The Grand Dome of the Florence Cathedral
-
Built without scaffolding!!!
(Florence is one city (among others LOL that) I would like to visit!)
"The Florence Cathedral is, without doubt, one of the great feats of Renaissance engineering. The cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flower), a reference to the lily, Florence’s emblem. Its iconic and ingenious dome, which architect Filippo Brunelleschi completed in 1436, brought to fruition a project that had begun 140 years earlier."
"The judges were really looking for a new engineering system to support the huge dome while it was under construction. Some proposals envisaged wooden props supporting the walls of the dome while it was going up. Another alternative was to fill the transept with sand to create a mound on which the dome would rest during construction, a solution the Opera del Duomo rejected. Brunelleschi, meanwhile, offered a startling and radical proposal: He claimed that he would build the vast dome without using any support systems at all.
This idea caused a sensation; no one could grasp how it would work. Although Brunelleschi refused to reveal the engineering details, he was such a respected architect and had performed so well on other projects for the wool guild that he clinched the commission. "
-
Sorry about the paywall. I have subscription to National Geographic and did not realize that some required that to see the article.
-
Been there. Up the steps. The view is a little vertiginous. But then I’m not the one who goes up to the Empire State Building observation deck.
