Brunelleschi dome construction

To put it mildly, Filippo Brunelleschi wasn't exactly the most conventional choice to transform the landscape of Florence. So when the notoriously hotheaded goldsmith won a competition to design a dome for the city's cathedral in , it may have come as a bit of a shock to the public, who'd been promised a world class cupola for the structure decades earlier.

So how did this unlikely character wind up creating one of the most iconic architectural achievements, well, ever? Brunelleschi's out-of-the-box thinking is very likely what put this enduring Italian landmark on the map and helped solidify his reputation as one of the world's most famous innovators in art and engineering.

Why is brunelleschi's dome so important

When the Florentine fathers announced a contest for the ideal dome design in , architects traveled from all over the world for a shot at fame and a generous gold florin cash prize. But the objective wasn't simple — the dome would have to be almost feet 46 meters across and have to start feet 55 meters above the ground, atop the existing walls of the church, which was built in The other major issue: The building plans didn't include pointed arches or the use of flying buttresses , which are inclined beams that carry a half arch projecting from the walls of a structure to a pier that supports the weight of a roof, dome or vault.

Both of these elements were commonly used in the traditional Gothic style employed by rival cities like Milan. And they were the only known elements that could actually hold up a structure as monumental as the dome of a cathedral — whoever won the contest would need to envision some way around their absence. There wasn't enough wood in Tuscany to construct centering to support the dome and so the design of the dome called for an ingenious solution.

When was the dome of florence cathedral built

Luckily, Brunelleschi had just the solution. To get around the issue, the contest contender proposed building two domes instead of one — one nested inside the other. This technique had never been utilized in dome construction before and to this day is still regarded as a remarkable engineering achievement. While Brunelleschi's conceptual plan intrigued city officials, he was tight-lipped on the details, refusing to explain his exact strategy for completing the project, and even getting into a shouting match with the overseers who called him "a buffoon and a babbler" and had him kicked out of the assembly.

He left few details about the construction of the dome behind, and intentionally obscured details about its construction to minimize the chance that his ingenuity could be easily copied. He was jailed during the construction at the behest of the guild masters of stone and wood but the charges were quickly dropped. And while Brunelleschi managed to bounce back from the snafu and snag the coveted spot as the new dome's architect, he continued to keep the majority of his creative and construction plans concealed.