Why were fortresses often built pentagonal?
In: 6771
the design concept does not revolve as much about the number of sides, but general arrangement of such fortresses (towns). It was also a great leap forward in terms of organization compared to overpopulated medieval towns which were ideal for spread of rebellion’s, plagues and diseases due to lack of planning or organization
[https://www.archdaily.com/974799/exploring-the-history-of-the-ideal-renaissance-cities](https://www.archdaily.com/974799/exploring-the-history-of-the-ideal-renaissance-cities)
the concept of an “ideal renaissance town” was first proposed in 15th century, and has had numerous iterations by many famous architects of the era.
Importance of the design was not only that it defended from the invaders on the outside, but it also defended from the “core”, as a small platoon based in the center of such town could cover all the approaching alleys in case the outer perimeter is breached, or in case there is a rebelion within the walls.
Another important aspect was that designers often incorporated water ways as a method of connecting the city center with the perimeter, something that would be useful even for hygienic purposes.
it also gave way for Leonardo da Vinci’s multi layer city concept , where the streets/waterways were on different levels, where you’d have ship traffic one one level, normal daily trades on second, and pedestrian “posh” ways on a separate level.
[https://phys.org/news/2019-05-leonardo-da-vinci-ideal-city.html](https://phys.org/news/2019-05-leonardo-da-vinci-ideal-city.html)
one of the earliest designers for military purposes was Sangallo,
[https://www.agriturismosomaia.it/en/medicea-fortress-of-giuliano-da-sangallo-sansepolcro/](https://www.agriturismosomaia.it/en/medicea-fortress-of-giuliano-da-sangallo-sansepolcro/)
but more on the topic in general:
[https://www.sgira.org/pub13.htm#:~:text=Among%20the%20most%20important%20architects,Sangallo%20family%2C%20and%20Michele%20Sanmicheli](https://www.sgira.org/pub13.htm#:~:text=Among%20the%20most%20important%20architects,Sangallo%20family%2C%20and%20Michele%20Sanmicheli).
Latest Answers