Effectiveness
This book V Columnae, consists of the description and application in architecture of the five orders, more precisely of the columns. Printed in Zurich in 1596, was written/translated by Hans Blum with the intention of serving as an architectural manual. In fact, he explains that these five orders must be well understood by any master craftsman and then put into practice to build useful and ornamental architecture. To serve as a manual and teaching book it must therefore be well structured, clear and of course effective. It should therefore not be too expansive and shound also not contain irrelevant information.
Effectiveness is the element that surprises me most of all. In fact, this is not a book with thousands of pages of long annoying descriptions, which requires a lot of effort and concentration to get understood. The book has only about one hundred pages, most of which are pictures. Its structure is clear! The book is divided into three several categories indicated for each order. In the first part he presents the different columns in a general way. Hans tries to combine a lot of images with the text in order to convey the concept better. In the second part he explains the composition of the columns in detail, he clearly and precisely sets out the measurements of the various elements. Finally he shows examples of columns that are represented in the whole of a building, to give an idea of how and where the columns are placed and also what importance is attached to them. Not only does the structure allow a quick understanding of what Hans wants to convey, but also the composition of the pages themselves makes it very effective. The descriptions are not long and are often accompanied by pictures, therefore also makes reading more enjoyable. The drawings are not cluttered and dirty, but very clear, often divided page by page, and gives the necessary information (such as measurements). The fact that this is a book that aims to offer everything you need in a clear and concise manner, makes it possible to achieve a small format that is also practical to carry around and effective to consult during the architect’s own work.
In conclusion, I would like to say that although this is a small book, which seems to be irrelevant, it is a book designed to be in the hands of an architect. Nothing is given by chance. It is a book that has been studied in great detail to be understood and used under certain conditions.
Effective-Concise-Detailed