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James Markham

Architecture Contest: Andrea Palladio's "Villa Rotunda"

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Here is my entry. It is Andrea Palladio's "Villa Rotunda", also known as "Villa Almerico" after the owner it was designed for, and "Villa Capra" after the owners who actually completed the building after Palladio's death.

Palladio is very much seen as the Grandfather of modern architecture because of his renaissance publication "QuattroLibri dell'Architettura" which referenced classical Greek and Roman styles, and continued to influence European building for the following 300 years, so he seemed like an ideal choice for the Lego 'Architect Series'.

"Villa Rotunda" can be seen as the epitome of his domestic work. Started in the late 1560's it comprises of a central, two-storey, domed hall with the rooms around it arranged according to Palladio's system of ratios and proportion. The four facades are almost identical, each having a 6 columned, pedimented portico which leads to a flight of steps. This made it seem natural to go with a modular design, so I have built 4 identical porticoes, 2 identical halves of the main block, and a roof/upper floor section.

I made the internal walls see-through so that Palladio's layout of the 'piano nobile' could be seen, although I had no reference materials for making the basement or upper floor accurate. I did toy with the idea of making decals to stick on the central saloon walls, as it is stunningly decorated all over with fresco paintings. The only major problem I had was the small triangular pediments over the windows to the side of each portico. In the end everything I tried was too big and clunky so I left them plain. (What did work quite nicely was a filed-down '1x1 plate with tooth' but that was against the rules!)

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Edited by Rufus
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I really like this build. Clean simple, but still with enough true to life detail to keep it interesting. The issue you had with the pediments does not detract in the least from a job well done. :thumbup:

Looks just like the kind of architecturally styled building I would enjoy visiting. :sweet:

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The Villa Rotunda? A masterpiece in the real life! And the Lego Villa Rotunda? A masterpiece in Lego!!! Excellent work! :thumbup:

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So many statues! This is definitely one of the closest to the real thing. You really captured the necessary details to the building, minus the roof colors. Great job. :thumbup:

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Wow! Nicely detailed. The micro-microfigs (I guess :wacko: ) are an odd touch, and I don't think I would have though of that.

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That's a great model. I'm not familiar with the Villa Rotunda nor its architect, but the building itself looks like the real one. It's also a nice classic design with the porticos, stairs and columns. However, what makes it stand out is the fact that it's modular! Good luck with the competition! :thumbup:

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Wow, that really looks very nice! I like the minifigures you used. :thumbup: Overall an impressive replica of the real building...also with the interior!

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This is brilliant. After studying Palladio extensively in architecture classes I've always loved his symmetry and classical themes. Very nice interpretation here.

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