Reply #14: The flying buttress and the groined vault had no negative environmental impact [View All]

when they were developed. Neither did Christopher Wren's church spires. They did, however, lay the theoretical and practical groundwork for a lot of later engineering and architecture, as did the finally successful attempt to get a dome onto the Duomo in Florence.

Now, tell me--how many Gothic cathedrals do you see under construction today? And what about the square footage of indoor malls, all of which are far larger and require far more constant cooling and heating than a church, not to mention huge impermeable surfaces for parking? How about courthouses, which usually include large open interior spaces that require climate control 5 days a week? A LOT of public architecture could be more environmentally responsible than it is. Your average "immigrant Gothic" church ain't even in the running.