"I’ve recently been to Florence, and I bring you stories."
Aleksandra Melnikova, who calls herself an "experience designer, a systems thinker, and a curious mind", recently visited Florence, Italy. She brought back stories about three creative Florentines and what we can learn from them.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, view from the roof terrace
"When Filippo Brunelleschi was born, the main Cathedral of Florence, Santa Maria Degli Fiori, stood dome-less for about 80 years with no resolution in sight — no one could think of a solution that would work to build a dome of this size. Brunelleschi studied to be a goldsmith and sculptor, not an architect. Yet he won, and succeeded at the commission, by demonstrating that parabolic curves distribute force tangentially, giving such forms powerful load-bering properties.
"Legend has it he had no plans to show the adjudicators — a newbie, competing for the most prestigious project of the city.
"He surprised the judges with a challenge, asking them to balance an egg on one end. After each of them failed, Brunelleschi took back the egg and brought it down onto the tabletop with just enough force to impact the shell at one end, effectively flattening the small air space within it so that the egg stood stable and upright.
"The panel dismissed his little trick, claiming that any one of them could’ve done that! Brunelleschi pointed out that, nevertheless, not one of them had.
"This is such an elegant example of not following the rigid rules set forth. Rather than breaking those rules, which anyone can do, he bypassed them, essentially, rewriting the rule without destroying it. Such a graceful mind intent on innovation."
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