Securing the historic heart of British politics
Palace of Westminster
A detailed precedent of historic gothic spire architecture and stone masonry restoration by Donald Insall Associates at the Palace of Westminster.
- What we like about this project
- Delicate flying buttress pinnacles bridge empty air around the upper lantern tier.
Materials
- stone
- slate
- glass
- lead
Visual identifiers
- gothic-spire
- stone-tracery
- flying-buttress
- pitched-roof
Style tags
- gothic
- historic
- ornate
Visual tags
- historic
- restoration
- stone-masonry
- ornate
- verticality
- Geometry
- An octagonal stone lantern rises from a pitched shingle roof, transitioning upward into an open-work flying spire with pinnacles and delicate tracery.
- Facade system
- Load-bearing carved stone masonry with leaded traceried windows and louvers.
- Structural guess
- Load-bearing stone masonry tower with integrated stone pinnacles and flying elements.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental scale; the close crop emphasizes intricate stone tracery against a large open sky.
- Lighting
- Bright direct daylight casting crisp shadows on the carved stone surfaces against a clear blue sky.
- Atmosphere
- Solemn and majestic, defined by sharp detailing and crisp sky contrast.
- Environmental context
- Rooftop setting of a historic masonry building under clear sky.
- Spatial experience
- The composition draws the eye vertically from the low-slung, textured roof plane up against the clear blue sky toward the intricate finial.
- Composition rhythm
- Vertical tiers of pointed windows, louvers, and soaring pinnacles creating an upward acceleration.
- Style reading
- Gothic Revival historic masonry
- Program
- Historic civic and parliamentary landmark
- Perspective
- Detail Close-up
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- stone, slate, glass, lead
- Visual identifiers
- gothic-spire, stone-tracery, flying-buttress, pitched-roof
- Style tags
- gothic, historic, ornate
- Visual tags
- historic, restoration, stone-masonry, ornate, verticality
- Geometry
- An octagonal stone lantern rises from a pitched shingle roof, transitioning upward into an open-work flying spire with pinnacles and delicate tracery.
- Facade system
- Load-bearing carved stone masonry with leaded traceried windows and louvers.
- Structural guess
- Load-bearing stone masonry tower with integrated stone pinnacles and flying elements.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental scale; the close crop emphasizes intricate stone tracery against a large open sky.
- Lighting
- Bright direct daylight casting crisp shadows on the carved stone surfaces against a clear blue sky.
- Atmosphere
- Solemn and majestic, defined by sharp detailing and crisp sky contrast.
- Environmental context
- Rooftop setting of a historic masonry building under clear sky.
- Spatial experience
- The composition draws the eye vertically from the low-slung, textured roof plane up against the clear blue sky toward the intricate finial.
- Composition rhythm
- Vertical tiers of pointed windows, louvers, and soaring pinnacles creating an upward acceleration.
- Style reading
- Gothic Revival historic masonry
- Program
- Historic civic and parliamentary landmark
- Perspective
- Detail Close-up
- Discipline
- architecture