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Elements and Materials

Dome

Structural Element

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The arch rotated into a shell, spanning space in every direction at once and thrusting outward around its whole rim. From the concrete hemisphere of the Pantheon through Hagia Sophia, Brunelleschi's double shell at Florence and Michelangelo's at St. Peter's, the dome has been architecture's most prestigious problem, each great solution a summary of its era's engineering.

Facts
Element Kind
Structural element 1
First Used Era
Ancient; monumental use from Rome 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Geodesic Dome, Elements and Materials

A geodesic dome is a modern, triangulated structural refinement of the ancient masonry dome, trading compression-only shell action for a lightweight rigid lattice.

Vault, Elements and Materials

A dome is a vault rotated around a central vertical axis, closing the shell in every direction at once.

Source Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of ArchitectureBanister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition)

Seen In

Florence Cathedral, Buildings and Structures

The largest masonry dome in the world.

Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Hagia Sophia, Buildings and Structures
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
St. Peter's Basilica, Buildings and Structures
Source Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of ArchitectureBanister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition)
Taj Mahal, Buildings and Structures
Source Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of ArchitectureBanister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition)
The Pantheon, Buildings and Structures
Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Villa Rotonda, Buildings and Structures
Source Wikipedia
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996General history, domed construction
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996Seen In: St. Peter's Basilica
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996Seen In: Taj Mahal
Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture
Banister Fletcher, edited by Dan Cruickshank (20th edition), Architectural Press, 1996Associated With: Vault, General history, structural elements chapter, on the dome as a rotated vault
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Villa Rotonda, Villa Rotonda, description of the central rotundaView the Source
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