Form and construction. The domes of the Baptistery and Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence

Each building requires specific surveys and appropriate instrumental investigations which are often indicated during the course of the analyses. The activities that form part of the architectural and structural diagnostics must aim to identify the actual construction site activities, in operational terms, that over time have generated and altered the architectural structure. In this regard, the dome of the Baptistery of Florence is particularly significant. It has been the subject of countless studies that have provided different interpretations of the structure. The initial highly idealised approach provided schematic constructive structures. The gradual refinement of the inspections defined a completely different construction concept of the dome from that established up until recently. This new information also had a significant impact on the interpretation of Brunelleschi’s dome, which showed in an even more compelling way characteristics similar to that of the Baptistery.