Brunelleschi's design of the dome for Florence's cathedral
A church without a roof, seems to be ample motivation to have one installed. However, the church that had begun in 1296 still had no roof over the grandest part in 1418. The problem? How to build a dome 180’ in the air, 150’ across, on top of an octagonal building. Would the weight of the structure fall in upon itself? How would heavy materials be lifted so high? Decades had passed with this problem unresolved. The city fathers of Florence decided to offer 200 gold florins to the person who could come up with a viable design, and eventually Brunelleschi’s was accepted.
The dome was a self-supporting structure utilizing interlocking bricks. The octagonal shape of the walls was followed
A church without a roof, seems to be ample motivation to have one installed. However, the church that had begun in 1296 still had no roof over the grandest part in 1418. The problem? How to build a dome 180’ in the air, 150’ across, on top of an octagonal building. Would the weight of the structure fall in upon itself? How would heavy materials be lifted so high? Decades had passed with this problem unresolved. The city fathers of Florence decided to offer 200 gold florins to the person who could come up with a viable design, and eventually Brunelleschi’s was accepted.
The dome was a self-supporting structure utilizing interlocking bricks. The octagonal shape of the walls was followed