Alberti, Leone Battista, Architecture, 1755

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
< >
page |< < of 320 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb xlink:href="003/01/027.jpg" pagenum="16"/>
              and in ſhort the whole Structure falls to Ruin.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>The very Foundations themſelves, which you
                <lb/>
              will hardly bèlieve, are ſecured by the Pro­
                <lb/>
              tection of the Covering: nor have ſo many
                <lb/>
              Buildings been deſtroyed by Fire, Sword, War,
                <lb/>
              by Multitude of Enemies, and all other Ca­
                <lb/>
              lamities put together, as have gone to Ruin
                <lb/>
              by being left naked and uncovered thro Negli­
                <lb/>
              gence. </s>
              <s>It is certain the Coverings are the de­
                <lb/>
              fenſive Arms of the Building againſt the
                <lb/>
              Aſſaults and Violence of Storms and Tempeſts.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>Wherefore our Anceſtors in this as in other
                <lb/>
              things acted very laudably, in aſcribing ſo
                <lb/>
              much Honour to the Covering, that they
                <lb/>
              ſpent their whole Art and Study in adorning
                <lb/>
              and beautifying it. </s>
              <s>For ſome of their Cover­
                <lb/>
              ings we ſee of Braſs, others of Glaſs, ſome of
                <lb/>
              Gold with gilded Beams and Rafters, and
                <lb/>
              richly adorned with Corniſhes of Flowers and
                <lb/>
              Statues. </s>
              <s>Of Coverings ſome are open to the
                <lb/>
              Air, others not: the open are thoſe which are
                <lb/>
              not for walking upon, but only for receiving
                <lb/>
              the Rain. </s>
              <s>Thoſe not open to the Air, are
                <lb/>
              the Roofs and Coves that are between the
                <lb/>
              Covering and the Foundations, ſo that one
                <lb/>
              Houſe ſeems to ſtand upon another. </s>
              <s>By this
                <lb/>
              means it comes to paſs that the ſame Work,
                <lb/>
              which is the Covering to the Apartments
                <lb/>
              below, is the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Aréa
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              to thoſe above. </s>
              <s>Of theſe
                <lb/>
              Coverings thoſe above our Heads we call Roofs,
                <lb/>
              or Cielings; and thoſe which we tread upon
                <lb/>
              with our Feet,
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Areas.
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              </s>
              <s> Whether the uppermoft
                <lb/>
              Covering, which lies to the open Air, is to be
                <lb/>
              reckoned as an
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Area
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              or Pavement, we ſhall
                <lb/>
              examine in another Place. </s>
              <s>But the Covering
                <lb/>
              to the open Air, tho' it be of a plain Super­
                <lb/>
              ficies, ought never to lie even with reſpect to
                <lb/>
              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Area
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              which it covers below; but ſhou'd
                <lb/>
              always incline of one Side to throw off the
                <lb/>
              Rain. </s>
              <s>But the Coverings within, that are of
                <lb/>
              a plain Superficies, ſhould be in all Parts
                <lb/>
              equally diſtant from the Floor. </s>
              <s>All Coverings
                <lb/>
              muſt anſwer in Lines and Angles to the Form
                <lb/>
              and Shape of the Platform and Wall which
                <lb/>
              they are to cover: And as thoſe are various,
                <lb/>
              ſome being all of curve Lines, others all of
                <lb/>
              ſtrait, and others of both mixed together, the
                <lb/>
              Coverings too are therefore various, and of
                <lb/>
              ſeveral kinds. </s>
              <s>But tho' they have this natural
                <lb/>
              Difference, and that ſome are hemiſpherical;
                <lb/>
              others made up of four Arches; others vaulted;
                <lb/>
              others conſiſting of Parts of ſeveral Arches;
                <lb/>
              ſome ſloping or ridged like ordinary mean
                <lb/>
              Houſes: yet which-ſoever of theſe Kinds we
                <lb/>
              chuſe it is abſolutely neceſſary, that all Cover­
                <lb/>
              ings ſhou'd be ſo diſpoſed as to ſhelter and
                <lb/>
              ſhade the Pavement, and throw off all Water
                <lb/>
              and Rain, defending the whole Edifice upon
                <lb/>
              which it is placed for a Covering. </s>
              <s>For Rain
                <lb/>
              is always prepared to do Miſchief, and where­
                <lb/>
              ever there is the leaſt Crack never fails to get
                <lb/>
              in and do ſome Hurt or other: By its Subtility it
                <lb/>
              penetrates and makes its way by its Humidity
                <lb/>
              rots and deſtroys, by its Continuance looſens
                <lb/>
              and unknits all the Nerves of the Building, and
                <lb/>
              in the End ruins and lays Waſte the whole
                <lb/>
              Structure to the very Foundations. </s>
              <s>And for
                <lb/>
              this Reaſon prudent Architects have always
                <lb/>
              taken care that the Rain ſhould have a free
                <lb/>
              Slope to run off; and that the Water ſhould
                <lb/>
              never be ſtop'd in any Place, or get into any
                <lb/>
              Part where it cou'd do Hurt. </s>
              <s>And therefore
                <lb/>
              they adviſed, that in Places ſubject to much
                <lb/>
              Snow, the Coverings ſhould have a very ſteep
                <lb/>
              Slope, riſing even to an acute Angle, that the
                <lb/>
              Snow might never reſt and gather upon them,
                <lb/>
              but fall off eaſily; but in more Summeriſh Cli­
                <lb/>
              mates (to uſe ſuch an Expreſſion) they laid
                <lb/>
              their Covering leſs oblique. </s>
              <s>Laſtly we ſhould
                <lb/>
              endeavour if poſſible, without Prejudice to the
                <lb/>
              Lights or Wall, to have the whole Structure
                <lb/>
              overlaid with one equal Covering in a manner
                <lb/>
              all of one Piece, and ſo far jutting out, that the
                <lb/>
              Water falling from the Gutters may not wet
                <lb/>
              or ſoak into the Wall: and all the Coverings
                <lb/>
              ſhould be ſo diſpoſed, where there are more than
                <lb/>
              one, that one may not ſpout upon the other.
                <lb/>
              </s>
              <s>The Space of Covering too that the Water is
                <lb/>
              to run over ſhould never be too large, becauſe
                <lb/>
              upon Rains the Water gathering in the Gut­
                <lb/>
              ters in too great Abundance would waſh back
                <lb/>
              again and flow into the Houſe; which would
                <lb/>
              greatly prejudice the whole Work. </s>
              <s>Where
                <lb/>
              the
                <emph type="italics"/>
              Area
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              therefore is very large, the Covering
                <lb/>
              ſhould be divided into ſeveral Slopes, and the
                <lb/>
              Rain flow off in different Places; and this is
                <lb/>
              not only attended with Convenience, but Beauty
                <lb/>
              too. </s>
              <s>If you are obliged in any Place to have
                <lb/>
              ſeveral Coverings, let them join one to another
                <lb/>
              in ſuch a Manner, that when you are once
                <lb/>
              under one, you may paſs from that to all the
                <lb/>
              reſt always under ſhelter.</s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum