What Influence Has Renaissance Architecture had on More Modern Architecture?

What influence has Renaissance architecture had on more modern architecture?  Renaissance architecture is the period of architecture from the early 14th to as late as the 17th centuries throughout various parts of Europe, especially in Italy and France. The term Renaissance is the French word for rebirth, and marks a rebirth of art, philosophy, music, and of course architecture throughout the region.

We find the influence of Renaissance architecture all around us, every day. 

Use of symmetry, columns, and balance of windows in modern architecture, whether at a bank or courthouse, or even in an expensive home, all point to the influences of Renaissance architecture on modern buildings. 

To effectively study the influence of Renaissance architecture on more modern architecture one should begin by more closely examining the elements and impact of Renaissance architecture and how those elements have been incorporated into architecture today.

Renaissance Elements

Renaissance architecture followed the Gothic period of architecture, which gave us the cathedral at Notre Dame, and was succeeded by the Baroque period, which is marked by highly ornate architectural designs and furnishings, and is often associated with the King Louis of France.

The Renaissance period strongly emphasized the following elements:

• Geometry – having buildings, windows, and doors in square and rectangular shapes.
• Proportion – balance was critical in the Renaissance, and elements of the structure needed to be designed in proportion to other elements of the building.
• Symmetry – with the use of geometric figures came an emphasis on symmetry and clean lines.
• Regularity – there is very little about the Renaissance style that is random or impulsive.  A building must have recurring themes and elements.

To accomplish these design goals, the Renaissance style employs many recurring elements, including:

• Columns
• Pilasters
• Lintels
• Arches and arcades
• Domes
• Symmetrical windows and doors
• Niches with sculptures

Each of these elements is used in proportion and with much attention given to order and balance.

Examples of such Renaissance buildings include St. Paul’s Cathedral and St. James Cathedral in London, England, both of which were designed by famed architect Sir Christopher Wren. These are examples of the English Renaissance, while Michelangelo’s Piazza del Campidoglio is a signature example of the Italian Renaissance.

Renaissance Influence Today

Architects throughout the centuries since the Renaissance period continued to be influenced by its designs. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, these architects designed stately buildings that featured many of the symmetrical elements of the Renaissance, and many of these buildings still stand today.

Even later, in the 20th century, architects are reverting back to Renaissance designs when building grand homes much like the palaces found in Renaissance Italy and France.

Various aspects of modern architecture find their roots in the Renaissance style. The features can include:

• Cube-shaped structure
• Symmetrical façade
• Smooth stone walls, made from finely-cut stone or with smooth stucco
• Low-pitched roof
• Roof topped with balustrade
• Wide eaves with large brackets
• Horizontal stone banding between floors
• Segmental pediments
• Ornately-carved stone window trim varying in design at each story
• Smaller square windows on top floor
• Quoins (large stone blocks at the corners) 

You may see many of these elements everyday, all around you. Consider federal and other public buildings with grand, symmetrical facades that offer a balance of columns.  Consider some banks even, which have been designed to offer the appearance of security that was a signature of some Renaissance structures. 

Even many of the newest, multi-million dollar homes in some communities are designed with the majesty, balanced windows, and high columns of the Renaissance style. One need not look far to find ample examples of the influence of Renaissance architecture, even in modern architecture.