Freehand draw and the study of military architecture

Abstract

This paper aims at analysing medieval and Renaissance fortifications by freehand draw. Freehand draw has been used for this purpose since the so called ‘epoca della transizione’and its fortune reached its peak with the study of Renaissance fortifications (XV-XVI century).Physical survey by scale sketches and drawings is a technique of Italian and European Renaissance tradition. It is a fundamental first step in understanding buildings and how they were designed.This research took into consideration the following case studies: fortifications in the State of Presidii – on the border between Lazio and Tuscany -, fortifications of the Tuscan archipelago, fortresses and fortified surrounding walls in Emilia Romagna.Freehand draw allowed us to recognize on the one hand the geometrical matrixes of the shapes taken into consideration and on the other hand the relations between design principles - which inspired military architects - and the effective realizations.