Villa La Rotonda - Palladio

In my trajectory towards architecture I've had many inspirations, including Andrea Palladio as one of my favorite architects and Villa La Rotonda, one of his finest works!

I previously submitted a similar build as a digital model, but I knew I had to eventually build it out of real bricks because I love the building so much. So here it is!

Before you leave without reading the rest, take a look at this AMAZING stop motion animation I made when I brought this design to life...

Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) was an Italian architect of the Renaissance who greatly influenced the field with his designs and above all his treatise, The Four Books of Architecture. Focusing on classical orders, villa designs, city planning, and temple construction, the compendium of architecture has been highly regarded to this day.

This LEGO model serves as a recreation of one of the most famous pages of the book: the design of the Villa Rotonda. Considered as one of the most perfect designs in the world, the Villa Rotonda is heavily regulated by simple geometry and symmetry. With four identical facades, the palazzo was placed on a 45-degree tilt to the four cardinal points to allow equal passage of light and wind. The central hall and dome serve as the axis mundi, focal point, and namesake of the design. It is located in Vicenza, Italy and was finished after Palladio's death by Vincenzo Scamozzi with modifications, principally to the dome.

Palladio’s designs and writings went on to inspire countless architects and designers….including me =)

The model measures approximately 6”x12”x24” with base to represent the plate from the Four Books on Architecture in 3D format. As drawn by Palladio, it contains the full plan, section, and a quarter of the building. The quarter of the building can be connected with an additional quarters, as well as be removed from the plate; the roof is also removable. Piece count limitation prevents the full building from being submitted here.

The quarter Villa Rotonda in the set as a standalone model measures approximately 5.75”x5.75”x5.75”.

(If combined with the additional three quarters, the standalone model would measure approximately 11.5”x11.5”x5.75”).

Total brick count for the model is about 2000.

Thank you for your support and please share to continue spreading the important inspirations of LEGO and Architecture!