Venetian Buildings Are “of” and Not “on” the Lagoon

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that Venetian architecture was the result of specifically conceived structural mechanics and construction techniques, which allowed structural design to take full advantage of materials. Venice witnessed the creation of "structural art" that drastically reduced the incidences of failure caused by extremely soft soils and aggressive environment, which extended the operating horizons of masonry and timber structural materials to the extent that very bold structures were obtained also before the preeminent materials of modern structures. While normal masonry constructions can be governed by Euclidean geometry, Venetian buildings are far more complex and elusive in form. Venice and its architecture can be interpreted and comprehended only in the remit of structural engineering, which played a central role in enabling the construction of the city. The fundamental determinants of Venetian building morphology-the underlying logic of form in architecture, entailed a tectonic form midway between the masonry construction and the skeletal structure.