Brunelleschi’s plan was to build a double-shelled dome strengthened by a
brick frame that was inspired by his study of the ruins of the ancient buildings
in Rome but not based directly on any previous model. His brick frame, constructed
of a herringbone pattern of interlocking bricks, resolved the greatest
obstacle to the building of the dome, the impossibility of building a wooden
framework (centering) to hold up such a large dome until it was fi nished.
Brunelleschi’s plan required neither centering nor scaffolding. He clearly and
precisely specifi ed all the building materials and their position in the structure.
This manner of thinking through the project as a whole and determining
every aspect of its structure, construction, and aesthetics was very different
from the traditional ways of the masons and was to some extent the birth of
the modern architectural profession.