Superposed order (also superimposed)^[1] is one where successive storeys of a building have differentorders.^[2] The most famous ancient example of such an order isthe Colosseum at Rome, which had no less than four storeys of superposed orders.^[3] The superposition rules were developed in ancient Greece and were also actively used in the architecture of ancient Rome. Later, the order was used in the architecture of theRenaissance andBaroque.

The heaviest orders are at the bottom of a building, whilst the lightest come at the top. This rule means that theDoric order is a preferred order for the ground floor, theIonic order is used for the middle storey, while theCorinthian or theComposite order is used for the top storey. The ground floor may also haverustication. Initially, the top story usually featured the Composite order, but, afterVincenzo Scamozzi published his treatiseL'idea dell'architettura universale (The Idea of a Universal Architecture, Venice, 1615), architects switched to the Corinthian order.^[4]

The superposed order allowed storeys without columns, but rearrangement of order styles was strictly forbidden.

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  The Tower of The Five Orders at theBodleian Library at theUniversity of Oxford, completed in 1619, includes all the fiveClassical orders
• 
  Portico ofLes Invalides from Paris, an example ofFrench Baroque architecture
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  Façade of theSaint-Gervais-Saint-Protais from Paris

• Classical order
• Concatenation

• Superimposed and giant orders

• Orders of columns
• Ancient Roman architectural elements
• Ancient Greek architecture
• Neoclassical architecture
• Design history

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