architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...

s or

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vau ...

es. They can be on principal fronts and/or sides of a building and are not meant for entrance but as an outdoor sitting room."Definition of Loggia"
Lexic.us. Retrieved on 2014-10-24. An overhanging loggia may be supported by a

baldresca A baldresca is an architectural element supporting a loggia. The element is of the medieval tradition and looks like a shelf with a supporting function. A baldresca has no columns. Examples A notable example of the use of baldrescas is in the Casa ...

. From the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, nearly every Italian

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

had an open arched loggia in its main square, which served as a "symbol of communal justice and government and as a stage for civic ceremony".

Definition of the Roman loggia

The main difference between a loggia and a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

is the role within the functional layout of the building. The portico allows entrance to the inside from the exterior and can be found on

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

and small scale buildings. Thus, it is found mainly on noble residences and public buildings. A classic use of both is that represented in the mosaics of Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo of the Royal Palace. Loggias differ from

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

s in that they are more architectural and, in form, are part of the main edifice in which they are located, while verandas are roofed structures attached on the outside of the main building."Veranda"
Merriam-Webster Disctionary Online. Retrieved on 2014-10-24. A "double loggia" occurs when a loggia is located on an upper floor level above a loggia on the floor beneath.

Examples

* In Italian architecture, a loggia often takes the form of a small, often ornate, summer house built on the roof of a residence to enjoy cooling winds and the view. They were especially popular in the 17th century and are prominent in Rome and

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

, Italy. * Grinnell College in

Grinnell, Iowa Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College. History Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who we ...

, contains three distinct sets of dorms connected by loggias. The main quad on the

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

campus in

Stanford, California Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University. The population was 21,150 at the 2020 census. Stanford is an unincorporated area of ...

, prominently features loggias, as do the University Center and Purnell Center for the Arts at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, which frame a quad known as the Cut. * In the city centre of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

in England, a number of

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large woode ...

buildings dating from the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

to Victorian periods have first-floor loggias called the

Chester Rows Chester Rows are a set of structures in each of the four main streets of Chester, in the United Kingdom, consisting of a series of covered walkways on the first floor behind which are entrances to shops and other premises. At street level is a ...

. * In Russia and Switzerland, a '' loggia'' can be a form of recessed balcony on a residential apartment building. * A loggia was added to the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

in 2006. * At the archeological site of

Hagia Triada Hagia Triada (also Ayia Triada, Agia Triada, Agia Trias, , " Holy Trinity") is the archaeological site of an ancient Minoan settlement. Hagia Triada is situated on the western end of a prominent coastal ridge, with Phaistos at the eastern end and ...

on the Greek island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

, several loggias constructed around 1400 BC have been located and whose column bases still remain.Vasilakis, Antonis. ''Phaistos''. Vasilis Kouvidis – Vasilis Manouras Editions, Iraklio, p. 118 File:10 2014 Trento-Castello Buonconsiglio-panorama Loggia veneziana gotica-Col Castion, Doss Trento, Mausoleo Cesare Battisti, Monte Soprasasso, Monte Terlago-ITALY- K-5 II -Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8-photo Paolo Villa.jpg, The Venetian Gothic loggia of the Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento, Italy File:Edificio La Inmobiliaria (loggia).JPG, The loggia of the Edificio La Inmobiliaria in Buenos Aires, Argentina File:Santapollinarenuovo.JPG, A mosaic found in the nave of the 6th-century Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy depicts a loggia. File:2014 02 13 14 09 50 Milano ITALY Pinacoteca di Brera loggia e colonnato del cortile Courtyard photo Paolo Villa FOTO3968.JPG, Loggia in the shape of a

Venetian window A Venetian window (also known as a Serlian window) is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian ar ...

, at the

Palazzo Brera Palazzo Brera or Palazzo di Brera is a monumental palace in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It was a Jesuit college for two hundred years. It now houses several cultural institutions including the Accademia di Brera, the art academy of th ...

in Milan, Italy File:Sárospatak - Vár - Perényi-szárny és Lórántffy loggia - panoramio.jpg, The 17th-century Renaissance Lorántffy loggia in the Castle of Sárospatak, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary

References

Bibliography

External links

* * {{Authority control * Architectural elements Italian words and phrases

Definition of the Roman loggia

Examples

See also

References

Bibliography

External links