Looking back on the values of the Renaissance architects, with every step the detail and intricacies of each building become more and more present. It’s obvious that the intent of the architects was just this, to create something immortal. Something that people would still be in awe of centuries later. All this to say, the values of the Renaissance architects were clearly beauty and longevity. Fast-forward to today, the same can’t be said. Especially when thinking about American architecture, the focus is instead placed in efficiency and functionality. This leads to consistent demolition and rebuilding instead of the century old structures that we see here in Florence. These philosophies affect modern urbanization in their own ways. In the U.S. buildings a demolished to create apartment complexes and hospitals, whereas in Florence buildings are instead repurposed.
Comparing the products of the two philosophies, the duomo took a century and a half to build where the presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh has only been under construction for half a decade.
Swanson School of Engineering 