Scribd
Upload
184 views1 page

Did You Know?: Meet The Architect: Filippo Brunelleschi

This document provides a biography of the Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi and discusses his innovative solution to building the dome of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy in 1418. It explains that Brunelleschi, inspired by ancient Roman architecture, proposed building two domes - an inner dome within an outer dome - to support the enormous dome structure where previous designs had failed. This innovative double-shell dome design allowed the inner dome to span the opening and support the outer dome, and the structure still stands nearly 600 years later.

Uploaded by

Hartford Courant
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
184 views1 page

Did You Know?: Meet The Architect: Filippo Brunelleschi

This document provides a biography of the Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi and discusses his innovative solution to building the dome of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy in 1418. It explains that Brunelleschi, inspired by ancient Roman architecture, proposed building two domes - an inner dome within an outer dome - to support the enormous dome structure where previous designs had failed. This innovative double-shell dome design allowed the inner dome to span the opening and support the outer dome, and the structure still stands nearly 600 years later.

Uploaded by

Hartford Courant
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Common Core State Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W3.1-3.5 through 8.1-8.5; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.1-3.

3 through
8.1-8.3; CCSS ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7 and 4.7; CCS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8

Meet the Architect: Filippo Brunelleschi


In 1418, people in the city of Florence were building a big cathedral called Basilica
of Santa Maria del Fiore. Their design called for an enormous dome to be put on
top of the church, but no one was quite sure how to build it. How could they make a
dome that large? It would be too heavy to stay up. It had to span too far a distance
to support its’ own weight. Unsure of what to do, they asked the community if any-
one could solve this problem. A young goldsmith named Filippo Brunelleschi had
traveled to Rome to study ancient architecture. The ancient Romans were brilliant
engineers who were fascinated with math
and proportions, and had solved many dif-
ficult design questions in the past. Based on
what he had learned from them, Filippo had
the solution. Don’t build one dome. Build
• Born in 1377 in Florence TWO domes – one inside the other! The
• Sculptor, architect, inventor dome on top could protect the inner dome
from the elements. The smaller dome on the
• Brought ancient Greek/
inside could span the opening and provide
Roman styles to European the support the heavy outer dome needed
architecture to stay on top of the cathedral. He did such
a good job that the dome is still there today,
nearly SIX HUNDRED years later!

DID YOU KNOW?


Filippo had also trained as a sculptor, but he lost a
contest to make the large, bronze doors for the Flor-
ence Baptistery. Because of this failure, he changed
his goals, focused on architecture instead, and had a
brilliant career in architecture.

You might also like