Rating: 
Summary: Longitude for Architects!
Review: Like Longitude, one of my most favorite books, Brunelleschi's Dome is a small gem. Author Ross King tells the story of the building of the dome atop Santa Marie del Fiore in Florence and along the way, treats you to a rich slice of Renaissance history. Much more than a great story (filled with details about everyday life in 15th century Italy, i.e. what they were eating, how they shopped, how bricks were made) this is a story of a man who used his intuition, faith and genius to propose a revolutionary method of building this famous dome. He used no wooden centering or flying buttresses which was totally radical for the time and he really had no way of predicting whether his plan would work or not. But it did and beautifully. If you're planning on visiting Florence, climb the steps to the top of the dome to see Brunelleschi's handiwork first hand. For example, he and his bricklayers used a unique herringbone pattern when laying the bricks that is clearly visible today. The story is also a human story. All the naysayers, competitiors, political enemies are here along with backbiting, and plotting. Brunelleschi himself had a wily streak and wasn't above lashing out at his competitors. One of the joys of this book is you actually feel like you're getting up each morning to see a day's work on the dome. And it's a very enjoyable way to spend some time. If you're interested, you can visit http://www.vsp.it/cupolalive/ and get a live view from atop the dome in Florence. A fascinating book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful narrative writing and historical account
Review: Having lived in Florence for six months in 1976 and visited a number of other times since then, Brunelleschi's Dome is deeply engraved into my memory and heart. This book does well in giving one a better understanding of the difficulty in the construction of the dome and the background for the planning and construction. Well worth the read. I couldn't put it down except to sleep, thus finished it within two days.
Rating: 
Summary: The Eighth Wonder
Review: This book tells the incredible construction of one of the world's most wonderful buildings. The Duomo is an architectural and engineering marvel at a time when a dome of this size should not have been built.
The story chronicles the trials and efforts of Brunelleschi to design and build the Duomo in a way never before attempted. It was fascinating to learn that Brunelleschi not only design the dome, but also the means with which to build it. Brunelleschi had to design the cranes and hoists that were needed to build his structure.
At a time when the construction of buildings was dictated by the limitations of the materials and the methods, Brunelleschi rose above them and showed his comtemporaries (and today's experts) that some limits are really the ingenuity of man.
The Renaisance was a time when the boundaries of man's knowledge and creativity were expanded. It was a time when art, archtiecture, and engineering would flourish and grow. Brunelleschi was one of the first to bring architecture back into the realm of artwork.
I have not seen the Duomo in person, but after reading this book I have begun planning a trip to Florence. I highly recommend this book for the historian, the architects, the engineers, and the people who love the Renaisance. Even the reader with a passing interest, this book is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Testament to Genius
Review: Because architecture is visual and spatial, writing a book about it is difficult, so is reading one. Brunelleschi's Dome is no exception.
Though Ross King does a good job describing Florence in the early Renaissance, a breeding ground for genius including not only Brunelleschi but his contemporaries; Ghiberti, Donatello, and Alberti. They are all described in detail as are the various guilds that held the political and financial power. I think the book needs more in the way of graphic material in order to convey the design and the approach to construction. This isn't all King's fault, many of the graphics he uses are period pieces, and there may not have been much material available, using conjecture to explain how a dome that is over five hundred years old was constructed isn't good either. As an architect, I may have wanted more information than a "survey" book is likely to provide.
Obviously the main thrust of the book is the Dome. This single event marks the beginning of modern architecture. Until Filipo Brunelleschi won the competition to execute the dome on Santa Maria de Fiore in Florence, the last major dome constructed had been at Santa Sophia (Hagia Sophia) in Istanbul. Nine hundred years had passed; the "art" of dome building had been lost with the ages. Santa Maria de Fiore was originally designed in 1296 and the dome design selected in 1367. A proposed dome larger than that of the Pantheon; the Florentines hoped that through the grace of God and smarter architects someone would figure out how to build it. Brunelleschi did just that, statics and strength of materials as a science were unknown, and much of the construction of Gothic cathedrals was "trial and error", if the building stayed up it was a success. Brunelleschi took the design given him and figured out how to not only turn it into reality, but he invented the machines and construction techniques as well.
Through plague and war, depression, political and artistic intrigue construction continued and for forty years Brunelleschi and the masons of Florence built this dome. It was consecrated in 1436 and work began on the lantern design and construction shortly thereafter. Brunelleschi died in 1446 a month after the initial stone for the lantern was laid.
We take our buildings for granted, scale and size means little; the thought of spending forty years working on one and it still not being completed is unheard of today. This book provides a frame of reference as to what building was like 500 years ago and the ordeal it was to build without today's equipment, modern materials, and engineering formulas; relying solely upon genius and perseverance.
Rating:
Summary: Renaissance Space Shuttle
Review: The dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was the space shuttle of its day--a technological marvel that commanded the awe of everyone who saw it. As impressive as the dome itself are the leaps of genius that enabled Filippo Brunelleschi to develop the innovative engineering techniques that made it possible. King expertly describes the architectural challenges that Brunelleschi overcame, but is less specific about the engineering principles that he used during the construction. And the book is sadly lacking in illustrations. Nonetheless King paints a marvelous portrait of Renaissance Florence and its inhabitants.
Rating:
Summary: Brunelleschi's Dome - it SOARS~!
Review: An outstanding recount of this amazing feat in architecture, although it chronologically jumps all over the place and is missing VITAL images necessary for the novice of design and Florence itself to grasp the magnitude of the story. I highly recommend for the reader to read this book in front of the computer so you can Google the necessary unknowns. Beleive me, there's SO MUCH out there to help make this story historic!
[I don't know if I can forgive the blasphemous backward image of the Duomo's image on the cover, but I'm willing to sell Gabriele Wilson an indulgence!~]
An afterthought having JUST climbed the Dome!!!... The moment you begin ascending the stairs inside Santa Maria del Fiore, you begin to appreciate the effort of all those workers who climbed those same steps. Once you reach the drum base, you exit into the world of living architecture, gazing across the vastness of the open space directly above the Duomo's floor. Having read the book, it's still hard to imagine that Filippo Brunelleschi was able to create such a HUGE structure. Continuing the ascent between the interior dome and the exterior shell, you *see* the guts of what Ross King describes. You actually *touch* the leaning bricks. You *smell* the centuries-old mortar. You *hear* the echo of hoists straining to lift the tons of materials. (I didn't go as far as *tasting* the dome... there were too many people behind me, otherwise I WOULD have!) At the peak of the ascent, I stepped out into thin air upon the lantern and gazed upon the Firenze that Senore Brunelleschi had once seen. There is no other sensation describable to standing above the city of the Renaissance knowing that a genius allowed you to be there. I told EVERY person on the way down that they MUST read this book to really appreciate what they had just witnessed.
{postscript... poor Filippo's grave is throw haphazardly under the old ruins of the former duomo, Sta. Reparata, in a none-graceous manner to that of a commoner. What a let-down!}
Rating: 
Summary: Technical Manual/Historical Overview
Review: This is an excellent book for those wanting a detailed account of just how they built those amazing buildings durring the renaisssance. If you are looking for a great intrigue/historical novel...look elsewhere! It is jam-packed with facts, notations and historical trivia facts. It however is almost too technical (it was for me anyway!). It read very similar to an electronical device manual (dvd, vcr,etc...) and who really reads those? It was ok...but just be warned...It was a little hard to follow at times.
Rating:
Summary: The building of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Review: This is a wonderful little story about the building of Santa Maria Del Fiore by Filippo Brunelleschi. This domed church is one of the marvels of the world and led Medieval man into the Renaissance. This book details how a dream became an actual building through the genius of Fillippo. Not only did he solve how a dome could be built of thousands of tons of stone and stay upright, but he managed to design many of the machines that helped build the dome including lifts, and cranes. This story also details the rivalry of Filippo and Lorenzo Ghiberti who was brilliant in the casting of bronze doors. These two man not only built, but were also great artists.
Ross King does a good job of detailing a story about Renaissance architecture into something that a modern reader would be interested in. The story is short but very compelling. The intro leaves a little to be desired but the rest of the story flows very smoothly.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful narrative writing and historical account
Review: Having lived in Florence for six months in 1976 and visited a number of other times since then, Brunelleschi's Dome is deeply engraved into my memory and heart. This book does well in giving one a better understanding of the difficulty in the construction of the dome and the background for the planning and construction. Well worth the read. I couldn't put it down except to sleep, thus finished it within two days.
Rating:
Summary: Architect of Glory (God's & His Own)
Review: I looked for this book after reading and enjoying Ross King's book on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling. Now, I just wish I had read this before visiting the Duomo in Florence some years ago. This is an excellent description of the raising of the dome over the cathedral in Florence at the beginning of the fifteenth century led by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi.There are three things that I particularly like about this book: first, it is an excellent description of the tremendous work invested by literally entire communities to raise a structure like a mediaeval cathedral. Yes, Brunelleschi was the genius behind the dome but it took thousands of workers decades to make his vision a reality. Thinking of the skyscrapers we raise today with the help of modern machines, raising these churches was an incredible achievement. Second, this book shows how scientific and engineering discoveries are often lost and rediscovered. The Roman methods of building aqueducts, arches and domes (like the Pantheon in Rome) had long been lost and many of their methods are still only vaguely understood. Still, Brunelleschi was able to study these structures (much as his work is studied now), rediscover old methods and invent even better ones to produce his work. This is something seen over and over again in the sciences: a discovery is made and, because it is not understood at the time or the explanation is lost somehow, it is forgotten, only to be rediscovered later. Third, this book shows how difficult it is to understand some of the amazing achievements of antiquity. Even today, though the dome stands as a monument to his genius, we don't fully understand how Brunelleschi was able to make it work. Engineers and architects still make pilgrimages to Florence in an attempt to understand how this dome was built and remains standing after nearly six centuries. Still, a full understanding eludes us. Part of this is due to Brunelleschi own penchant for secrecy but that doesn't stop it from boggling the mind--how modern technology cannot unravel the mystery of this structure. Having climbed up into the dome myself, I felt very close to what King described in this book and would recommend it as a must read to anyone who has visited Florence or is thinking of doing so. Even without a visit, however, this slim volume is worth reading for anyone with an interest in science or architecture.
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