The Body of the Architect

During the Renaissance, a revival of the Aristotelian writings on animal motion took place, which started contributing to a research trend where anatomical, physiological and mechanical notions intertwine. In their works, architects of the same period devoted themselves to understanding similar “body equilibria” in relation to the imitatio naturae, in accordance to its twofold meaning of imitatio arborum and imitatio corporum. Architecture and biomechanics thus found mutual contact points whenever static considerations on buildings played an essential role in the new scientia aedificandi. The current study revisits some stages of this process, with which architectural and mechanical theories provided new interpretative tools for builders. Bones, muscles and tendons became elements of mechanical models through which an attempt is made to create a dialogue between the science des architectes and the science des ingénieurs, before the two sciences resolved into a final separation.