Envisioning the Architectural-Urban Nexus in Renaissance Florence in the Case of Palazzo Rucellai

Abstract

Florence counts as one of the cradles of European Renaissance art and architecture where linear perspective first emerged. These developments led to the pivotal role perception played in Florence’s architectural and urban design conceptions, as seen in the works of Brunelleschi (1377–1446), Michelozzo (1396–1472), and Alberti (1404–1472), among others. Alberti's De re aedificatoria presented an analogy of the city as a house and vice versa, negating hard distinctions between architectural and urban design, while Alberti’s oeuvre, particularly De pictura, underscores the primacy of the eye. This suggests the exploration of mathematical relationships between architectural façades and urban space configurations within the Florentine context. Through this approach, the paper explores the cases of Palazzo Pitti, Strozzi, and Rucellai, and advances ongoing debates regarding Palazzo Rucellai’s envisioned finished appearance by using a 3D Digital Twin (DT) of the palace and its immediate urban context to test alternative façade hypotheses. Ultimately, the results unveil the multidimensional character of Renaissance architectural façade design and their urban role as signifiers of the cultural, intellectual, economic, and political valour of their inhabitants.