Andrea Palladio

The good ,The bad, The unexpected

THE BEGINNING

• Andrea Palladio – an Italian who lived 500

years ago – is only architect who style is
recognized with a suffix in English ,with
enduring popularity of “Palladianism”.
• He was regarded as greatest architect of 16th
century was born in Padua .
• He was influenced by Greek and Roman
1508-1580 architecture and Vitruvius.
• He contributed four books on architecture ,
“I Quattro Libri Dell”.
JOURNEY

• He was apprenticed to a sculptor in Padua till the age of

16,then he moved to Vicenza and enrolled in guild of the
bricklayers and stonemasons.
• Working as a sculptor, brick mason and stone mason learnt
many aspects and concepts .
• His life transformed when he worked for the humanist poet
and scholar, Gian Giorgio Trissino for a year, where he worked
as a stone mason for reconstruction of Villa Trissino.
• His work was noticed by Trissino, who undertook to expand
his practical experience and he was taken to Rome – where
he studied ruins and public building.
• Palladio looked instead at ruins of the larger public buildings
which were on show, and used this classical inspiration in his
designs.
THE START AND IDEOLOGY

• During the Renaissance period very little was known about

domestic architecture from the Roman Empire - much of it
was yet to be discovered.
• He studied and got back the ideology of Greek and Roman
style with designs and characters of Vitruvius.
• Palladio became known for designing bespoke villas and
country houses for aristocrats in north-east Italy.
• With simplicity and symmetry at the heart of each creation.
• His designs would have a central hall - with suites of rooms
arranged around them.
• Palladio reinvented the architecture of antiquity for
contemporary use.
 CHARACTERISTICS

• Simplicity and
symmetry, visual • Columned
harmony , unity and portico in
• a central hall - beauty residential
with suites of building
rooms arranged
around them. • Integrated classical porticos - covered columned
porches - into domestic house building.
PRINCIPLES
PALLADIO HAD DESIGN BASED ON THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES.

• DRAMATIC EXTERIOR MOTIFS:

Developed three types of elevation-

TYPE 1 TYPE 2 TYPE 3

Loggia pierced Adopted Greek temple style arch Doubled columned loggia
with openings in villa as columned portico with three motifs

Loggia del Capitanio Villa Rotunda Villa Almerico Capra

• ECONOMICAL MATERIALS

Brick and
Stucco were
used as
primary
construction
materials

• BALANCE AND INTERIOR HARMONY

Symmetry, balance and
harmony in designs .
Symmetric plans
mainly circle and
square .
WORKS
• Andrea Palladio designed several Villas and churches and
famous building which exist still today, some of them are Villa
Rotunda, Church of san Giorgio Maggiore, Teatro Olimpico,
Villa Godi, Palladian window
• Major number of works were in north-eastern part of Italy in
city of VICENZA and VENETIA (VENICE).
• He contributed four books on architecture ,
“I Quattro Libri Dell”.
VILLA ROTUNDA

• Characterized by large dome

• Overall plan is symmetric
• Arranged 45 deg to cardinal direction
• Greek and roman influence of style
• Four side entrance portico
• Scale is monumental
• Symmetry of parts were altered by variation in
steps etc, so its is assymmetric in parts but
symmetric overall.
San Giorgio Maggiore
• Symmetrical plan with central
axis.
• Characterized by dome,
columned loggia with three
motifs.(double pediment)
• Located on island near Venice
coast
INFLUENCES
• His books had major influences for centuries.
• His drawings were preserved and were used for designing any
contemporary structures.
EG:

Rastrapati bhavan
INDIA

Library of congress St.Pauls Cathedral

U.S.A U.K
Contemporary examples
ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Palladian window
Teatro Olimpico

Villa Rotunda Cartio (Venice)

DRAWING BY ANDREA PALLADIO
“Beauty will result from the form and the
correspondence of the whole, with respect to
the several parts, of the parts with regard to
each other, and of these again to the whole;
that the structure may appear an entire and
complete body, wherein each member agrees
with the other, and all necessary to compose
what you intend to form.”