21.8 Lessons of Rome - Part 8 - Conclusions

Conclusions

In Rome with its countless monuments, the most appealing buildings where those stripped of the embellishments. The scale of St. Peters is enough to leave anyone in awe, but the abundance and variety of decoration allows very little to be comprehendible. The simplicity of Roman masonry construction with its clear structural logic is something both aesthetically pleasing and easily comprehendible.

Santa Costanza, Rome

The most memorable building for this viewer is the church of Santa Costanza (see photos). The building is a circular plan with and outer layer composed of thick wall of niches and an inner layer a screen of paired columns. The zone between the columns and the thick wall is a continuous barrel vault and the center space is a domed ceiling. The applied decoration is minimal consisting of mosaics on the barrel vault. 

 

The remaining structure is composed of marble columns and masonry construction. The beauty of the church comes from the expression of the curved surface as it is revealed by the modularity of the masonry construction and paired columns. This combination of an extremely simple plan diagram and construction technique makes the space breath taking and a good argument of “less is more”.

"Relaxing" On the Trevi Fountain

Reprinted from
Bertram Wong

7 September 1982

USC Summer Program in Rome
(all sketches copyright Bertram Wong, no reproduction without permission)


See

Part 1 - Experiencing the City

Part 2 - Windows

Part 3 - Construction of Walls and Openings

Part 4 - Rooms

Part 5 - Courtyards

Part 6 - Piazzas

Part 7 - Porticos
Part 8 - Conclusion

Jiwa Studio

Singapore, February 2012
http://jiwastudioweb.blogspot.com/