ALTERNATIVES

In the alternatives unit we talked about testing the boundaries and breaking the rules. A lot of this talk revolved around renaissance. The renaissance was a time of change in many different aspects. In the renaissance new buildings were designed using new materials and new mechanical devices. 

Designers such as Michealangelo pushed boundaries and made many changes that stuck with the design that is produced today. A good example of the transition into the renaissance is the Pazzi chapel in florence. The Pazzi chapel stayed close to it's roman routes, it has a porch, court, and hearth structure, and a dome supported by a pendentive but it also has many different altercations that separate it from previous designs.

In the new sacristy at St. Lorenzo, Michealengelo produced a more fluid feel. He broke the rules. Michealangelo changed the statues so that they projected from the walls and made it seem as though the entire building rushed upward in height.  This is a common theme for Michealangelo to take standard pieces of architecture and change their scale into something much larger. For example the columns rise two or three stories instead of one. 

  In the Laurentine Library we see the vestibule with its stars and walls. The stars represent rising to the occasion, being lifted up, and an achievement, or knowledge being gained. One of the most unique features of the laurentine library is that the columns are pushed back into the walls while still being visible, which contributes to the fluidity of the new renaissance ideals. 

In the St. Pietro space becomes much more regular and public. Uniform shapes are used and interior detail is used in the exterior. It's like a set design and the world is the stage. 

In the Baldacchino movement is created through the stone formation and columns have surface detail.

In the renaissance people started to focus more on landscape gardening, and planning in the renaissance. This was a french idealism. This focus on the landscape showed wealth. These landscapes stretched long distances, they included very detailed and gorgeous statues for lavish enjoyment, and included fountains all throughout a very wide open space. 

  The renaissance changed many things. Instead of continuing on the design principles already in place the architects of the renaissance changed things to be more fluid and uplifting. Details were enlarged, hidden, and more detailed in order to obtain this uplifting fluidity. 

In all design we need to understand and consider alternatives. We must always be thinking outside of the box. Even by changing some small detail in a standard design we make it stand out from the others. In order to be successful we must draw from previous designs and then create something completely unique.