In 1418, the city of Florence held a contest for a design to enclose their cathedral. Having the Cathedral open to the sky was allowing the weather to take its toll on the cathedral. Several ideas were discussed but it was important to the city that there should be no pillars obstructing the view across the cathedral and they wanted quality and beauty. It was finally decided in 1420, that the plans of a goldsmith Filippo Brunelleschi were the most likely to be successful and made him the superintendent of the project (Mueller).
During the commissioning and building of the cathedral several questions were asked. How can you build the highest and widest dome ever built? What materials