Italian Architectural Accomplishments From a Structural Engineer’s Point of View

My recent trip to Italy reminded me of the HGTV television show If Walls Could Talk, where homeowners discovered bits of history of their home through artifacts hidden in the walls of their house. While in Italy, it was more than walls talking to me. Italy was reading a story, conducting a song, producing a film through its buildings, people, restaurants, and landscapes. Italy was alive and wanting to tell a story. Italy did not want to hide its beauty behind the walls of her structures. 

From a structural engineer’s point of view, it was overwhelming to imagine how they built such beautiful, ornate masterpieces without all our modern technologies. When plans for the Duomo Cathedral in Florence, Italy were created, the ideas were so ambitious, the builders did not even know how they were going to accomplish it! Trial and error and many changed plans created this often sought after building for thousands to visit each year. Florence was patient in the 500 plus years it took to complete this masterpiece. 

Duomo Cathedral:  The use of domes in cathedrals were to represent the heavens which explains why angels and saints were depicted in the art within a dome.

Today as engineers, we are required to provide drawings, documents, material, and design specifications before a project begins. In essence, plans are made, and the goal is to not have massive changes made or the project to take 500 plus years to complete! Can you imagine our customer satisfaction if we took hundreds of years to complete our projects?

My visit to The Pantheon was no less impressive. The Pantheon did not take 500 plus years to complete much to the relief of the Romans. A unique feature of The Pantheon is its unreinforced concrete dome. The dome of The Pantheon does not have angels or saints represented, perhaps because of the definition of The Pantheon which means “all the gods of the people” and perhaps was to be used as a temple for many religions. Today, The Pantheon functions as a Catholic Church and regularly holds mass while being a favorite destination for tourists.

The Pantheon:  There are not a lot of written records for The Pantheon, however it is theory that the purpose of the building was to worship Roman gods.

It is an understatement to say that I was impressed with the structural artforms and ornate details of the buildings in Italy. The history of the buildings speaks through the walls and is shown in artwork painted on the walls and structural forms used. Needless to say, I enjoyed my trip to Italy and can’t wait to hear the walls speak to me again…perhaps another trip. 

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