.jpg) Nine
years ago, Tom Boothby, associate professor of architectural
engineering, offered engineering support to the research on Italian
Gothic architecture being conducted by Elizabeth Smith, associate
professor of art history, a partnership that has resulted in several
trips to Italy. Their study is based, according to the 1998 Fall AE
Newsletter, on Smith’s finding that the gothic churches of northern
Italy display a structural system that can be distinguished from that
of the French Gothic. In 1998, the two professors undertook field observations
and measurements of the vaulting and buttressing systems of Santa Maria
dei Fiore (the cathedral of Florence) and Santa Maria Novella (an early
13-century abbey church, also in Florence, shown above).
In May 2002, Boothby and Smith returned to Italy where they were joined
by graduate students Ece Erdogmus (architectural engineering),
Heather McCune Bruhn (art history), and Adam Vail (art
history), as well as undergraduate students Amy Grahek (architectural
engineering), Cheryl Cohen (architecture), Ryan Binkowski
(landscape architecture), John Jackson (architecture), Richard
Wilke (landscape architecture) and Katie Gonzalez (landscape
architecture). According to Wilke, he was already participating in a
study abroad program in Rome when he received an email that was sent
to all of the landscape architecture and architecture majors who would
be in Rome for the spring semester that mentioned the project. “I have
an interest in architecture and a background in the construction industry,
and I felt that I could contribute to the project,” Wilke said. “Plus,
the opportunity to extend my stay in Italy for two weeks in Florence
was also an attractive proposal.”
The purpose for this trip, according to Boothby, was to undertake a
detailed structural analysis and a construction process analysis. “No
one has measured drawings of the Santa Maria Novella,” he said. “And
the part we’re interested in has been pretty neglected. We’re looking
to do a partial documentation of the nave.” The Santa Maria Novella
may have been the proving ground for techniques used in building the
Santa Maria dei Fiore.
.jpg)
The group lived in Florence for 2-3 weeks, spending their days in the
Santa Maria Novella taking measurements or making observations. The
measurements were done by a combination of hand measurements, a reflectorless
total station, and photogrammetry. Detailed observations of masonry,
jointing, construction alterations, and roof supports were also recorded.
(shown right)
“We crawled around in the dust throughout the vaults,” Boothby explained.
.jpg) “From
where we were,” Erdogmus added, indicating that they were working near
the ceiling, “we could see people in the church, but they couldn’t see
us.” (shown left)
Erdogmus’s role in the research is to complete a structural analysis
of the vaulting system, including analysis of measured vibrations of
the vaults. “We took photos at different angles,” she explained. “On
the computer, we’ll create 3D images. My research will be to take the
images to model a structure and then compare it with the vibration tests.”
The undergraduates assisted in gathering the data. For example, Gonzalez
reported that, while she spent a few days assisting with the surveying,
“most of my work involved documenting (conditions and measurements)
the piers and pilasters for every bay of the church. I then made measured
drawings of these on paper and began transferring them into AutoCAD.”
Wilke, who started his research taking measurements with the total station,
added, “As the project progressed, I undertook a more detailed analysis
of the structure of the roof of the basilica. I analyzed the structure
of the trusses over the nave, the transept and the apse, and documented
evidence of past structural modification of the roof structure.” Wilke
also often had the task of carrying the gear up the narrow spiral staircase
into the area between the vaulting and roof where the research was being
conducted.
As a Ph.D. candidate in art history, McCune Bruhn said she was invited
on the research trip to act as “a second pair of educated eyes, to help
in observing and analyzing the building. It was very helpful to have
people from different backgrounds and with different training participate
in a round-table discussion, and I think we were able to come up with
some important conclusions about the structure of the church and its
construction (and subsequent) restoration history.”
Funding for the research has come from a Kress Foundation grant, as
well as the following sponsors within the University: The Raymond A.
Bowers Program for Excellence in Design and Construction of the Built
Environment; the College of Arts and Architecture; the Institute for
Arts and Humanistic Studies; the Leonhard Center; and the Schreyers
Honors College.
Now, the research group is in the process of recording the data that
should lead to a precise understanding of the design and construction
of the Santa Maria Novella. They are planning to produce a monograph
of their results, including measured drawings and an analysis of the
structural system of the building, in the general context of the evolution
of gothic architecture.
“This was a priceless experience for all of the students who were able
to work on the team,” said Binkowski. “To be able to explore such a
building and gain an understanding for its scope during the era of its
construction was nothing less than phenomenal.”
Photos courtesy of Ryan Binkowski (left & right) and
Ece Erdogmus (top)
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