Italian Gothic Timber Roof

When the cornerstone was laid in 1290 the old building began to acquire a new appearance blending byzantine and northern elements into a prime example of italian gothic style.

Italian gothic timber roof.

Advances in technology made the production of decorative cast iron ornament easier and cheaper so it shows up frequently on balconies and porches as well as in fences and roof cresting whether in rounded italian designs or in gothic or classical ones. Nevertheless itispossible tomake a curved rafterto conformlauch more closelyto the ideal shape whichwillcarry the dead loadswithout producinga bendingmoment in the rafter. A pitched roof was a common feature of all the gothic periods. It is distinctive by its pronounced exaggeration of many italian renaissance characteristics.

The nave roofs of italian churches continued to be constructed of wood with flat ceilings till the thirteenth century. It had to be able to resist rain snow and high winds of the english climate and to preserve the integrity of the structure. Pastexperience inthe use ofthe gothic roof has shown the difficultyinbuildinga roof of thistype insuch a way thatitwillwithstand the loads imposed upon itwithout sag ging. Hence it is called the westminster abbey of florence.

A tower is often incorporated hinting at the italian belvedere or even campanile tower. Example of italian gothic architecture verdon 1994. The town s famous gray and white basalt and travertine cathedral with an exposed timber roof dominates the surrounding countryside. The building is 84 70 m high and 14 45 m wide with a square base richly covered with white red and green.

The pitched gothic timber roof was a distinctive feature pof the style both in religious and domestic architecture. The gothic notre dame de paris was built with a peaked timber roof red protecting its masonry nave vault blue. Rafters have a tendency to flatten under gravity thrusting outwards on the walls. Decoration on the italianate exterior was no less fanciful.

Plain groined vaults of small span were common and divided into compartments s by flat bands a practice which was continued into the gothic period. It is a gothic version of a basilican church with widely spaced columns and open timber roof. Cross section of the dome of st.