RE-INSERTING BARCHESSA
ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE The aim of this paper is to discuss the evolution through history of the Palladian Villas, how they were conceived as well as their internal configuration of spaces. In addition, the paper will explore their influence beyond the Italian countryside and within different historical contexts. I will compare here Villa Rotonda in Italy (1567) with Chiswick House in the United Kingdom (1760), addressing the main elements that both Villas share, and answering the question: Does Chiswick House might be considered as a successful adaptation of the Palladian architecture two centuries after it golden era? The comparison of these buildings will be done under the frame of the internal space network configuration, taking the texts of Pier Vittorio Aureli and Colin Rowe which describe the main characteristics of the Palladian Villas, framing their main elements such as the Loggias, Symmetry and Proportion, Pitched Roof and Cupola, Staircases and the Barchesse.
PITCHED ROOF AND CUPULA
1760
The sharing elements between Villa Rotonda and Chiswick House mainly consist on the reproduction of the five elements previously mentioned used by Palladio in his Villas. In order to address the different social needs two hundred years before the construction of Villa Rotonda. The incorporation of the lateral Barchesse fulfill the requirement for more internal spaces in Chiswick House. In terms of the landscape connection of the houses, Villa Rotonda correspond to the magnificent Villa more integrated to it, four loggias and staircases, in each façade reinforce it, while Chiswick House is well connected, but only with one loggia in the main façade. Re-inserting classical parameters in the internal spaces network configuration will imply a rigorous order at the time of designing and constructing. The domain knowledge of the architectonic elements, which want to be reproduced; the relationship of them with the context and the use of similar materials will guarantee the success of the re-insertion. The case of Chiswick House can be considered as a successful adaption of the Palladian architecture two centuries after the Renaissance Period. The fact that the architect was the owner helped in the way he arranged the internal space network configuration. Furthermore, the clear decision since the beginning of constructing a Palladian Villa in the Chiswick countryside, with almost the same structure of Villa Rotonda, helped in the development of the project. In the case of Chiswick House the use of neo-Palladian architecture features were facilitated by contextual factors that were quite similar to the case of Villa Rotonda. For example Chiswick house is located in the middle of the countryside; it was built to fulfill the need of a monumental house for an English noble family and also the coincidence that the owner had a special appreciation for the Palladian architecture.
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1567
CHISWICK HOUSE
Concluding, the development and re-insertion of an antique architectural style in a different period of time, represents a challenge for architects, it has to be a rigorous work following the main principles done before in order to achieve a successful building. The comparison between the Palladio and Lord Burlington work show us the importance of taking into account the main principles developed by the architect in the past, the relationship between the building and the context and the adaption of the internal space network configuration according to the evolution of the diverse social group needs.
VILLA ROTONDA
SYMMETRY AND PROPORTION
BARCHESSA
LOGGIA PITCHED ROOF AND CUPULA
STAIRCASES
University College London
The Bartlett School of Architecture MSc. Space Syntax : Architecture and Cities 2017-2018 Architectural Phenomena Dr. Sophia Psarra
Ana Cristina Rodriguez Bautista Student Number: 17130005
Bibliography 1.Aureli, Pier Vittorio “The Geopolitics of the Ideal Villa: Andrea Palladio and the Project of an Anti-Ideal City” in The Possibility of An Absolute Architecture, 2011. 2.Harris, John. The Palladian revival: Lord Burlington, his villa and garden at Chiswick. Yale University Press, 1994. 3.Rowe, Colin “The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays” in The Mathematics of the Ideal Villa and Other Essays. Cambridge Mass: The MIT Press, 1976.