Geometry
Keywords: Symmetry, Spacious, majestic
I chose the concept of geometry due to the buildings shown in the book written by Marie-Joseph Peyre. The Plans are drawn very realisticly, so as I took a closer look at them, the first feature I recognized was the repeated symmetry which is found in most of the buildings in the book. Most of them are symmetrical down to the last edge, which impressed me. It definitely was one of the, if not the most important feature of a building in these days. And there are a lot of decorative elements, without a crucial function, being added to the façade, roof or the environment, to support the symmetry.
So, there are buildings in the book that have quite a simple angular shape and there’s the buildings with the round geometry. I find it interesting that these controverse Shapes make kind of the same appearance. This is because other elements than the shape of the building, such as columns or canopies, which most of the buildings in the book have, define them and catch the eye. The shapes range from tall and round up to angular and flat but wide, yet still most of the buildings are nevertheless symmetrical.
The size in combination with the already mentioned decorative elements make the buildings of this era very majestic and outstanding. The concept of the geometry is not only visible outside but also in the inner rooms. Those are most likely spacious, high and noble in their appearance. In most buildings it was the goal to create rooms like that. So, most of them don’t have multiple floors, but bigger and higher rooms. Those big rooms open up more possibilities for adding elements to decorate the room. And because some rooms reach to the roof, the dome roofs make the perfect starting position to embellish the inner rooms with vaults.
What impressed me was the fact that the buildings in Oueuvres D’architecture are all different, yet they have a very similar appearance.