RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE
Ar. Ankita Mishra
After Gothic !!
• Renaissance means “rebirth”
• Renaissance architecture is European architecture
between the early 15th and early 17th centuries.
• Renaissance architects sought to use classical
elements to innovate new structures that were
rooted in history but adapted to a modern world
and the development of cities.
• It demonstrates a conscious revival and
development of certain elements of classical
thought and material culture , particularly
symmetry and classical orders.
• S t y l i s t i c a l l y, R e n a i s s a n c e a r c h i t e c t u r e c a m e a f t e r
the Gothic period and was succeeded by the
Baroque .
• During the High Renaissance , architectural
concepts derived from classical antiquity were
d e v e l o p e d a n d u s e d w i t h g r e a te r s u r e t y.
• The plans of Renaissance buildings typically have
a square, symmetrical appearance in which
proportions are usually based on a module.
• The primary features of 16th century structures,
which fused classical Roman technique with
Renaissance aesthetics, were based in several
foundational architectural concepts: facades,
columns and pilasters, arches, vaults, domes,
windows, and walls.
TYPES
Early Renaissance (1400 – 1500) High Renaissance (1490 – 1527) Late Renaissance (1530 – 1600)
Early Renaissance that began
around 1400 when architects The High Renaissance was a period During the Late Renaissance starting
began to look to antiquity for in which the use of Classical around 1520 (also called Mannerism), the
inspiration and reintroduce elements adapted to contemporary use of decorative and ornamental
Classical Roman 16th-century building styles was in classical elements such as domes and
and Greek elements such as full bloom. cupolas became more widespread.
arches, columns, and domes into
buildings.
Early Renaissance buildings had
symmetrical facades and clear,
streamlined volumes that
marked a change from the more
complex Gothic
proportions that preceded
them.
Architectural Innovations
• Renaissance architecture strove to create harmony between
humans and mathematical proportions by creating a human-scale
classical geometry.
• Renaissance facades are symmetrical around their vertical axis.
• Church façades of this period are generally surmounted by a
pediment and organized by a system of pilasters, arches, and
entablatures .
• The columns and windows show a progression towards the
One of the first true Renaissance façades was the
centre. Cathedral of Pienza (1459–62), which has been attributed
• Use of Roman orders of Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and to the Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known
Composite columns . as Rossellino)
Renaissance Architects found harmony between Human Proportions &
Buildings
Renaissance Architects found harmony between Human Proportions &
Buildings
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy.
• Considered the first Renaissance architect, Filippo
Brunelleschi (1377-1446) is the early Renaissance
pioneer responsible for the famous red brick Duomo at
the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.
• Construction of the cathedral began in the Gothic
period in 1296 and was completed in 1436.
• The majestic dome is not only the building’s crowning
feature, it is a feat of engineering that was ahead of its
time and that influenced many religious buildings in Italy
and around the world.
• Considered by many to be the first Renaissance building,
it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the
city’s most striking and significant landmarks.
Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Italy.
• Located in the heart of Rome-adjacent
Vatican City, Saint Peter’s Basilica is a
masterpiece of Renaissance architecture.
• Constructed between 1506 and 1615,
and overseen at one point by the great
Renaissance sculptor, painter, and
sometime architect Michelangelo (1475-
1564), who spent his final years
overseeing the project, this holy
pilgrimage site and tourist attraction is
one of the most recognizable
Renaissance buildings in the world.
