Vitruvius

In a series of ten works, estimated to be more archaic than the Christian scriptures of the Old Testament. Vitruvius, a Roman architect and engineer, wrote the treatise: De architectura – based on a set of principles concerned with the theory of architecture, also known as the Vitruvian triad. He highlights the importance of structural integrity, utility and function, and the honesty of true beauty defined by a paradigm of, “firmness, commodity and delight.” Vitruvius’ writings established a concept that influenced the craft of architecture developed to be the essential components of successful architectural design as the craft progressed through centuries. Book I, emphasizes the importance of education in many branches of study an architect should be trained in. “……

Rapson Hall: Sampling and Blending the Past In the first century BC the architect Vitruvius wrote that architecture is made up of three separate elements: Utilitas, Firmitas, and Venustas.5 In ABC of Architecture, James O’Gorman focuses on Utilitas, or the functional aspects of a building, to analyze types of architecture. He does this through examining plan, beginning with a belief that plan is “the developed diagram of function”4 and that the way the building is to be used is created as the…

specimen in society compared to others. Naini also discusses that when recognizing a beautiful face, it doesn’t necessarily mean whoever the judge is, is attracted to that individual. However, it does show that the judge can recognize an individual who is universally attractive and understand and agree why others also find that person good-looking. Naini writes that “After all, when we describe a face as beautiful, we do not merely mean that it pleases us. We are describing the face, not our…

The Renaissance affected the flowering of culture in Europe socially with the revival of Greek and Roman arts as well as humanistic beliefs, politically with the flowering of arts affecting the leaders of cities and with the growth of the church, and economically in a lack of emphasis placed on wealth and an influx of improved inventions. Ancient Greek and Roman aspects, such as art and humanism, resurfaced during the Renaissance and affected Western Europe socially. An Italian scholar,…

Palladio was often celebrated as an architect of economy as he was cleverly able to achieve the aesthetic which appeased his upper class patrons by selectively using luxurious materials. In the case of Villa Barbaro, built of rough brickwork coated with stucco, this allowed for the simulation of marble without the use of the sumptuous stone (Ackerman & Massar, 1974). Palladio was able to describe the elements which determine the usability of certain prevalent materials in his Four Books of…

According to Vitruvius, beauty in architecture is derived from proportion and order in relation to a building’s function and appearance. Mississippi State’s Chapel of Memories is a shining example of form and function, serving as an important part of campus history and a beautiful landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere. The first and most important of Vitruvius’ three principles of architecture is function; without it, a building is a statue, rather than real architecture. Not only is…

Casa Malaparte was designed by Architect Adalberto Libera. It is located at 0073 Capri Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy which was designed for client, Curzio Malaparte. The structure contains spaces that are similar in shape and size of most homes. The rooms are squaredm but what makes the structure have an interesting circulation are the stepped levels of each floor. The Villa has stairs as wide as the whole structure which leads to the terrace. These stairs were designed to reduce vertigo…

During the late 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci introduced the drawing of the Vitruvian man in the architecture world. This drawing eventually becomes a fundamental element throughout the centuries. Most of the architects design their buildings by using this principle. However, after all these years of transformation of one architecture style to another, one question is raised - is there any other ways architecture an embodied process? In this essay, I am going to discuss about another method of…

of technologies essential to the progress of ancient Rome. Due to their importance architects were held to standards of skill and knowledge. Vitruvius states in his mechanical treatise De Architectura that an architect must be “ingenious and apt in the acquisition…

Purpose The purpose of this lab is to discover if the theory that the proportions that Vitruvius has set out for us are accurate. This lab will test the theories that Vitruvius has set out. This will also test the measuring skills and mathematical skills of the data taker. Background Information Vitruvius’ idea that a lasting idea of beauty could be learned from the 'truth of nature', that nature's designs were based on universal laws of proportion and symmetry. Vitruvius thought that the…