DOMES IN THE WORLD – 2012

“Domes in the World”

Florence, March 19 – 23, 2012

Preliminary Notes

Since its early appearances in Western European funeral buildings of the 6th and 5th millenary B. C., the dome has been widely adopted in architecture primarily for its symbolic reference to the celestial vault. Dome construction was then disseminated initially in the Eastern regions where it acquired civil and religious meanings. Later, as a result  of Palladianism, they appeared in the New World and very New World (Australia), where they were built of earth or masonry, wood, steel, concrete or other materials, using a variety of building techniques from the simplest deducted from the imitation of nature, to the extremely sophisticated structural concepts. No other architectural element is so adept in resuming the building capability achieved by a civilization, stir up deep spatial emotions or, with its peculiar but various shapes, confer special features to a landscape hence attaining a universally intelligible value.

Basic Principles and Aims of the Congress:

The idea at the basis of “Domes in the World” is to give a substantial contribution to intercultural dialogue through an international and interdisciplinary congress aimed at highlighting the significance of domes and their symbolic value from the perspective of different cultures. The themes to be examined will include: the cultural and spatial significance of the ancient and contemporary domes in buildings; their architectural context in the territory and in the landscape; their construction (materials, techniques, structural system); their documentation, interpretation, conservation and restoration and their continuity in contemporary building.