intercolumniation

intercolumniation (ĭn'tərkəlŭm'nēā`shən), in classical architecture, the clear space between the edges of two adjacent columns, as measured at the lower portion of their shafts. Vitruvius compiled standard intercolumniations for the three orders, expressed in terms of the column diameter. In the great works of Greek architecture, spacings frequently varied within a single colonnade. Renaissance architects employed a new type of intercolumniation with the use of columns in pairs, those of each pair almost touching.

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intercolumniation

In architecture, the space between columns that support an arch or entablature. Classical, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture used a system codified by Vitruvius in which the measurement is expressed in terms of the columns' diameters (e.g., two columns might be described as being three diameters apart). The system conveniently expressed the measurement of a unit of space whose size varied from building to building according to the Classical order used.