CLOSE READING AND FORMAL ANALYSIS
FALL 2019 YALE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE PROF : PETER EISENMAN TF : SCOTT SIMPSON
TAKUOMI SAMEJIMA
CONTENTS
01. BRUNELLESCHI 02. ALBERTI 03. BRAMANTE 04. SERLIO 05. PALLADIO 06. VIGNOLA 07. BORROMINI 08. BERNINI AND RAINALDI 09. NOLLI AND PIRANESI 10. ROMANO
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01. BRUNELLESCHI
SAN LORENZO / SANTO SPIRITO
Florence, Italy
The diagram depicts the difference of spatial hierarchy and the directional force that unifies each structure by comparing the arrangement of the sidewall adjuscent to the aisle. In San Lorenzo, the side-wall is constructed by a series of rectangular pillar, which each volumes are placed inward the side-chapel, creating a disjunctive surface between side-chapel and the aisle. The surface not only implies a strong hierarchy from side-chapel to nave, but strengthens the linear spatial force towards the central dome. The round aperture placed in this same surface reinforces this effect by showing the exterior view through the window. In contrary, the side-wall in Saint Spirito is composed of a series of half-exposed circular pillar irrupting into the aisle, which uniforms with the circular columns in the central nave. Thus, it implies a centrifugal uniformity of pillars from the central dome, indicating an infinite expansion of the spatial module even outside the sidewall. In fact, when an individual stands in the nave, the side-wall will appear as a continuous overlap of circular columns, preventing the viewer to see the end-surface of the church. The conceptual idea embedded in the plan of San Lorenzo can be argued as a creation of spatial hierarchy, whereas Saint Spirito implies a virtual elongation of the interior space.
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02. ALBERTI
TEMPIO MALATESTIANO
Rimini, Italy
In Tempio Malatestiano, Alberti emphasises the harmonious order shown in the bay of the facade by creating a dissonant relationship with the underlying structure of the precedent figure. While the order of the window openings on the older facade does not express any rythmical repetition, the outer facade renovated by Alberti clearly shows a renaissance style by arranging the bay in an equal repetition, which totally does not communicate with the window openings of the former facade. The only correlation that can be seen between the precedent and the latter design is that the column of the bay does not overlap with the window opening, barely allowing the windows to maintain its function. In fact, Alberti takes the previous structure as an anti-thesis for his design, and overcomes it by intentionally and uncompromisingly overlaying a totally another language of design. This attitude implies the emergence of the concept of “supplement”, one of Alberti’s invention, which is an element or rule outside of the identified whole that reflects and emphasises the significant aspect of the whole itself. Here, the previous structure is taken in as a supplement apart from the whole, juxtaposed with the pure design done by Alberti, which shows the play of part to whole relationship as a critical method of design.
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03. BRAMANTE
SANTA MARIA DELLA PACE / PALAZZO DUCALE
Rome and Urbino, Italy
The distinct attitude of the corners in the cortile of Santa Maria Della Pace and Palazzo Ducale is an indication of two different conception of the surface encompassing the cortile: four individual surface VS one unified surface. In Santa Maria Della Pace, the ionic pilaster attached to the column maintains a rhythmical alignment until it collides at the corner, creating unusual fragments in an uncompromising manner. When the corner is cut and opened up, one can observe that the fragments can be merged with the cutting section as a whole, radically exposing the physical continuity of the two surfaces, indicating that the entire surface surrounding the cortile are merged as one. On the other hand, the same procedure in Palazzo Ducale will cut through and open up the quartered round column attached at the back of the corner, exposing a conceptual gap between the two masses. The gap is an indication of two seperate surfaces, which implies that the space of the cortile in Palazzo Ducale is intended to be identified through four independent surfaces. The extreme merging of the facades and the appearance of the fragmented parts of the pilaster in Santa Maria Della Pace can be argued as a result of compression of five bay system, which is the case of Palazzo Ducale, into the scale of four bay system.
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04. SERLIO
DWELLING FOR A PRINCE
The Sixth Book, Plate XX
Serlio’s palazzo inventions thoroughly shows the appearance of Mannerist style, which can be seen by the articulation of the interior rooms that does not relate to each other, nor with the exterior periphery of the palazzo. The diagram depicts the three distinct methods of this breaking of the synthesis using one of the hexagon palazzo, by dividing the palazzo in four pairs of equal module defined by the regular hexagon, while counter-positioning each of the interior rooms located at the corner of the palazzo. The first pair of rooms are symmetrically facing each other in terms of geometry, while showing an asymmetrical attitude within the interior room itself. The second pair are symmetrically oriented, although the overall periphery of the room does not correlate to each other. Unlike the previous couple of rooms, the third pair are drawn as an extension of the interior room involved in the adjascent module, which cannot be equally divided at the corner of the hexagon. Due to this, the third pair radically exceeds from the identified module of the exterior periphery, while completely showing no correlationship in terms of its overall shape. This experiment and juxtaposition of different methods to break the part to whole relationship shown in a single drawing is the true Mannerist invention done by Serlio.
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05. PALLADIO
SAN GIORGIO MAGGIORE / Il REDENTORE
Venice, Italy
The compositional elements of San Giorgio Maggiore and Il Redentore shows a certain degree of similarity which implies the overlaying of latter concept on the former example. In San Giorgio Maggiore, the central nave penetrates the transept and central dome providing a rigorous central axis as a dominant element of the entire composition of the church. In contrary, the axis of the central nave in Il redentore does not penetrate the entire church. Instead, it suspends on top of the central dome with an additive apse, which its width does not align with the width of the central nave. In fact, the width of the central nave is defined by the dome, indicating that the composition of Il Redentore is decided by superimposing the proportion of the dome on to the structure of San Giorgio Maggiore. The evidence can also be seen in the distinct attitude of the ceiling, which is rendered as a planar surface in the former example, while in the latter, the ceiling is rendered as a mass delineated by the identified gap of the two composition. This superimposition is implied on the facade, by expressing the width of the gap as the span of the pilaster, while the width of the apse in San Giorgio Maggiore transforms into niches, expressing the play of the language and proportion, thoroughly observed in Palladio’s works.
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06. VIGNOLA
VILLA GIULIA
Rome, Italy
Villa Giulia is one of the examples that shows the inventive method of using architectural elements as a series of frame, in order to signify the concept of the developed space. This attitude and play of language can be seen through the two cortiles that show a distinct characteristic, as well as with the relationship with the composition of the main facade. By observing the facade, one can realize that openings and niches are framed in an equal triplet condition by the pilasters, which emphasises the legibility of the main entrance. This similar language can also be seen in the surface of the wall encompassing the two subsequent cortile, which critically shows a distinct manner. In the main cortile, three sets of framed triplets can be identified on the surface, however, one part of the triplet missing in the frames arranged at the edge of the wall. By doing so, this cortile shows an open-ended condition towards the main axis, which allows to embrace the next cortile and building within its realm. The second cortile shows the exact same language with the prior cortile, although here, the framed triplets on the edge are in a perfect condition, which implies the complete enclosure of this space that consequently allows the cortile to be joined with the subsequent wall strucuture, physically closing the cortile.
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07. BORROMINI
SANT’ IVO / SAN CARLO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE
Rome, Italy
While San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane and Sant Ivo shares series of perfect circle as the same underlying geometry, they are articulated in a different attitude, which the former church creates a smooth interior space while the latter shows the concept of striated space produced by the overlaying of the geometry. In San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane, the underlying circles are encompassing the entire space of the church tangent with a seemless outline described as the surface wall. The identified outline is seemlessly articulated by the niches on the surface wall, that functions as a signifying element of the hinge point. By rotating the geometries by the found hinge point, the hypocenter of each circles can be aligned in one single line, which shows the embedded smoothness and free formed characteristic of the inner space in the former church. In contrary, each interior surface of Sant Ivo are articulated by the corner of the underlied triangle, which similarly functions as the hinge point identified in the former church. However, the rotation of the geometry from this hinge point does not result in the alignment of circles, which implies that the play of shift and overlay of geometries are the dominant concept creating the interior, rather than the articulation of smooth surface in San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane.
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08. BERNINI AND RAINALDI
SANTA MARIA IN MONTESANTO / SANTA MARIA DEI MIRACOLI
Rome, Italy
The two churches in Piazza Del Popolo can be seen as a comparison between emerging Baroque style and the part to whole relationship observed in renaissance architecture. In Santa Maria Dei Miracoli, the monolithic center of the square circle can be identified as the only generator of the overall plan, which unifies the location of the side chapel and the orientation of the pilaster. The effect of the mono-centered geometry extends beyond the surface of the space defining the arrangement of the massed poche encompassing the central dome, creating an oblique poche surface aligned to the radius of the square circle interfering into the central nave. In comparison, Santa Maria in Montesanto indicates it’s multi centered organization through the arrangement of side chapel and the pilaster, which cannot be reduced to a single geometry as a generator of the plan, implying an overlap of several geometries. In contrary to Santa Maria Dei Miracoli, the surface of the poche aligns to the axis of the central nave, which strengthens the penetration of a rectangular volume as another underlying geometry composing the interior of the church. The mulltiple overlap of geometry in Santa Maria Dei Miracoli creates a dynamic development of the interior space, distinguishing itself from the prior renaissance examples.
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09. NOLLI AND PIRANESI
NOLLI MAP / CAMPO MARZIO
Rome, Italy
What makes Piranesi’s Campo Marzio unique, apart from Nolli’s Figure-Ground map, is the enormous scale of the identified figures that are composed by particles of structures, drawn as numerous poches in the map. While Nolli’s map easily allows us to delineate the Interior-Public space that of a church, the equivalent space in Campo Marzio can only be estimated by arrangements of poche that seems to encompass a particular void. Simultaneously, while exterior streets are identified as an inversion of the figured buildings in Nolli’s map, Piranesi’s notion of streets are incorporated into the figure, loosely defined by the alignments of grained poche. The arrangements of the poche additionally implies Piranesi’s obsession towards historical tombs composed of stone stacking, which in Campo Marzio, act as an obstruction of peoples movement, that simultaneously blurs, but incorporates the distinction between the notion of Interior - Exterior, Private - Public spaces. In conclusion, it is possible to argue that the rendering of the drawing in Campo Marzio shows Piranesi’s attitude to re-invent the conception of architecture as a figure that can intentionally encompass architectural space and streets at the same time, not as an object that defines streets and space as its remnant, shown in Nolli’s map.
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10. ROMANO
PALAZZO DEL TE
Mantua, Italy
The extreme example of Mannerism architecture shows its dynamic play of moduled spaces within the floor plan through series of radical arrangement of architectural elements, which can be described as a signifier and signified relationship, that gives the clue to indicate the process of the play. The arrangement of strangely combined sets of columns and the derivation of walls in an additive manner, signifies the equal shift both in vertical and horizontal way, thoroughly seen in the entire composition of the building. This signified shift can be observed by the mismatch of the center line of the north facade and the hypocenter of the cortile. Due to this shift, the inner moduled rooms incorporated in the north building also makes a shift, slightly exceeding from the proportion of the periphery of the inner courtyard , which consequently create unique narrow rooms that does not correlate with the dominant organization of other rooms in the villa. This identified shift explains the unequal arrangement of pilasters attached to the north facade, which relates with the width of narrow rooms, implying the dynamic interlock and play of the interior rooms in Palazzo Del Te. Although the radicality of this work done by Romano, the process is underlied by series of identified signifier and signified relationship.
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