Vault construction

Fathima Rishin Razak

2nd sem, M.Arch
SMMCA, Nagpur

catenary vault
minimises forces in
compression

hanging chain
minimises forces in tension

Catenary vault

Introduction:
Arch and Vault:
a fundamental construction system
A vault, in architecture, is a series of arch-shaped
structure, usually of masonry, used as the ceiling of a
room or other enclosed space, as the roof of a
building, or as the support for a ceiling or roof.
Until the 19th century the arch and vault were the
only alternative to the far more limited and simpler
post-and-lintel system supporting a flat or peaked
beamed roof.

evolution of basic form:

Evolution:
Why Vault???

tendency to
move apart
tie beams had to
be introduced

post-lintel roof

vault roof

peaked-beam roof

-more stable,
-easy load transfer
-more spacious

Through history:
Nubian Vault Construction

-Egypt

need a back wall to stick the blocks onto.

inclined to increase adhesion by force
of gravity.
used chiefly for drains
larger the area and thinner the block is,
the better will be the adhesion
no centring required.

Vaults of granaries of Ramesseum,

Egypt 1300 B.C.

carried over by Ar. Hassan Fathy

eg: village of New Gourna

Technique:

1. Shaping the curve onto the

adobe wall

5. First course

2. Adjusting the curve.

6. Second course

10. First arch is completed

7. Applying
some mortar

3. Starting the vault

8. Third course

4. Starting the
inclined course

9. Fourth course

11. Building other arches

Parthian brick vault

- Mesopotamia
seen in palaces and tombs of 150 B.C.
-Extremely stable ,(earthquake prone areas)
-Timber centring not needed as timber was
found very less

1. supported by a back wall

eg: Parthian remains at Assur

2. initial courses lean

against wall

Greeks:

3. subsequent layers rest

against the first

Didnt use vault construction so frequently

The Greek colonies of Magna Grcia are home to the
earliest archways and barrel vaults in Italy.These were
constructed out of stone, with the occasional use of
lime mortar.

Roman contribution:
-followed Etruscans (voussoir arch
for drainages) and developed
mature and perfect vaulting system,
seen in 1st cy. A.D.
-Casting concrete barrel vaults of the Basilica Nova 312 AD
Roman Forum
in one solid mass, the Romans
created vaults of perfect rigidity,
devoid of external thrust, and
requiring no buttresses.
-Vaults and domes could
be easily erected over vast spaces,
producing impressive and complex
thermae, amphitheaters, and
basilicas.
fig. of voussoir arch and terms

Doubtless, vaulted architecture is one

of Romes more enduring legacies.

Roman contribution:

centring & formwork:

Invention of concrete:
concrete is a mixture of mortar with stone
aggregate.
mortar : pozzolana a volcanic ash having
compressive strength 5-8 times more than that
of pure lime (used by Greeks) + water = sets
even in aqueous solutions
The earliest examples of its use in vaulting
occur at the Sanctuary of Fortuna at
Prneste and the Porticus milia, both of
which are dated to the early second
century BCE

Centring - arced wooden frame which

outlines the fundamental shape of the
form, and which bears the weight of the
masonry/concrete.
Centring
Formwork - the portion of the support that sits
upon the centring and upon which the concrete
is actually placed. It consists of numerous,
straight beams joined together to approximate
the circular shape of the vault.
Formwor
k

Cutaway of the Porticus milia, southern

Rome, early second century BCE

Form evolution:
barrel vaults were intersected to get groin
vaults

linear planning (long rooms) was the only possibility

less complicated, but monotonous.

eg; Groin Vault in the

Amphitheatrum Flavium, 80 CE.

groin vaults rested on piers / columns, so more free

and large open spaces were created in the interiors

Romanesque contribution:
The most important
structural developments and
characteristics of Romanesque
architecture was the vault. The
vault was developed to enable
the construction of stone roofs
(- wooden roofs were an
obvious fire hazard)
Barrel or Tunnel Vaults
& Groin Vaults supported
by piers were used
frequently
Features:
1. Dark, solemn spaces
2. Exterior is simple, severe
3. Modest
Height
4. Horizontal lines
5. Multiple Units

thick piers/walls

Gothic contribution:
-load was safely transferred from
pointed vault to the base through
foundation.
-Walls doesnt bear load anymore, so
large openings could be made out of
it.

Ribs to strengthen the groins

and sides of a cross vault
were first employed in the
Church of Sant'Ambrogio,
Milan (11th cent.)

Form evolution:

more ribs

Renaissance contribution:

The architects of the Renaissance

and baroque periods abandoned
Gothic methods and returned to
Roman vault forms.
New devices and ornamentations
were added to these basic forms,
including barrel vaults of semielliptical section, domes mounted
on drums, and cross vaults with
groins of elliptical section.
Proportion, order and such
classical principles were brought
back into design considerations
by renaissance architects.

Antiquarium was built between 1568 and 1571.

Allegoric frescoes, grotesques, and Bavarian landscape
scenes embellish the 69-m- (225-ft-) long barrel vault.

Industrial Revolution :

Crystal palace,1851
by Joseph Paxton

-Using combinations of prefabricated cast iron,

laminated wood, and standard sized glass sheets
(10in x 49in module), Paxton created the ridgeand-furrow roof design.
-The Palace was 1,848 feet long, 408 feet
(124m) wide and 108 feet (33m) high.
-The construction, acting as a self
supporting shell, maximized interior space, and
the glass cover enabled daylight. The method of
construction was a breakthrough in technology
and design, and paved the way for more
sophisticated pre-fabricated design.

Palais Des Machines,1889

by Ferdinand Dutert

The Galerie des machines formed a

huge glass and metal hall with an area
of 115 by 420 metres (377 by 1,378ft)
and a height of 48.324 metres (158.54ft).
There were no internal supports.

Modern Architecture:

Kimbell Art Museum, 1972

by Ar. Louis I Kahn
Casa Mila, 1910 by Ar. Antonio Gaudi

catenary vault

A catenary arch is the shape one

gets when we suspend a rope or
chain from its endpoints.
The advantage of the catenary
arch is that it can be constructed
from relatively light materials
while still being able to support
great weights.

Catenary curve:

"As hangs the flexible line, so but

inverted will stand the rigid arch.

Load Transfer:

Robert Hooke - 1675

Horizontal thrust
segmental arch

The catenary arch is particularly interesting

because it is the shape which a hanging line
naturally makes when draped between two
posts.
Antoni Gaud has been known to make
models, hanging small chains from a surface
and taking measurements to get the
dimensions of a perfect catenary arch.

catenary arch
Vertical thrust

load safely transferred through

line of thrust, hence buttress not
needed
more stable due to equilibrium of
internal forces
structural elements experience
only compression, no bending or
shear force

Load Transfer:

line of thrust,

steepness of arch at each point

determined by balance of horizontal
and vertical force at that point.
shape of arch depends on
span/height relationship
Strongest arch, because it
is in perfect equilibrium

Case -1
Casa Mila:
Architecturally it is considered an
innovative work by having a structure of
columns and floors free of load bearing
walls. Similarly, the front which is made
of stone is also self-supporting.
Antonio Gaudi, around 20th cy,
revived the idea of suspended
structures in his search for true
catenary vault under
nature of the form. He derived
the terrace of casa mill
arch shapes from suspended
scale models so as to achieve
purity of form or from
economical point of view, max. First, a simple cable is hung and the loads that would act on it are
calculated, measuring the vertical distances (self-weight of the
efficiency of materials.
walls at the haunches) and adding the corresponding weight of
the floor. These weights are added to the cable, causing a change
on its shape. Vertical distances are measured again and the selfweight modified. The cable under these loads adopts a shape that
is very close to the exact mathematical shape.

Case -2
Gateway Arch
Eero Sarinen
-Combined aesthetic value with
mathematical and structural principles.
-Shape is weighted catenary with aspect
ratio 1:1 (630m wide X 630m height)
an absolute pure shape where the
compression line goes through the centre line
of the structure, directly to the ground. In
other words, a perfect catenary- Eero Sarinen
other loads acting
upon the arch are
:-wind load
earthquake

stainless steel

uneven expansion &

contraction
Gateway arch, 1965, by Eero Sarinen

Case -3
Sheffield Winter Garden
Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects, 2003
The Winter Garden itself -70m X 22m X 21m
- is one of the largest temperate glasshouses to
have been built in Britain during the past 100
years and the largest yet built in a European
city centre.
Larch wood is used to make arches by forming
and gluing strips of timber into specific shapes

Walkway for Olympic

complex, Athens

Case -4

Santiago Calatrava, 2004

-Catenary vault made of 100 steel arches

Comparison:
Era
Egyptian

Type of vault

Material used

nubian vault

sun dried bricks

leaning against
back wall

barrel vault

stones,
concrete
(pozzolana)

transferred to the
springers, then to
the abutment and
thick walls

groin vault

concrete

load taken up by groins

Roman

rib vault

concrete

Gothic
fan vault

Modern

Load transfer

catenary vault

concrete
concrete,steel,
wood

load taken up by ribs,

then to flying buttress
no: of ribs got
increased for easy
load transfer
shape attained carries
load without buttress

Comparison of
case studies:
casestudy
Casa Mila

image

typology

Antonio
Gaudi

residential

bricks

monumental

Steel

Gateway
Arch

Eero Sarinen

Sheffield
Winter
Garden

Pringle Richards
Sharratt
Architects greenhouse

Walkway for
Olympic
Complex,
Athens

material
used

architect

Santiago
Calatrava

walkway

Larch timber
& glass

Steel arches

span
4m X3m
approax.

630m X 630m

70m X 22m X 21m

35m X 20m
approax.

Summary:
Advantages of catenary vault:

stablest arch form under gravity, with

minimum material & minimum forces in
compression

load transferred through line of thrust, hence

shape obtained will itself transfer the load, no
need of any additional buttresses.

can be used in any building typology, and with

any material.

height variations and span variations possible,

unlike barrel or groin vaulting

very efficient in carrying heavy loads

Thank you