RENAISSANCE

Location
RENAISSANCE (1400 AD-1600 AD)
Geography

Renaissance began in Florence,

Italy in the early fifteenth
century, encompassing Rome and
Milan, Netherlands, and spread
to the rest of Europe and after
125yrs it reached France.

The Renaissance began to spread

after 1500s to England, Germany,
France, Spain, Poland, and the
Netherlands.
Geography

Italy during the start of the Europe during the renaissance period
Renaissance 1350-1600 AD 1500 AD

Europe during the renaissance period

1650 AD
Impact of city planning in neighboring states

Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, early exhibited a sensate use of the Renaissance tools of city renewal and design.
Originally a Roman camp, laid out on a grid pattern, the later rapid growth of the city was along roads beyond the grid, and was
disorderly.
The five great district churches, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Il Carmen, Santissima Annunciata, and Santa Espirito, became the
focal points around which the life of the city was organized.
The street system was as such that it interconnected the major church buildings , with a careful integration of new and old buildings ,
throughout the renaissance.
Other states starting adopted the planning methods.
Like in Rome architect, Dominico Fontana, planned to establish a major street system interconnecting the seven pilgrimage churches
of Rome. Such an operation would both relieve traffic problems and impress visitors to the city, making all of Rome a single holy
shrine.
The most important city of Southern Italy has been Naples. Rapid growth away from the classical grid pattern centre of the city,
combined with a royalty which had vastly increased its physical domain and temporal powers, brought forth a need to give the
overall city a common bonding arrangement during the 16th Century. To this end, a relatively straight street was constructed to
connect the country palace in the hills behind the city with the city palace, which was located in close proximity to the harbor.
 CHARACTERSTICS:
The preoccupation with symmetry, and the creation of balanced axial compositions were central motifs.
Also of great importance was the placement of monumental buildings, obelisks, and statues at the ends of long, straight streets.
On the basis of their traffic functions Renaissance urban spaces can be grouped under three broad headings:
first, traffic space, forming part of the main urban route system and used by both pedestrians and horsedrawn vehicles
second, residential space, intended for local access traffic only and with a predominantly pedestrian recreational purpose
third, pedestrian space, from which wheeled traffic was normally excluded.
The monument at the end is recompense, as it were, for walking along a straight road (devoid of the surprises and romantic charm of
the twisting streets) and economies are met by keeping the fronting buildings plain so as to enhance the climax--private simplicity
and public magnificence
significance
Perspective was commenced in city planning in
order to create symmetrical buildings that led to a
form of beauty making the Renaissance cities Florence cathedral, Italy
distinctive and unique from their Medieval
antecedents.

The urban centers of this generation also carried a

purpose exceeding that of purely a residence as
an art gallery to showcase the artistic taste of its
partisans.

Furthermore, the application of idealism into

construction led to new mathematical ways of
designing the city. In collaboration with the
implementation of perspective within Capella del
construction, buildings were built using the pazzi
perfect shapes: squares and circles.

The two combined to form a uniquely disciplined

building style that firmly set Renaissance
architecture as one of the most idiosyncratic yet
uncomplicated constructing methods in
architectural history.
Culture and it impact on Architecture and City Planning
The Renaissance was not only a cultural movement associated with arts
but also associated with the study of ancient Greek and Latin works.
There was invention of new techniques and a new way of representing old
ideas and classic works, as well as creating new ones.
The Renaissance became a time in which poets, writers, artists, sculptors
and architects were widely recognized and valued as important
contributors of the society
That was not the case during the earlier years. People did not appreciate
literature as they did in the renaissance.
The reasons being there were not many books that had been printed in
the vernacular. Most books were printed in Greek or Latin and to be
interpreted to the common people by means of the church or highly
educated scholars.
Artists and Architects also help spread the idea of Renaissance. The
Renaissance was greatly focused on the individual and classics. Sculptors,
Artists and Architects combined classic ideas with the humanist idea of
emphasis on an individual. Sculptors focused on creating their subjects as
they would be in a particular moment. Two major sculptors of the age were
Donatello and Michelangelo.
Architects of the Renaissance age began to move away from the Gothic
style that had originated from France and turn to more older Roman styles.
Fillipo Brunelleschi one of the first great architects of the Renaissance. The
Brunelleschi Dome he designed was one of the largest during that time.
The reconstruction of St Peter took two centuries and was finally complete
in the 1600s. Many architects focused on proportions, symmetry and
perspective.
Culture and it impact on Architecture and City Planning
For Painters of the renaissance age it was
harder for them to look for inspiration in
ancient artwork as there was not many works
to study. Instead they got inspiration from
classical sculptors.
Earlier paintings had been of two dimensional
figures and focused on blank backgrounds and
combined many scenes in one painting.
Renaissance paintings focused on one
particular moment or scene in a three
dimensional. Painters of the Renaissance
researched perspective and creating illusion on
a three dimensional area. Italy was introduce
to oil painting and painting on canvas in the
15th century. This greatly expanded the market
work as the cost of art reduced and
transporting pictures became easy.

The Renaissance was a movement which

allowed people to break away from traditional
views, ideas, and practices into a new way to
look at things and a new way of thinking.
Political background
In the 15th century Florence, Venice and Naples extended their power through much of the area that
surrounded them, making the movement of artists possible. This enabled Florence to have significant
artistic influence in Milan, and through Milan, France.
In 1377, the return of the Pope from the Avignon Papacy and the re-establishment of the Papal court in
Rome, brought wealth and importance to that city, as well as a renewal in the importance of the Pope in
Italy, which was further strengthened by the council of Constance in 1417. Successive Popes, especially
Julius II, 150313, sought to extend the Popes temporal power throughout Italy.
Various cities bore rule over the surrounding towns and villages.
Florence , Rome, Milan and Venice were independent cities.
They were constantly feuding with one another.
The nobles of each city were also engaged in their own feuds
Large families had fortified houses or palazzos which contained their family and friends, personal servants
and knights for protection
Family crests were found on buildings commissioned by these families as well as on the shields and
armour of their hired protectors.
Technological achievement and its reflection in planning
THE ROMAN
CONSTRUCTION
TECHNOLOGIES OF
DOMES, VAULTS,
ORDER OF COLUMNS,
ARCHES AND ARCADES
WAS THE BASE OF
THIS NEW STYLE OF
ARCHITECTURE

THE ROMANS HAD THEIR

OWN COLUMN ORDER AS
THE GREEKS.
Technological achievement and its reflection in planning
RENAISSANCE MEANS AWAKENING OR
REVIVAL.
THE ARCHITECTURE STYLE IS BASICALLY THE
REVIVAL OF ROMAN ARCHITECTURE.
THE ARTISTS OF THE RENAISSANCE ERA WERE
SEARCHING THE WAYS OF REVIVING AND
ABSORBING THE METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION
OF ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE , THAT LEAD IN THE NEW FORM
OF ARCHITECTURE.

WWW.FLORENCE INSTITURE.COM

THE FLORENCE CATHEDRAL- THE CATHEDRAL

WAS CONSTRUCTED BY FILLIPO
BRUNELLESCHI LOCATED AT PIAZZA DEL
DUOMOAND WAS COMPLETED IN
THE YEAR 1436.

WWW.ITALIAN-ARCHITECTURE.INFO
Technological achievement and its reflection in planning
THE DOME CONSISTS OF TWO LAYERS, AN INNER
DOME AND THE OUTER DOME.

BOTH DOMES ARE SUPPORTED BY 24 STONE HALF Lantern

ARCHES, OR RIBS, OF CIRCULAR FORM, 2.1 METRES (7
FEET) THICK AT THE BASE AND TAPERING TO 1.5 Oculus
METRES (5 FEET).
Marble Ribs
TO RESIST OUTWARD THRUST, TIE RINGS OF STONE
HELD TOGETHER WITH METAL CRAMPS RUN Outer Dome
HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN THE RIBS. THERE ARE ALSO
TIE RINGS OF OAK TIMBERS JOINED BY METAL Sandstone Chains (6 Levels)
CONNECTORS. THESE MEMBERS KEEP THE DOME IN
ABALANCED POSITION. Spur Walls (Ribs)

THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE WAS BUILT WITHOUT Inner Dome

FORMWORK, THE ARCHES WERE SO HUGE THAT THE
TIMBER SCAFFOLDING COULDNOT BE PROVIDED. Upper Drum

THE HOLLOW DOUBLE DOMED STRUCTURE HAS THE Lower Drum

SAME COFFERED CELING OF THE PANTHEON AS IT
REDUCES WEIGHT OF THE STRUCTURE.

OCULUS DENOTES A CIRCULAR OPENING IN THE

CENTRE OF A DOME OR IN A WALL.
www.westescalante.com
Technological achievement and its reflection in planning
TO INCREASE THE STRENGTH TO THE
STRUCTURE THE ARCHITECT USED A HERRING
BONE PATTERN OF BRICKS.

THE BASE OF THE DOME IS SUPPORTED BY

THE SANDSTONE CHAIN AND HOLDS THE
WALLS OF THE DOME.

THE PANTHEON CAN BE RELATED TO THE

STRUCTURE DUE TO THE COFFERED CEILING, THE
OCULUS AND THE USE OF ARCHES.
www.studyblue.com www.static.ddmcdn.com

www.flickr.com
Architectural character of the cities
Features of Renaissance
Buildings:

Symmetrical arrangement of
windows and doors.
Extensive use of Classical
columns and pilasters.
Triangular pediments.
Square lintels.
Arches.
Domes.
Niches with sculptures.
Architectural character of the cities
PLAN - Renaissance buildings have a square,
symmetrical appearance in which proportions are
usually based on a module.

FACADE - Faades are symmetrical around their vertical

axis.

COLUMNS AND PILASTERS used either as structural,

supporting an arcade or architrave, or purely decorative,
set against a wall in the form of pilasters

ARCHES - Arches are semi-circular or (in the Mannerist St.Peters basilica

style) segmental. Arches are often used in arcades,
supported on piers or columns with capitals.

DOMES - 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.

CEILINGS - refitted with flat or coffered ceilings. They

are not left open as in Medieval architecture. They are
frequently painted or decorated.
Santa maria novella Pazzi chapel
Evolution of planning wrt examples of different towns
1350 TEMPLE OF VESTA
ROME, ITALY

1436 The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fior

AR. Filippo Florence, Italy
Brunelleschi
(1377-1446) Cappella dei Pazzi
1441 Florence, Italy

1472 Santa Mario presso San Satiro

AR. Donato
Milan, Italy
Bramante
(1444-1514) The Tempietto
1502 Rome, Italy
1525 AR. Laurentian Library Florence, Italy
1530 Michelangelo The Lauretian Library Florence, Italy
Bounarroti
1547 St. Peters Basilica Rome, Italy
(1475-1564)
1560
Campidoglio, Rome, Italy

AR. Andrea Villa La Rotonda

1566
Palladio Vincenza, Italy
EARLY RENAISSANCE (1350-1505) HIGH RENAISSANCE (1505-1650)

BAROQUE & ROCOCCO (1650-1789)

SOURCE: WORLDOLOGY
St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the
most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and remains the largest church in the world.
 Facts, Basic Description & Statistics
The construction of St. Peter's, in so far as the church itself is
concerned, was concluded within a period of 176 years
(1450-1626) as a typical Renaissance architectural piece.
The cost of construction including all the additions of the
seventeenth century amounted to about $48,000,000.
The center of the entire structure is the tomb of St.
PeterThe nave elevation was like that of the Lateran
cathedral, with a colonnade supporting a tall wall pierced by
large windows; a similar elevation appeared between the
aisles.
This was a daring construction, contrary to normal Roman
practice (which favored extra-thick walls) and to basic
concepts of engineering.St Peters Treasury, which contains
church ornaments, statues, papal mitres and various
objects, usually gifts of kings or princes.
The design is like a Holy Cross Transept also present

Prezi.com
Prezi.com
 Specifications
Geographic orientation: chancel west, nave east
Total length: 730 feet (220 m)
Total width: 500 feet (150 m)
Interior length including vestibule: 693.8 feet
(211.5 m), more than 1/8 mile.
Total area: 227,070 square feet (21,095 m2), more than 5
acres (20,000 m2).
Internal area: 163,182.2 square feet (3.75 acres;
15,160.12 m2)
Height from pavement to top of cross: 452 feet (138 m)
Faade: 167 feet (51 m) high by 375 feet (114 m) wide
Vestibule: 232.9 feet (71.0 m) feet wide, 44.2 feet (13.5 m)
deep, and 91.8 feet (28.0 m) high
The internal columns and pilasters: 92 feet (28 m) tall
The circumference of the central piers: 240 feet (73 m)
Outer diameter of dome: 137.7 feet (42.0 m)
The drum of the dome: 630 feet (190 m) in circumference
and 65.6 feet (20.0 m) high, rising to 240 feet (73 m) from
the ground
Old and New Basilica

Old St. Peter's Basilica was the 4th-

century church begun by the Emperor
Constantine the Great between 319 and
333 AD.[18]
It was of typical basilical form, a wide
nave and two aisles on each side and an
apsidal end, with the addition of a
transept or bema, giving the building
the shape of a tau cross.
Pope Julius II planned the new basilica in
the 15th century as the church needed
quite a bit of repair.
Michelangelo was appointed chief
architect for the reconstruction of St.
Peter's Basilica

wikipedia
FURTHER SCOPE AND IMPACT ON PLANNING(LOCAL OR
OTHER STATES)
Albertis restricting concept of architectural town planning showcased the methodological difference between the planning of a
Single part of the city vs. the city as a whole .

However, his belief in making the new architecture resemble the old helped shape the renaissance.

This logic worked only in small towns like Pienza and Urbino.

Its impact on the local town planning resulted in Suburbanisation among other things.

Suburbanisation refers to the rise of affordable housing on the outskirts of major cities.

Industrial development initiated growth of cities.

Compartmentalization of the cultural centres, residential centres and commercial/industrial centres.

Source : http://www.goethe.de/kue/arc/dos/dos/sls/zup/en9009642.htm
ANALYSIS

Renaissance means a revival or renewed interest in something.

Ideology spread, during the renaissance period because of the lack of organization within the medieval towns in contrast with the
orderly urbanization of the roman empire .

Medieval streets focused on serviceability hence narrower lanes .

This period was more appearance oriented.

Idealism must be built upon symmetry and proportion to create beauty and balance. If an addition or subtraction of a certain aspect
causes the loss of symmetry, it would make the object less beautiful in the Renaissance sense.

The concept of Perspective by Brunelleschi was present in every stage of the Renaissance.

Source: http://historum.com/blogs/jttwong/991-significance-perspective-idealism-renaissance-city-design.html