante
• Michelozzo Michelozzi
• Leon Battista Alberti