Does Renaissance architecture confuse you? Do you have trouble identifying its stylistic elements? Once you understand the basic characteristics of Renaissance architecture, you will find it much easier to identify this specific genre of design. The following characteristics are typical of this style of architecture:

• Symmetrical Base Plan: The main building is usually built in a symmetrical fashion, with a module as the base of the plan.
• Pillars: Pillars and columns became standard parts of structure and decoration in this time of elaborate artwork and emphasis on beauty. Many of these were carved or adorned with vertical lines, swirls, faces or patterns. A strong Roman influence can be found in many buildings of this era, though the pillars are usually much smaller than those found in classic Roman architecture.
• Domes: Domes were often placed over square-shaped rooms and decorated with windows, or ornately painted or carved vaulting beams. The domes were decorative both inside and out. Before the Renaissance, domes were a rare feature in buildings. Renaissance domes are almost always supported by Roman-style pillars.
• Arches: You’ll see a plethora of arched entrances in Renaissance architecture. These archways are semi-circles. One of the most famous examples of the use of arches on a grand scale is the Basilica di Sant'Andrea in Mantua, Italy.
• Windows: Many of the windows were paired and set into arched frames. In other cases, windows adorned the level of a building under a dome, set in symmetrical and systematic format. Placement of windows throughout a building is inevitably precise, with windows appearing in parallel on opposite walls.
• Artwork: At the time of Renaissance, artists worked alongside architects to add beauty to the structures that were built. Renaissance architecture features art in its many forms, including murals, fountains, altars, portals, statues, engravings, frescoes and the sculpting and painting of moldings and ceilings. Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo Di Vinci and Filippo Brunelleschi are three artists known for influencing Renaissance architectural styles and décor.

If you look for modern-day buildings created to mimic Renaissance styles, you’ll see many of these characteristics modified. You may find symmetrical houses with stately columns and elegant arched entrances. These houses are balanced with matching wings and adorned with elaborate cornices or crown molding. You may even find Italian-influenced tile roofs and classical artwork in such homes and gardens.