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BUILDING EXTERIOR 71▲ 4.34 S. Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy, Palladio, 1610. The Classical façade does notrelate to the Romanesque interior within.from one that previously spanned the entire width of the church.Framing the main entrance, they express monumentality and the importanceof the nave in relation to the aisles.Contemporary exterior structure continues this expressive traditionby communicating a diverse range of ideas, architectural qualities andactions. Exterior structure can to some degree express any architecturalidea. The clarity with which such an idea might be communicatedis quite another matter. That certainly depends on an architect’s skill. Inthe following four examples, structure expresses quite different ideas.The exterior of Fitzwilliam College Chapel, Cambridge, differentiatesitself from adjoining architectural forms to express ideas of protectionand enclosure (Fig. 4.35). The chapel’s distinctive circular geometry setsit apart from the surrounding rectilinear blocks. As an extension to a1960s linear accommodation wing, the chapel adopts the same width asthe existing construction where it connects. Then, after provision of acirculation area several metres long, perimeter walls begin to form acylinder, increasing the building width and partially encircling the chapelinside. Like embracing arms, in an understated and simple manner, theyprotect and enclose, metaphorically as well as physically. As at theMönchengladbach Museum (see Fig. 4.10), the act of curving walls inplan increases their strength and stability against horizontal loads. The