NOLLI // PIRANESI

06 SEBASTIANO SERLIO

A FIRST CRITIQUE OF HOMOGENEOUS SPACE

DWELLING FOR A KING BOOK VI: ON HABITATIONS, 1537 C.E

Serlio’s Dwelling for a King is a juxtaposition between interior spatial configuration and exterior expression. The outer facade is completely uniform, and implies no clear hierarchy. This is most evident in the bottom plan drawing (representing the basic DNA of the design), which shows how the inner and outer facades convey a static oval organization. Four points of entry are also articulated the same, and placed symmetrically along the two dominant axes. However, each quadrant of interior space is differentiated. Basic geometries are overlapped and subtracted from the poche, which creates a labrinth of circulation networks that are off axis from each other. Here, the procession of individ-ual rooms is emphasized over an overarching organizational strategy.