 | Palladian architecture: Encyclopedia II - Palladian architecture - Palladio's architecture
Palladian architecture - Palladio's architecture
Buildings by Palladio himself are all iin Venice and the Veneto. They include Villa Capra and Villa Badoer, as well as Santa Maria della Salute in Venice. In Palladio's architectural treatises, as well as the buildings he designed and built, he followed the principles defined by the Roman architect Vitruvius and his 15th-century disciple Leone Battista Alberti, who adhered to principles of classical Roman architecture based on mathematical proportions rather than the rich ornamental style also characteristic of the Renaissance.
Palladio always designed his villas with reference to their setting. If on a hill, such as Villa Capra, all facades were designed to be of equal value so that occupants could have fine views in all directions. Also, in such cases, porticos were built on all sides so that occupants could fully appreciate the countryside while being protected from the blazing sun, similar to an American porch today. Palladio sometimes used a loggia as an alternative to the portico. This can most simply be described as a recessed portico, or an internal single storey room, with pierced walls that are open to the elements. Occasionally a loggia would be placed at second floor level over the top of a loggia below, creating what was known as a double loggia. Loggias were sometimes given significance in a facade by being surmounted by a pediment. Villa Godi (illustrated left) has as its focal point a loggia rather than a portico, plus loggias terminating each end of the main building.
Palladio would often model his villa elevations on Roman temple facades. The temple influence, often in a cruciform design, later became a trademark of his work. Palladian villas are usually built with three floors: a rusticated basement or ground floor, containing the service and minor rooms; above this, the piano nobile accessed through a portico reached by a flight of external steps, containing the principal reception and bedrooms; and above this is a low mezzanine floor with secondary bedrooms and accommodation. The proportions of each room within the villa were calculated on simple mathematical ratios like 3:4 and 4:5, and the different rooms within the house were interrelated by these ratios. Earlier architects had used these formulas for balancing a single symmetrical facade, however Palladio's designs related to the whole, usually square, villa.
Palladio deeply considered the dual purpose of his villas as both farmhouses and palatial weekend retreats for wealthy merchant owners. These symmetrical temple-like houses often have equally symmetrical, but low, wings sweeping away from them to accommodate horses, farm animals, and agricultural stores. The wings, sometimes detached and connected to the villa by colonnades, were designed not only to be functional but also to complement and accentuate the villa. They were, however, in no way intended to be part of the main house, and it is in the design and use of these wings that Palladio's followers have most altered his original concepts.
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 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Palladio's architecture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
