Preview

introduction to Vaulted Structures

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
979 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
introduction to Vaulted Structures
introduction to Vaulted Structures

Arches, Vaults and Domes (AVD) have been used since millennia worldwide. With the developments in the 20th century of reinforced cement concrete, tensile and steel structures, vaulted structures have been left aside since then. The Auroville Earth Institute attempts to revive these techniques, shapes and skills of builders with these aims:

Segmental vault, 10.35 m span, at Deepanam School, Auroville

• Bring a worldwide awareness about the possibilities of such roofing.
• Research and develop them so as to integrate in the 21st century the techniques used in past centuries and millennia, such as those developed in ancient Egypt or during the period of gothic architecture in Europe.

This R&D seeks to increase the span of the roof, decrease its thickness, and create new shapes. Arches, Vaults and Domes are usually built with compressed stabilised earth blocks, which are laid in “free spanning” mode, without using a formwork.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Steps in the architectural evolution
When mankind was still in a nomadic state, people’s links with the cosmos through the starlit sky was obvious and crucial. Thus, dwellings were circular and covered either with cones or domes made of branches. These huts were referred to the centre, the number 1, the circle. These structures can still be found where there are nomadic cultures, like in Somalia.

African bulbous, made of branches and covered with skin or canvas

Qubâb, round hut Syria, Somalia, before being plastered

Qubâb, round hut Syria, Somalia, with thatch roof When people slowly settled down, the circle evolved to the square, the number 4, which is related to the Mother Earth. Some houses were still covered by domes, often hemispherical, which are still found a lot in Muslim architecture and in Egypt. Later on, quadrangular plans and pyramidal or flat roofs prevailed.

Steps in the technical

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Chapter 17 Roman Art

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Another work of art was Megaliths or ‘big stones’ were constructed without the use of mortar and represent the most basic form of architectural construction. The original purpose is still unknown but its orientation toward the rising sun of the summer solstice indicated a connection to planting and harvest.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Int1

    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages

    square Earth. Ancient Egyptian’s believed the world to be a flat disk floating in the ocean.…

    • 1363 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    12. Ziggurat: A multistory pyramid-like stepped tower made of mudbricks associated with religion in ancient Mesopotamian cities.…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Batek of Malaysia

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Text Available By: Beswick, Jon. Architectural Review, Oct2010, Vol. 228 Issue 1364, p080-083, 4p, 8 Color Photographs…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pyramids and Ziggurats

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Pyramids and ziggurats both provide archeologists with a great deal of information about the ancient cultures that constructed them. When comparing The Great Pyramids of Egypt with The Ziggurats of Mesopotamia and the Mesoamerican Pyramids, the differences between them are more apparent than the similarities that they share. The structures only appear to be similar. Both have the general form of a pyramid. Some other similarities shared by these structures can be interpreted from a religious context of those who had them erected and what role they served for the society. Among the differences are their usage, how they were decorated, their designs, and the materials used in their construction.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The whole design reflects the builders’ confident use of the complete High Gothic structural vocabulary: the rectangular-bay system, the four-part rib vault, and a buttressing system that permitted almost complete dissolution of heavy masses and thick weight-bearing walls. At Amiens, the concept of a self-sustaining skeletal architecture reached full maturity. The remaining stretches of wall seem to serve no purpose other than to provide a weather screen for the interior. Amiens Cathedral is one of the most impressive examples of the French Gothic obsession with constructing ever taller churches. Using their new skeletal frames of stone, French builders attempted goals almost beyond limit, pushing to new heights with increasingly slender supports.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The evolution of these villages into towns and cities created a new lifestyle that seperated them from direct contact with many elements of nature. This separation became apparent in the emergence of the civilizations of Mesopotamia. This distinction is personified in the walled city of Uruk in Sumeria. On the inside is civilization, with the walls keeping the wilderness out. Because settlements became permanent people began owning land as property. It became necessary for there to bo a way to keep track of property divisions as well as ownership of crop surpluses. This need led to more complex mathematics as well as the creation of writing.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Pantheon

    • 2891 Words
    • 12 Pages

    One of the more inspiring and brilliantly conceived and constructed dome structures in the world is the Pantheon of Rome. This example imposes a magnificent strength of ingenuity and dominance over their surrounding landscape, and the Pantheon deserves to be researched and admired for its architecturally innovative and bold design of its time. The building was accommodated with serious technical impediments that required a thorough and scrutinizing attention to detail in order to overcome. It is because of the prevailed obstacles by the various designers, architects and builders of this building that captures the consideration of those interested in the development of building technology and progress throughout the history of dome architecture and architecture in general. Considering the mastery of building techniques and materials of the time the buildings were erected, it is still quite impressive how immense and concise the overall structures were and still remain to this day. Clearly much thought and extensive planning were performed to conceive and materialize such behemoths of architectural prowess and innovation. THESIS; Although the Pantheon and its adjoining Dome are many centuries old, their architectural competence and proficiency of structural design have withstood the test of time and is noted as a penultimate example of Dome architecture.…

    • 2891 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    ziggurats

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ziggurats were the most distinctive architectural of the ancient east.3The first Ziggurats started in Mesopotamia by the Sumerians in 4000 B.C.4. There were many different societies that built Ziggurats the Babylonians and Assyrians are two others. The Ziggurats that the Sumerians built were believed to be a passage way from earth to heaven and from earth to the underworld. The Sumerians believed that the gods came from mountains thats why they wanted to build the Ziggurats up high so they would be similar to the mountains.5 The temples were built on seven levels which represented seven heavens and the seven planets6,or thats what the Sumerians believed. The Babylonians would give offerings to the gods and would have temples where they could worship their city god. Only a city god got a Ziggurat temple, there were other gods but they only had temples.7 The most known Ziggurat is in Babylon and is two hundred and seventy feet above the streets this tower is called “The Tower of Babel”8. The name Ziggurat came for the the Assyrians. All these societies have Ziggurats in their cities that they have built to use to worship and praise their gods. Ziggurats were built until the persian time, which was when other religious temples were being built.9…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    First off, the continuous sides of the pyramids pointing to the sky show their idea of perfection of the heavens and their idolization of Helios, the Sun god. 15 Furthermore, thousands of laborers worked on the pyramids to make ideal perfection. As an example, all the chambers of The Great Pyramid were exactly 68℉. 16 They wouldn’t have put in such interest, time, and care, if it wasn’t for their religious enthusiasm. So the pyramids represented the strong reverence to their religion. Lastly, the divine circle inscribed in light gold and blue on each face of the Great Pyramid symbolizes the breath of God. The circle represents the air and sea with its colors, and together they represent purity. The divine circle delineates the nature aspect of the Ancient Egyptian’s divinity, which shows that below the Sun god, they highly valued nature gods.…

    • 2319 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Structural engineering has been applied since mankind commenced building of structures. Structures are designed, with the aim to accomplish the desired functions of creation, ensuring the visualization of all the loads that could be applied on the structures, and adequate safety of structures.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Evolution of Skyscrapers

    • 2733 Words
    • 11 Pages

    In this period illustration, shoppers ride the elevator in the new Lord & Taylor's department store on Broadway in New York City sometime during the 1870's. Around the same time, the first-ever elevator in an office building was also installed in New York. It was designed by Elisha Otis, whose company became synonymous with the new contraption. Elevators revolutionized office buildings, literally turning them upside down. Prior to their invention, the lower floors of a structure were the most valuable rental property because of the difficulty and inconvenience of climbing the stairs. But the elevator made it possible for elite tenants to enjoy the view from the upper floors - and allow buildings to rise higher and higher.…

    • 2733 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    During the “New” Stone Age, also known as the Neolithic Period, art and life in general began to change drastically for humans. Many new onsets began to bloom, for example humans of this time period had begun to live in single locations versus before they were nomadic hunter-gatherers. This new life introduced new challenges and new opportunities. Within this paper I will discuss three Neolithic Locations, Jericho, Çatal Höyük, and Stonehenge. Also, what made each of these sites significant, what new forms of buildings were present at each, and what is still perplexing modern day historians and archaeologists about these sites.…

    • 2269 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Multicentred Arches

    • 3244 Words
    • 13 Pages

    be increased, and the structural resistance of the arch will be reduced. Installation of flashing at the abutments will…

    • 3244 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Moundbuilders Essay

    • 646 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Woodlands people became so advanced that soon their mounds began to show certain mathematical correlations. For example, there was an octagon build that was precisely double the area of the circle. Points of the Octagon lined up with the moon following an eighteen point five year cycle. Shortly after effigy mounds were discovered. Effigy means a representation or image, like a replication. In the case of the Woodlands people these were in the shape of animals. The most famous is the serpent mound near Cincinnati Ohio. This serpent was clearly as a calendar because different areas of the mound…

    • 646 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics