Chapter 6
Palladio's Own Buildings
The heart of the dissertation: a systematic geometric analysis of Palladio's original designs as published in the Quattro Libri. These villas, palazzi, and churches reveal the equilateral triangle as the generative form behind Palladio's famous proportional harmony.
By overlaying equilateral triangle templates on Palladio's published plans and elevations, the analysis shows that the dimensions he provides — both marked and unmarked — are consistently generated by the √3/2 ratio and its rational approximations (7:6, 15:13, 26:22½).
Use the interactive plan analyzer below to explore how the equilateral triangle governs the proportions of selected buildings.
Plan Analysis
Width: 80 ft
Depth: 80 ft
Ratio: 80:80 = 1:1.0000
√3/2: 0.8660
Width × √3/2: 69.28
The Villa Rotonda's perfect square plan demonstrates the equilateral triangle relationship: the diagonal of the central sala and its height-to-width proportions embed the 1:√3/2 ratio.
Selected Buildings
Villa Rotonda (Villa Almerico Capra)
The most famous of Palladio's villas, with its perfect square plan and four identical porticoed facades. The central sala's proportions and the overall plan dimensions embed the equilateral triangle ratio in multiple, nested ways — a masterful demonstration of the geometric method at its most refined.
Palazzo Chiericati
This urban palazzo's striking double-loggia facade conceals a plan whose overall width-to-depth ratio approximates 2:√3. The room arrangements on either side of the central sala follow proportional subdivisions generated by the equilateral triangle.
Villa Emo
Villa Emo's extended horizontal plan, with its central block flanked by long barchesse, demonstrates how Palladio applied the equilateral triangle at multiple scales — governing both the central villa's proportions and its relationship to the agricultural wings.