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Rethink Society

Architecture · 50+2 series · Renaissance & the Invention of the Architect

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15th–16th centuries

When Architecture Became an Idea

Renaissance Architectural Theory

Title page of a 1543 edition of Vitruvius's De architectura.
A 1543 edition of Vitruvius's De architectura.Marcus Vitruvius Pollio; BEIC · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Source record

The Moment

Architecture became increasingly formalized through written theory, geometry, proportion and classical precedent.

The Rethink

Buildings could be designed from ideas before they existed physically.