Flippo Brunelleschi Case
I chose Brunelleschi’s discovery of the design for the Florence Cathedral’s dome. Brunelleschi had no formal architectural background but when the contest for creating Santa Maria’s dome was announced with a prize of 200 gold florins and possible eternal fame, Brunelleschi grabbed at the opportunity. Filippo Brunelleschi was determined to win the contest and have his double dome design used for the cathedral. Brunelleschi was certain that his design would win because it solved all of the questions being asked. People were asking, “how can a dome be built 150 feet across while starting 180 feet above the ground?” Other concerns included what kind of dome besides the traditional gothic style dome could solve this problem, and could a thousand-ton
dome be structurally supported. There was also the question on how the masonry would be shaped on the octagonal opening to prevent collapse and of course whether there would be enough materials for such a project. Brunelleschi was a genius in his time. He mastered drawing and painting, wood carving, sculpture in silver and bronze, stone setting and more while at the same time doing his goldsmith’s apprenticeship. Later on he also studied optics, gears, weight, motion, and clocks. He worked out linear perspective and spent years discovering the architectural secrets of Rome’s ancient monuments. All of these things that he learned was because he spent time studying the work of people that had gone before him and building off of that. Brunelleschi’s design included two domes with one inside the other. The walls of the dome were bound with tension rings that would keep the dome from collapsing like rings on a barrel. The brick of the outer dome was then precisely laid in a diagonal fashion for added strength. This was all done without the need for ground-based scaffolding. Brunelleschi also created a hoist to help in the project as well as a crane. His design created the largest masonry dome in the world and the tools he invented for it were groundbreaking and unrivaled for hundreds of years. Today, people are still inspired and inquisitive about Brunelleschi’s dome and I am personally grateful for Brunelleschi's innovations.
dome be structurally supported. There was also the question on how the masonry would be shaped on the octagonal opening to prevent collapse and of course whether there would be enough materials for such a project. Brunelleschi was a genius in his time. He mastered drawing and painting, wood carving, sculpture in silver and bronze, stone setting and more while at the same time doing his goldsmith’s apprenticeship. Later on he also studied optics, gears, weight, motion, and clocks. He worked out linear perspective and spent years discovering the architectural secrets of Rome’s ancient monuments. All of these things that he learned was because he spent time studying the work of people that had gone before him and building off of that. Brunelleschi’s design included two domes with one inside the other. The walls of the dome were bound with tension rings that would keep the dome from collapsing like rings on a barrel. The brick of the outer dome was then precisely laid in a diagonal fashion for added strength. This was all done without the need for ground-based scaffolding. Brunelleschi also created a hoist to help in the project as well as a crane. His design created the largest masonry dome in the world and the tools he invented for it were groundbreaking and unrivaled for hundreds of years. Today, people are still inspired and inquisitive about Brunelleschi’s dome and I am personally grateful for Brunelleschi's innovations.