| Rome's Pantheon -
2000 Years Young And Still Going Strong
When you are in Rome and you go to see a building from the
first century, you expect it to be pretty much in ruins. That
is why the Pantheon is such a surprise because it has survived
intact all of those centuries and it is the only building of
that size, age and span that has been able to do that. But
we can't just say that the Pantheon has done so well because
of luck. It is clearly the outcome of genius at work at the
engineering level when the Pantheon was envisioned.
The reasons the Pantheon is copied so often but never outdone
is that it represents more sheer architecture genius than even
modern buildings can boast. This is even more amazing considering
the designers of this building did their work in 125 AD during
the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
The basic design is one that is brilliantly simple, placing
a round enclosure next to a rectangular entryway. The gateway
to the Pantheon is built in the style of a Greek portico, using
columns made of granite and finished off with a triangular
pediment on top. The entrance is supported by three rows of
39 foot Corinthian columns. Eight of those supports are at
the front and then there are two sets further in - each with
four supports that lead you onward toward the central rotunda.
So the rectangular section serves the function of joining the
rotunda and the portico.
This design seems amazingly simple but under scrutiny you
find dozens of examples of pure genius.
One of the most noticeable sections of the building is the
huge concrete dome that is the roof of the building. This component
of the Pantheon is so well designed that in any other architecture,
that heavy dome would have come crashing down ages ago.
That huge dome is 142 feet across. By way of comparison, that
makes it 46 feet bigger than the crowning that is on top of
the White House that stands in Washington DC. The oculus of
the dome at its zenith is 25 feet of that span. The unique
composition, brilliant engineering and amazing construction
standards are the reasons for the dome that is virtually impervious
to the ravages of time.
It's easy to think that the opening in the center of that
large oculus is just for artistic design. But it has an important
job of reducing the weight of the dome. It is also perfectly
balanced to distribute the stress of the dome's weight around
its circumference. This makes the dome as resistant to being
crushed as a bicycle wheel that we are familiar with.
That opening also allows light into the interior, providing
a perfect natural lighting. However it also lets in the elements
such as the rain so the floor below is well designed to drain
off water accumulation to drains that keep it safely out from
underfoot.
The talent of the designers is also on display in the tapering
steps of the dome. That dome is an amazing 20 feet thick at
the base of the structure and 7.5 feet thick at the oculus.
The composition of the dome is also a part of the balance that
keeps it aloft because the lower parts are made of heavier
materials and as it rises to the peak, the material that was
used is lighter. This simple design plan seems obvious but
many architects down through time and to this day do not use
such simple design methods to replicate the success of that
dome.
It seems that the two thousand years that the Pantheon has
stood has not changed its stability one bit. And if that isn't
awe inspiring enough, consider that it was built without any
of the modern technology, tools or machines that we use to
build our buildings today.
Furthermore, the Pantheon engineering team had to bring off
this brilliant plan without any sophisticated transpiration
resources. That means that everything used in the creation
of the building was floated in on the Tiber River and then
slowly and laboriously moved by carts to the site using sheer
muscle power of men and animals.
Just as amazing are the huge bronze doors of the building.
They have been restored to their usual beauty often but they
have never shown any need to have any structural work done
on them. This is really a marvel considering the Pantheon is
built on soft marsh lands.
A good comparison in terms of amazing longevity of the Pantheon
is the Leaning Tower of Pisa which seems to need virtually
continuous effort to support and maintain that structure. Much
of the reason for the troubles of that tower is the marshy
ground under the construction. Another great building that
was built at the same time as the Pantheon in Rome is the Parthenon
in Greece and it is for all intents and purposes a wreck 2000
years after it was built.
In the 8th century, the Roman Pantheon was converted to be
used as a church. And unlike buildings of similar age that
are carefully left untouched, the Pantheon continues to serve
as a church to this very day. Since it was built in the first
century, the Pantheon has never known a time when it was not
in constant use.
It's a small wonder architects from around the world love
to model their designs after the Pantheon. Two very recognizable
designs that reflect this admiration are the Thomas Jefferson
Rotunda - located at the University of Virginia - and the Reading
Room at the British Museum.
If you have admired those wonderful buildings, it's worth
it to spend some time seeing the building that inspired them
all.
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