Nicole Harkins Analytique Paper - The Corner Solution

Nicole Harkins The Corner Solution ARCH 499B: David Sabatello

Quite possibly one of the most difficult design elements is the one that is not thought

about until the very end: the interior corner. One can easily overlook the unforeseeable problems

that the interior corner could cause until an attempt is made to try to terminate a row of columns

in such a way. The list of options to solve this problem was once few and far between, but as

architecture has evolved we have seen even the great masters such as Bramante and Borromini

tackle this unforgiving design problem.

And why is the interior corner design

really so important? When you enter into a

space, usually a courtyard in this instance, your

eye immediately scans the space. As humans we

are used to patterns, and our eye picks up on the

slightest oddities without fail. For one to enter

into said courtyard and immediately be drawn to

an irregular corner would be an utter and

complete fail on the architects part. The point

of a courtyard is to create enclosure yet allow

the user an open feeling. If the observers eye is

focused on the corner, how are they to feel anything but constricted by the architecture?

When designing, the typical first instinct is to simply copy the previous column from both

ends to have a perfect junction. However, when the corner column does not change in size or

shape compared to the other preceding columns, visual deception ensues in which the corner

column appears shorter and less massive. Although technically accurate in size and shape, the

corner column now appears weak and unstable.

This is where the corner solution comes into play. A problem that has been around for

centuries, millennia even, has forced architects to come up with ingenious and visually appealing

resolutions. Three varied examples of successful corner solutions are Bramantes cloister

courtyard design at Santa Maria Della Pace, Martino Longhi the Elders courtyard design at


Palazzo Borghese, and Francesco Borrominis courtyard design at San Quattro Alle Quattro

Fontane.

Bramantes 1504 corner solution in the

courtyard at Santa Maria Della Pace cleverly follows

the rule previously stated not to follow he

maintains a true rhythm and shape of the columns

even at the corner. When working with square

columns, as Bramante was, if you keep to regularity

in position, the corner columns become buried

except for a tiny sliver that implies the previous

existence of a column. Rather than designing a new

element to occupy the corner of his courtyard,

Bramante emphasizes this fragmented corner column design. As seen in the picture to the right,

there are some unusual elements present at the corner. The tiny, curved sculptural addition under

the entablature is actually a pair of mirrored curlicues which are the repeated Ionic capital scrolls

seen in the earlier columns. Likewise, the pilaster pedestals are also visible in this incomplete form

at the base. The entire pilaster ensemble is evident at all four corner angles, which shows

Bramantes unwillingness to compromise in his design.

Although the design creates an obvious awkwardness, the result is one from complete

rational synthesis. The courtyard plan strictly follows a perfect 36-square grid. This grid dictates

the positioning of all the courtyards piers, and the columns are placed at the point in which they

could be continued in a straight line to produce more arches and more pilasters past the corner.

The logical grid makes for an overall visually coherent composition. Because of Bramantes plan

organization strategy, his awkward corner columns can be overlooked as inadequate design.

It can be said that Bramantes corner solution is not really a solution at all he simply

copied the columns from each end and chopped them off where they intersected. More likely,

Bramantes solution is a criticism of architectural theory in which he illustrates the practical


restrictions of an idealized goal to create the perfect corner that is in actuality impossible to

achieve.

In contrast to Bramantes awkward courtyard design is Martino Longhi the Elders 1585

courtyard design at Palazzo Borghese. Both designs display confidence and boldness, but

Longhis strategy solves the visual problems that Bramante was so critically dealing with.

Most obvious to the design is the use of the paired column. This repetitive architectural

motif maintains the sophistication of the single column but supplies the piers with extra width and

mass to better compare in scale with the arches. The weightier columns also help to create visual

continuity when combined with the corner.

The corner consists of a simple solution

when executed and realized properly. Longhi

took one column from each courtyard side and

added a prevailing pier behind the intersection of

these two continued columns. This so-called

extra pier is square to contrast with the existing

round columns in the remainder of the

courtyard. Its presence is critical at the corner to

supply the termination with extra mass and visual

emphasis to not fall into the trap of the frail and unbalanced corner. There is a clear hierarchy in

the design with double units throughout except for the triple units in the corners.

While Bramantes previous example was critical of the obvious corner solution, Longhis

design portrayed a real solution to the problem that had been around for centuries. Longhis

courtyard is now known to be one of the first, and most beautiful, courtyard configurations in the

city due to its overall coherence and visual continuity, unlike Bramantes fragmented and

awkward design.


Another successful courtyard design

that employs an effective corner solution is

Borrominis 1641 cloister courtyard design at

San Quattro Alle Quattro Fontane. The

courtyards rectangular plan with chamfered

corners can be seen repeated in the plan design

for the garden on the north side of the church.

Here, Borromini utilized the Doric orders and

Palladian arches to enclose the space. In plan,

the chamfered corners emphasize the presence of the corner of the courtyard by breaking the

regular pattern of the columns. However, in reality the chamfered corner actually accentuates

the open form of the courtyard and de-emphasizes the corner by creating a continuous

centralized feel.

Unlike the two previous examples where the courtyards rely on strong, powerful corners

to give necessary balance, Borromini has designed San Quattro to subtly neutralize the corners

and give the user an overall open and flowing feel in the space. In the design, the corner consists

of one bay of the colonnade that curves inwards to intersect at an angle with the bay in the

opposite direction. The small courtyard, with its

increased sense of space, suggests a continuity of

enclosure and a centralized plan, both similar to the

inside of the church.

In addition, the absence of corner piers holding

up a heavy colonnade above frees up the design and

allows Borromini to create convex and concave

surfaces, much like the faade of the church. On the

lower floor, the corner bay is convex and only the

architrave on the upper floor is straight. In a similar


playful style, Borromini has altered the column capitals to be octagonal in shape so that they align

not only with the corners of the chamfered rectangles but also the edges of the short and long

axis. In contrast, the column bases are circular to emphasize the duality of the space.

While one would normally assume a corner solution to successfully terminate two

intersecting perpendicular rows of columns, in Borrominis case the corner solution is really the

corner allusion. Rather than using convention in his courtyard design, the architect rotates the

corner 45 degrees to actually create two smaller, less noticeable corners and accentuate the

overall round form of the space.

How many solutions can one really find for just one simple corner of a building?

Apparently, there are infinite. The three examples discussed previously are just some of the many

different ideas that architects have come up with to solve the problem of the corner. While it is

an issue that has been around since ancient times, architects are still grappling with the most

clever and elegant designs. Bramante and Borromini, both master architects, have each been

criticized in one way or another for their courtyard strategies, and likewise so has Longhi.

However, all three of their schemes have involved careful thought and precision in detailing, and

for this reason they are all successful in their own ways.

Bramantes design, being the oldest of the three, is important due to its critical nature of

the actual solution. While Bramante took the obvious solution to exactly copy the piers from

each row to solve his issue, he is undoubtedly pointing out why this solution does not effectively

work. Longhi expands on Bramantes investigative technique by really proposing an answer to the

problem, rather than scrutinizing the typical solution. By playing around with the number of piers

used, Longhi is able to design a stable and substantial corner without the awkwardness of a single,

multi-faceted corner pier. Lastly, the cloister at San Carlo by Borromini is analytical of the corner

solution by questioning if the corner is actually even necessary which he decides that it is in

fact, not. Architects had been designing courtyards in a distinctive, classical fashion for decades,

and Borromini was more interested in successfully creating a certain feel of the space than

following convention.


These three examples show the evolution of the corner solution as time has gone on

from realization of the issue, to a clear resolution of the issue, and to the questioning of the root

of the issue. Each project is known for its distinct characteristics in solving the idea of the interior

courtyard, and each shows the progression to the future.

The design of the corner is obviously a critical point of any project. In the design of the

New Museum at Villa Borghese, as well as the New Event Center, it is important that the interior

corners of our open-to-below spaces are considered carefully. In the New Museum there is an

interior covered courtyard in the entrance lobby. The lobby is not only a visitors first impression

of the building, but is also the central public space, and the area in which all of the circulation

centers around. The column placement and corner design is key to the overall feel of the space

visitors need to be guided through the lobby effectively, but they also need the area to feel open

and non-constricting.

After careful analysis, the best solution would be to use smaller piers to give the space a

sense of lightness. A corner strategy similar to the one seen at Palazzo Borghese would work well

in the courtyard, as a weighted emphasis on the corner will give the large space balance. There are

many aspects that need to be considered when designing courtyard spaces, especially at the

corners.


Works Cited

Sullivan, George H. Not Built in a Day: Exploring the Architecture of Rome. New York:

Carroll & Graf, 2006. Print.

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Nicole Harkins Analytique Paper - The Corner Solution