Running Head: FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI VS. JEAN NOUVEL
Comparing Filippo Brunelleschi vs. Jean Nouvel
Renaissance Designer Compared to a Modern Architect
Bronson Bass
11/18/2013
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FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI VS. JEAN NOUVEL
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Abstract
This paper will show the differences of these two designers: Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377, and Jean
Nouvel 1945. Both of these designers are extremely important to the modern day world having
brought their own scoop into this world. Brunelleschi shows creative thinking that works for his
time era, and Nouvel shows a creative aspect in retrospect to the modern skyscrapers and other
architectural works. A problem with plagiarism in the renaissance caused Brunelleschi to be
frightened to share any of his ideas that would not fall though, causing him to be put on a back
shelf in history. Jean Nouvel has become a well know architect within the last decade or so by
accomplishing amazing technological advanced buildings that have camera like lenses on the
windows, and designs such as a sky tower
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Introduction
Ross King’s writing in his novel Brunelleschi’s Dome (2000) does a very well executed
background check on clock maker and master goldsmith, Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi was
driven by his own passion for all of his accomplishments throughout his career. Only working
with basic materials and being in a time era where everything could only be hand crafted madefor accomplishing architectural structures at extreme inconveniences. Iovine, J. (2013) describes
modern day architect Jean Nouvel as one of the most recognizable names in architecture. Iovine
expands on the fact that all of Nouvel’s work is so diverse that it is often hard to recognize it as
his. Jean Nouvel has created many works of architecture that are incredibly outstanding, making
him a great comparison for Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi had a very difficult time allowing for
others to view his works, or of his studies, making him unseen by most; but if he had
documented his findings he would be better known for an architect and for his designs for the
renaissance time. Jean Nouvel, being in an era of discovery, has made clear documentation of his
works allowing him to be a well-known architect.
Early Life and Education
Filippo Brunelleschi lived in the San Giovanni district of Florence with his family. With
living just west of a major building project that had been on-going for a better portion of
Brunelleschi’s life was probably therefore a major topic of conversation in the family home;
King adds in his book (2000). Brunelleschi’s father, Ser Brunellesco di Lippo Lappi, was
disappointed by his son’s lack of desire to become a notary, but he let his son be an apprentice to
a family friend, goldsmith Benincasa Lotti. Being a gold-smith meant constant involvement in an
unsafe environment, with constant high temperatures, danger of explosions, noxious substances,
FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI VS. JEAN NOUVEL
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and mostly located in the slums of neighborhoods. Brunelleschi became a master goldsmith in
1398 at the age of twenty-one. At this same time, Brunelleschi began studying the science of
motion in weights, wheels, and gears. He invented one of the first ever alarm clocks, but there is
no evidence today to back this up. This was just the first of his many inventions (King, 2000).
Jean Nouvel is a French architect, born August 12, 1945 and is 68 years old. Nouvel has
started and finished many buildings and projects throughout his time as an architect. Nouvel
passed the admissions examination in 1966 for the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
and by the age of twenty five he had finished school and started his own practice. Nouvel lived
with his parents for the better part of his childhood before going on his own for his studies.
(Casamonti, 2009 p.31)
Major Roles for Careers
One of the major roles in Brunelleschi’s career was the competition for the bronze doors
of the Baptistery of San Giovanni in 1401 against Giovanni de Lapo Ghini and Neri De
Fioravanti. The rules were to produce a scene from Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac as described in
Genesis 22:2-13. Later in the competition, when Brunelleschi was told to work alongside
Lorenzo Brunelleschi, he withdrew from the competition. Brunelleschi decided to leave Florence
and go to Rome for fifteen years where he would make clocks and set gems to support himself
while he studied the ruins of ancient Rome. Brunelleschi brought another Florentine, a young
sculptor, Donatello. Together they studied the ancient ruins, but kept it secret so that their
journey was to be of unknown characteristics.
Jean Nouvel had some competitions in his life, such as the competition of the institute of
Monde Arabe. (Casamonti, 2009 p.31) This was a major step for Nouvel as it was the peak of his
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career (Casamonti, 2009). He executed studies that show how light can be captured and
controlled. This building, acting like a camera, allows for select amounts of light to come
through during the day (McGraw, 2012). This innovative design is why Nouvel is such a great
comparison to Brunelleschi. Nouvel and Brunelleschi both had troubles trying to explain why
this would work. Nouvel, with a much greater use of technology and manufactured meterials,
had an easy win. But Brunelleschi had to support his with evidence and models that would end
up being the size of small houses made of brick.
Inspirations and Methods
Having been raised around an uncompleted dome, Brunelleschi must have taken an
interest in how the dome could have been vaulted. Paying attention to how the ancient Romans
used their methods, Brunelleschi looked into projects such as The Domus Aurea, which uses
concrete. This building has an octagonal room with a span of thirty five feet which was the
largest dome of the time. The Domus Aurea has no supports, making it defy gravity, and also
making skeptical viewers call it the “house of devils” (King, 2000 p.27). A common architectural
phenomena dealing with the different forces of gravity is known as compression and tension. All
the elements in all buildings experience these actions. When compressed from above, the weight
causes them to shorten; or when pulled from side to side, it causes the supports to stretch Most
architects counteract this by simply making the forces play-off each other. But the hoop stress is
a major concern of architects when it comes to domes. But, the Romans seemed to create a way
to work around this problem. They made the bottom portion of the dome a huge width of twenty
three feet wide, which tapers to the top where a round opening at the top of the dome is exposed.
This project of the Pantheon showed proof to Brunelleschi that it is possible to have a space so
huge but still supported.
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Having all of this new information gathered from Rome, Brunelleschi returned to
Florence in about 1417. He was middle aged now, so his appearance was altered some. He was
thin, short, bald, with a weird nose, and wore dirty disheveled clothing, according to King (2000
p.33). He was not married because he thought that having a wife would distract from the
importance of studying. Even though Brunelleschi had completed very little in his career, in
terms of building and architectural achievements, the wardens of the Opera del Duomo were
looking for him and his ideas with his great understandings with the Roman ruins. The only
accomplishment for his background in building is when Brunelleschi built a home for his
kinsman near Mercato Vecchio. When he became involved in the cupola project he was paid ten
florins for the drawing plans of the dome by the Opera. In Brunelleschi’s painting of the dome
model was a new term, perspective drawing. This captures a three dimensional image on a two
dimensional surface. He even went as far as drilling a small hole into the vanishing point of the
painting in order to make it more convincing that it actually vanishes. Moreover, in this huge
project there were many problems to be met. The first huge issue was scaffolding, centering, and
loading platforms. 135 beams that were 900 feet long were used only for this portion of the
building project; using a huge amount of 700 trees. Removing the centering would be the most
hazardous operation of the entire building process to come.
Nouvel, as in most modern architects, are likely use this “vanishing point” as a drawing
method as it truly does help with perspective. Also with modern day advances scaffolding is
something we can simply put up, and take down, rather quickly and efficiently. Unlike
Brunelleschi, Nouvel has yet to construct a building that the main focus is a dome like the Santa
Maria del Fiore. With modern day materials it is much cheaper, faster, and, most importantly,
safer, for a dome to be constructed.A dome like style is often saved for state and national
FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI VS. JEAN NOUVEL
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government type buildings to show hierarchy and the symbolize how equality is represented in
the dome.
Collogues, Designs, And Inventions
Donatello: Brunelleschi’s friend from his Roman travels, and Nani di Banco: the son of
the previous head designer and two other craftsmen helped Brunelleschi create a brick model of
the cupola to present to the Opera. Ninety days later the model was constructed. It was the size of
a small building or home which used over five thousand bricks. In the process of choosing the
capomaestro Brunelleschi simply won over the Opera by cracking open an egg as stating “…they
would know how to vault the cupola, too, if only they knew my plans…” (King, 2000 p.42)
Lorenzo Ghiberti is a rival of Brunelleschi’s he was the one who was going to be partners of his
in the casting of the bronze doors before Brunelleschi went to Rome. He, unlike Brunelleschi,
was good looking and married. Brunelleschi always came up with designs quickly, and had a
plentiful amount of inventions under his belt. He had invented the half hour clock, which would
chime every half hour. And with this new invention it appears he was a strict master. In the
summer of 1420, Brunelleschi invented a better, more improved, hoist to lift up the heavy
materials needed for the completion of the dome.
With modern conveniences, Nouvel did not need to come up with a new incredible
design to make his plans fall through. Nouvel is, unlike Brunelleschi, married to Odile Fillion
who is a filmmaker (Iovine, 2011). Nouvel does, however, have many accomplishments for
architecture. He had created beautiful works of architecture out of something that was once “junk
space” according to Cohn (2013). One of his recent works, the Barcelona Fira Hotel, has a
courageous plan with every floor having vegetation of palm trees and other plants in the center of
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the building. Also, in each room of the hotel, the windows look out over ridged crowns of palm
trees that are at a different scale in each opening to blur the floor lines of the building. Each
window facing of the building has different window materials that reflect differently to keep the
inside aroma at a constant “fun and campy” level Iovine states. In the whole building, Nouvel
brings the palm tree back into the design, playing with the lights and shadows of the natural palm
tree. There is even a nightlight in guest bedrooms that cast palm trees onto the wall creating a
“bedroom version of a disco ball.” This is just one way Nouvel thinks outside the box, and takes
risks like Brunelleschi. Another project that Nouvel has done is refurbishing the historic Milan
landmark: the former Cinema Excelsior and made it into a new shopping experience (Herndon,
2011).
Summaries and Conclusion
Brunelleschi had to do much more designing and planning for the cupola project. Making
the fish tale masonry, the wooden and stone chains, and his major fault in his career “the
monster” (King, 2000 p.113)which is a boat hauling material which failed and dropped its entire
load to the seabed causing his highly acclaimed reputation to fall along with the materials.
Brunelleschi concord illnesses like the black plague, the war, and his jail time for not paying his
annual dues. Brunelleschi would die after the completion of the cupola, but not for the lantern on
top. In 1446, on April 15, he died, and on May 15 he was laid to rest in the Cathedral grounds.
Brunelleschi worked and worked on this project making it one of the most renowned objects of
the times. Although he was soon forgotten by most of the population, we now know the facts,
thanks to Ross King’s research on him and this project of the dome.
FILIPPO BRUNELLESCHI VS. JEAN NOUVEL
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Jean Nouvel is still at work today. With projects such as the pavilion for Jane’s Carousel
in Brooklyn, NY, or others such as his sky tower that has yet to be constructed that appears to
disappear into air using the different materials constructively. “It is part of the trip.” Nouvel says
to Iovine from the Wall Street Journal when he was asked about his palm tree hotel. Jean Nouvel
has a real passion for creative architecture and he craves to be different in everything he does. He
is always looking for ways to improve his work and gain more knowledge and skill.
Nouvel has, and will have, an everlasting impression in the world with his innovative
designs. As did Brunelleschi when he reinvented renaissance architecture and introduced many
of the modern-day conveniences that are all taken advantage of. The major difference between
these two designers that stands out is the fact that Brunelleschi didn’t record his findings and
inventions causing him to lose credit for his work. Whereas Nouvel has been in the world of
properly documented materials, so anyone looking to find information on Nouvel knows that
Nouvel did, in fact, do it. Brunelleschi, having done like Nouvel, would be a very famous
designer and creator who would have receive much recognition, but he was too scared of
plagiarism, which is always a factor with these incredible innovate designs.
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References
Casamonti, Marco. Jean Nouvel. Milan: Motta, 2009. Print.
Cohn, D. (2013, June). Urban Oasis Barcelona. Architectural Record 201, 242.
Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/ehost/
detail?vid=8&sid=525b3234-87cb-41a3-af64-9b09bad336a9%40sessionmgr14&hid=20
&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aft&AN=88397207
Herndon, L. K. (2011, November). DEPARTMENT STORE REDUX . Metropolis: Architecture
Design; , 31, 51. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib
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Iovine, J. (2011, December 17). OFF DUTY --- Design & Decorating -- 60 Seconds With: Jean
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Nouvel --- The Pritzker-winning French architect checks in on hotels, carousels and
burning down the house. The Wall Street Journal, p. D.14. Retrieved November 1, 2013,
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Jane's Vintage Carousel; Jane's Carousel, the vintage merry-go-round, has a new home in
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King, Ross. Brunelleschi's dome: How a Renaissance genius reinvented architecture. New York,
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200, 25. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu
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