Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/281

 B U I

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B U I

Marble, Free-ftone, Brick, for the Walls* $$c. or of Wood, as Firr, Cyprefs, Cedar, for Ports and Pillars of upright ufe ; Oak, for Beams, Summers, Crop-work, or for Joining and Connection. See Stone, Brick, Wood, Timber, %$c. For the-Form or Difpofition of a 'Buildings it muit ei- ther be Simple or Mix'd : The fimple Forms are either Circular or Angular ; and the Circular ones either complcat, as juft Spheres, or deficient, as Ovals.

The circular Form is very commodious, of the greateft Capacity of any ; ftrong, durable beyond the reft, and very beautiful : but then it is found of all others the mod charge- able 5 much room is loft in the bending of the Walls, when it comes to be divided 5 befides an ill Diftribution of Light, except from the Centre of the Roof : On thefc Conside- rations it was, that the Antients only us'd it in Temples and Amphitheaters, which needed no Compartition. Oval Forms have the fame Inconveniences, without the fame Conveniences ; being of lefs Capacity.

For Angular Figures, Sir H. Vvotton obferves, that Build- ing neither loves many nor few Angles : The Triangle, v.g. is condemn'd above all others, as wanting Capacity and Firmnefs 5 as alfo, being irrefolvable into any other Regular Figure in the inward Partitions, befides its own. For Figures of 5, 6, 7, or more Angles, they are fitter for Fortifications than Civil Buildings. There is, indeed, a ce- lebrated building of Vignola, at Caprarole, in Form of a Pentagon 5 but the Architect had prodigious Difficulties to grapple with, in difpofing the Lights, and faving the Va- cuities. Such Buildings then, feem. rather for Curiofity than Conveniency : and for this Reafon, Rectangles are pitch'd on, as being a Medium between the two Extremes. But again, whether the Rectangle is to be a juft Square or an Oblong, is difputed. Sir Henry Wotton prefers the latter, provided the Length don't exceed the Breadth by above one third.

Mix'd Figures, partly Circular and partly Angular, may be judg'd of from the Rules of the Simple ones 5 only they have this particular Defect, that they offend againit Uni- formity. Indeed Uniformity and Variety may feem to be oppofite to each other : but Sir H. Wotton obferves, they may be reconcil'd j and for an Inflance, mentions the Struc- ture of the Human Body where both meet. Thus much for the firft grand Divifion, viz. the Whole of "a 'Building.

For the fecond Divifion, or the 'Parts of a Fabrick, Bap- tifia Alberti comprifes 'em under five Heads ; viz. the Foundation, Walls, Apertures, Compartitions, and Cover. For the Foundation, to examine its Firmnefs, Vitruvius orders the Ground to be dug up 5 an apparent Solidity not to be trufted to, unlcls the whole Mold cut thro be found folid : He does not indeed limit the Depth of the Digging ; 'Pal- ladia limits it to a fixth Part of the Height of the Build- ing : This Sir Henry Wotton calls the Natural Foundation, whereon is to ftand the Subftruction, or Ground-work, to fupport the Walls, which he calls the Artificial Foundati- on : This then is to be level ; its loweft Ledge, or Row of Stone only, clofe laid with Mortar, and the broader the better ; at the leaft, twice as broad as the Wall : Laft- ly, fomc add, that the Materials below Ifiould be laid juft as they grew in the Quarry ; as fuppofing 'em to have the greateft Strength in their natural rofture. < Dc Lorme en- forces this, by obferving, that the breaking or yeilding of a Stone in this Part, but the Breadth of the Back of a Knife, will make a Cleft of above half a Foot in the Fa- brick above. For c Pallification, or piling the Ground-Plot, fo much commended by Vitruvius, we fay nothing 5 that being requir'd only in a moift marfliy Grejjjpd, which fhould never be chofen : Nor perhaps are there any Inftances of this kind, where it was not NeccfTity that drove 'em to it. See Foundation.

For the Walls, they are either entire and continued, or intermitted 5 and the Intermiflions are either Columns or Pilafters. Entire, or continu'd Walls, are varioufly diftin- guifri'd ; by fbme, according to the Quality of the Mate- rials, as they are either Stone, Brick, &c. others only con- fider the Pofition of the Materials 5 as when Brick, or fquare Stones are laid in their Lengths, with Sides and Heads together, or their Points conjoin'd, like a Network, ££c. See Masonry. The great Laws of Muring, are, that the Walls ftand perpendicular to the Ground-work ; the Right Angle being the Caufe of all Stability : that the mafficft and hcavieft Materials be loweft, as fitter to bear than be born j that the Work diminifli in Thicknefs, as it rifes ; both for eafe of Weight and Expence : that certain Courfes, or Ledges of more flrength than the reft, be interlaid, like Bones, to fuftain the Fabrick from total Ru- in, if the Under-parts chance to decay : And laftly, that the Angles be firmly bound 5 thefe being the Nerves of the whole Fabrick, and commonly fortify 'd, by the Italians, on each fide the Corners, even in Brick Buildings, with fquar'd Stones; which add both Beauty and Strength. See Wall. The IntermifTions, as before obferv'd, are either Co- lumns or Pilafters 5 whereof there are five Orders, viz*

I'll/can, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Compofite ; each of which fee diftinctly confider'd under its refpecfive Head. Columns and Pilafters are frequently, both for Beauty and Majefty, form'd Arch wife ; the Doctrine of which, fee un- der Arch.

For the Apertures, they are either Doors, Windows, Stair- cafes, Chimneys, or Conduits for the Suillage, %$c. which fee under their Heads, Door, Window, &c t Onlv with regard to the laft, it may be obferved, that Art mould imitate Nature in thefe ignoble Conveyances, and feparate them from Sight, where a running Water is wanting, into the moft remote, loweft, and thickeft Part of the Founda- tion 5 with fecret Vents, paffing up thro the Walls, like a Tunnel, to the open Air ; which the Italians all commend for the Difcharge of noiiom Vapors.

For the Comparthion, or Diftribution of the Groundplot into Apartments, &c. Sir H. Wotton lays down thefe Preli- minaries ; That the Architect never fix his Fancy on a Paper Draught, how exactly loever fet off in Perspective 5 much lefs on a mere Plan, without a Model, or Type of the whole Structure, and every Part thereof, in Paftboard or Wood ; that this Model be as plain and unadorn'd as pof- fible, to prevent the Eye's being impos'd on, and that the bigger this Model, the better. In the Compartition it felf, there are two general Views, viz. the Gracefulnefs, and Ufefulnefs of the Diftribution, for Rooms of Office and Entertainment j as far as the Capacity thereof, and the Nature of the Country will allow. The Gracefulnefs will confift in a double Analogy or Correfpondency 5 firft, be- tween the Parrs and the Whole, whereby a large Fabrick fhould have large Partitions, Entrances, Doors, Columns, and, in brief, all the Members large : The fecond, between the Parts themfelves, with regard to Length, Breadth, and Height. The Antients determin'd the Length of their Rooms, that were to be Oblongs, by double their Breadth j and their Height by half their Breadth and Length added together. When the Room was to be precifely Square, they made the Height half as much more as the Breadth : which Rules, the Moderns take occafion to difpenfe with 5 fometimes fquaring the Breadth, and making the Diagonal thereof the Meafure of the Height ; and fometimes more. This deviating from the Rules of the Antients, is afcrib'd to M. Angelo.

The fecond Consideration in the Compartition, is the Ufefulnefs ; which confifts in the having a fuffkient num- ber of Rooms of all Kinds, with their proper Communi- cations, and without Diffraction. Here the chief Difficul- ty will lie in the Lights and Staircafes. The Antients were pretty eafy on both thofe Heads, having generally two cloi- fter'd open Courts, one for the Women's Side, the other for the Men : Thus the Reception of Light into the Body of the Building was eafy ; which among us muft be fupply'd, either by the open Form of the Building, or by graceful Refuges or Breaks, by terrafling a Story in danger of Dark- nefs, and by Abajours, or Sky-Lights. For cafting the Stairca- fes, it may be obferv'd, that the Italians frequently diftribute the Kitchen, Bake-houfe, Buttery, &c. under Ground, next above the Foundation, and fometimes level with the Floor of the Cellar 3 railing the firft afcent into the Houfe 1 5 Foot, or more : which, befide the removing of Annoyances out of the Sight, and gaining fo much room above, does, by elevating the Front, add a Majefty to the whole. Indeed, Sir H. Wotton obferves, that in England the natural Hofpi- tality thereof, won't allow the Buttery to be fo far out of fight 5 befides that, a more luminous Kitchen, and a fhor- ter Diftance between that and the Dining-Room, are re- quir'd, than that Compartition will well bear. In the Dif- tribution of Lodging Rooms, 'tis a popular and antient Fault, efpecially among the Italians y to caft the Partitions fo, as when the Doors are all open, a Man may fee through the whole Houfe 5 grounded on the Ambition of fhewing a Stranger all the Furniture at once : an intolerable Hard- ship on all the Chambers, except the Inm oft, where none can arrive but thro all the reif, unlefs the ^/alls be ex- treme thick for fecret Paflages : nor will this ferve the Turn, without at leaft three Doors to each Chamber ; a thing incxcufable, except in hot Countries : Befides its being a weakning to the Building, and the Neceffity it occafions of making as many common great Rooms as there are Stories, which devours a great deal of room, better employ'd in Places of Retreat j and muft likewile be dark, as running thro the Middle of the Houfe. In the Compartition, the Architect will have occafion for frequent Shifts j thro which his own Sagacity, more than any Rules muft conduct him. Thus he will be frequently put to ftruggle with Scarcity of Ground 5 fometimes to damn one room for the Benefit of the reft, as to hide a Buttery under a Staircafe, ££c. at other times, to make thofe the moft beautiful which are moft in Sight ; and to leave the reft, like a Painter, in the Sha- dow, &c.

For the Covering of the Building 5 this is the laft in the Execution, but the firft in the Intention ; for who would

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