Orders and Their Dimensions

The five standard orders came to be known as such during the renaissance, when architects such as Giacomo da Vignola (1507-1573) and Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) built on Vitruvius’ (circa 80-15 BC) previous work. The five orders are as follows:
  • Tuscan          (Roman)
  • Doric             (Greek and Roman)
  • Ionic              (Greek and Roman)
  • Corinthian    (Greek and Roman)
  • Composite   (Roman)

It is important to note there is no single standard in terms of dimensions when it comes to the orders. Dozens of treatises with slight variations have been written, including those by: Vitruvius, Palladio, Scamozzi, Vignola, Serlio, Alberti, Viola Zanini, and Cataneo.

Vitruvius’, Vignola’s, and Palladio’s works can be found via links in the Further Reading section. However, their work can be a bit convoluted at times. For ease of use it is recommended to use Michael Rouchell’s drawing below. It does a great job of clearly and concisely illustrating the five orders. A detailed write-up can be found on his blog here.

The dimensions below are Roman and based on Vignola’s work, the most widely used of the various treatises.

Classical Orders of Architecture
The Classical Orders of Architecture (click to enlarge).

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