Comment

Brunelleschi's Dome

How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
Apr 25, 2011kmoyer rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is an awe inspiring, informative and, at times amusing, account of how Filippo Brunelleschi became the capomaestro in charge of the design of the main dome for the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore and, how over a twenty eight year period, successfully built this architectural wonder, which, some five hundred years later, remains the largest dome of its kind in the world and a jewel in the Florentine landscape. The cathedral itself had been under construction for more than a century before the Dome was ready to be built. It was a complex and difficult design. Much of the architectural knowledge needed to build a stone structure that would maintain its shape through the tension and compression caused {even during high winds and earthquakes} had to be ferreted out – partially through developing models as well as through studying ancient buildings in Rome, Constantinople and the Egypt as well as any ancient texts that had been translated into Latin. This was certainly more of a challenge than it would be today. Also, Brunelleschi’s mechanical engineering knowledge, gained through his training as a goldsmith, proved essential in inventing the equipment needed to hoist and position the heavy materials up to where they were needed in a timely and efficient way. His creativity and skill ensured that the dome was built without the need of a wooden centering structure within it and by avoiding the need of balustrades to so popular with the Gothic cathedrals being built throughout Europe at that time. The political intrigues, personal issues, distracting wars and bureaucratic hurdles that had to be overcome added to the complexity of the challenge. The author successfully reveals the genius behind the building in an informative and interesting way.