The Working Method of Andrea Palladio: Palaces, Vicenza and the World (Cities, Heritage and Transformation)

This book shows through historical data, diagrams and drawings, the design system of an Italian historic center, that of Vicenza, Italy. Vicenza is the result of an urban construction process that has as its model the invention of the Palladian design system. The main argument is how the architectural vision of Andrea Palladio shaped Vincenza to the city it is today. Vicenza is an example of a collective dream, an expression of the best Renaissance artistic culture, a classic example that a city can reform itself through intellectual activity. Preface: Lessons for the Future Contents About the Author 1 Architect of the City 1.1 The World’s Most Productive Architect 1.2 The Cities of Palladio 1.3 A New Language for the Architecture of the City 1.4 The People of Vicenza 1.5 A City of Gentlemen 1.6 The City as Scenography 1.7 A Gentle Man References 2 The Gothic Vicenza. An Empty City Full of Palaces 2.1 Population and Urban Dimensions in Mediaeval Veneto 2.2 The Industrial City 2.3 Filling Up Vicenza 2.4 The City of Palaces References 3 Andrea Palladio’s Method and Work 3.1 The Search for a New Visual Identity for the City 3.2 The Architect-Director of the New City 3.3 Bays as a Trigger for Building the City 3.4 The Bays of the Palazzo della Ragione 3.5 The Advantages of the Bay-Module and Palladio’s References 3.6 Piecemeal Planning in Palladio’s Work References 4 Vicenza After Palladio 4.1 The Other Palladios 4.2 Contemporary Vicenza 4.3 The Design of the World 4.4 Palladio Legacy Bibliography References