Rabasa Díaz, Enrique; Alonso Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel; Gil López, Tomás; López Mozo, Ana; Calvo-López, José; Sanjurjo Álvarez, Alberto. 2012. «The 100 Ft Vault ... ». In Abstracts. Fourth International Congress on Construction History. Paris, p. 18.
After the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples in 1442, Alfonso V of Aragon transformed the Castel N... more After the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples in 1442, Alfonso V of Aragon transformed the Castel Nuovo, an old Angevin fortress in the capital, into a new palace. In addition to commissioning the well-known triumphal arch ascribed to Francesco Laurana, he ordered the Majorcan
architect Guillem Sagrera to construct a number of singular spiral staircases, a rib vault behind the arch and an octagonal tierceron vault over the castle’s main hall. Measuring approximately 26 m. wide, the octagonal vault may be the largest of its kind in European Gothic architecture. This has led us to prepare a specific survey of the vault, carried on by means of a laser total station, in order to determine its exact geometry. In this paper, after an introductory section on the
vault’s construction, we present our analysis of the geometry and tracing methods of the vault, paying special attention to the tension between the regular, octagonal layout of the vault and Sagrera’s idiosyncratic style.
The full-text of this study, published in "Nuts and Bolts of Construction History" by Éditions Picard, is available in the Book Chapters section.
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incluye una capilla exenta de una sola nave, cubierta con una
bóveda cañón de sillería en graníto que se estrecha algo
en el altar, dividida en tramos con arcos perpiaños y contrafuertes
al exterior, e iluminada con lunetos. Hallándose en ruina,
se nos pidió le redacción de un informe, y tras este, el proyecto
de restauración. Se trata
de una intervención técnica que se enfrenta casi exclusivamente
a problemas de estabilidad y de estereotomía; pensamos
que puede ser interesante la exposición breve del análisis
realizado y la experiencia del proceso, e incluso de las posibilidades
contempladas y finalmente rechazadas.
incluye una capilla exenta de una sola nave, cubierta con una
bóveda cañón de sillería en graníto que se estrecha algo
en el altar, dividida en tramos con arcos perpiaños y contrafuertes
al exterior, e iluminada con lunetos. Hallándose en ruina,
se nos pidió le redacción de un informe, y tras este, el proyecto
de restauración. Se trata
de una intervención técnica que se enfrenta casi exclusivamente
a problemas de estabilidad y de estereotomía; pensamos
que puede ser interesante la exposición breve del análisis
realizado y la experiencia del proceso, e incluso de las posibilidades
contempladas y finalmente rechazadas.
not only of the legacy of the community which has produced it, but of humanity as a whole. On the one hand, it constitutes a corpus of specific
knowledge about a place which has evolved from the transformations that it and the society which inhabits it have experienced. It thus emerges in a catalogue of findings from centuries of empirical science as valuable as they are threatened. The Solutions to the problems faced by each place are not only valuable in that particular case, but are also applicable to other places where similar circumstances occur. On
the other hand, each place is endowed with its unique character, becoming an identifiable reference not only locally but collectively, being of value on a global scale as a sample of the cultural richness of our world.
This presentation will challenge this vision. Lincoln cathedral is rich in architectural innovation. First, the nave is covered with the oldest known tierceron vaults; later on, tierceron vaults spread through the continent; in fact, the tierceron scheme is the basis of much Late Gothic vaulting in France and Spain. Lincoln is also well known for Paul Frankl’s study of its “crazy” or asymmetric vaults, but they have been considered as an isolated example. However our research group has located no less than … vaults in all Continental Europe, from Poland to Spain that may be connected with Lincoln crazy vaults.
However, this should be left forn another study. Since tiercerons and crazy vaults are well-known, I will focus on another not-so-well-known subject, the group of four tierceron vaults in the crossing. The crossing itself was built in the 13th century; however, around 1306, Richard of Stow added a new story, building a new vault formed by an array of four tierceron vaults. This vault is one of the oldest known examples of this layout, together with a vault in Westminster Abbey, destroyed in 1941. This type spread later through Poland, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal; in fact, the first Continental examples are located in present-day Poland and the one of the latest and most brilliant in Lisbon.
The plan involves four individual cells, each one with the layout of an ordinary tierceron vault including, as usual, peripheral arches, diagonal ribs, tiercerons and liernes. However, this is is not a simple grouping or juxtaposition of four ordinary tierceron vaults, since there is no central pillar between the four vaults. If we put together four tierceron vaults, there would be a pillar, but the place of this central pier is taken by a main keystone here, at the top of the vault, much above the springers. (pass 5) As a consequence, the keystones of the individual units are relegated to the role of secondary keystones, and these three diagonals rise to the secondary keystone, while the fourth diagonal rib in the unit rises from the secondary keystone.
architect Guillem Sagrera to construct a number of singular spiral staircases, a rib vault behind the arch and an octagonal tierceron vault over the castle’s main hall. Measuring approximately 26 m. wide, the octagonal vault may be the largest of its kind in European Gothic architecture. This has led us to prepare a specific survey of the vault, carried on by means of a laser total station, in order to determine its exact geometry. In this paper, after an introductory section on the
vault’s construction, we present our analysis of the geometry and tracing methods of the vault, paying special attention to the tension between the regular, octagonal layout of the vault and Sagrera’s idiosyncratic style.
The full-text of this study, published in "Nuts and Bolts of Construction History" by Éditions Picard, is available in the Book Chapters section.
and navigation, such as the empirical nature of both fields, the existence of common geographical areas, and the interest in sphere developments, the authors analyse the different form-control strategies used in stone construction in the Gothic and Renaissance periods; in particular, the Renaissance design process, in which the general form, is determined first, resembles boat-making, in which the hull's shape is also determined at the beginning of the process.
is in stark contrast with the rest of the supports, which are completely unadorned. Given the extreme rigour of Sagrera in all his works [and this one in particular], this apparent “capriccio” must be justified not only by decorative or formal requirements, but also by the constructive logic of the Gothic vaulting system.
The full-text of this study, published in "Nuts and Bolts of Construction History" by Éditions Picard, is available in the Book Chapters section.
Armenian vaults using graphic instruments, in particular a survey by means of
automated photogrammetry. The most frequent variety of this kind of vaults is
built over two pairs of crossing arches, laid out in vertical planes parallel to the
axes of the room. This scheme may seem simple at first sight. However, it poses
a complex problem: the arches should meet in space, but this is not guaranteed
unless the plan is exactly a square or some specific formal control method is
used. The paper analyses three vaults in the Haghpat monastery; each of them
addresses these issues in different ways. The vault in the library presents an
apparently simple geometry, with semicircular arches and cylindrical severies.
The one at the atrium in the church of Saint Nšan is asymmetrical about the
transversal axis, maybe due to the constraints set by the existing church; this
leads to the use of arches with springers set at different heights and complex
severies. The refectory is covered by two vaults of this type; this juxtaposition
places new problems.
RESUMEN: Este artículo trata de las bóvedas de ladrillo por hojas, es decir, aquellas construidas sin cimbra y con la tabla del ladrillo dispuesta en posición vertical o inclinada. Los ladrillos se sostienen por la adherencia del mortero, y las hiladas forman arcos delgados que solo dejan ver sólo sus testas por el intradós. Esas bóvedas se construyeron en muchas culturas y épocas diferentes, en particular en Bizancio, en grandes áreas de la Península Ibérica, especialmente en Extremadura y, más recientemente, en México. El documento se centra en los aspectos prácticos de la colocación de los ladrillos con mortero, la forma de las hojas y su proceso constructivo. Se analizarán críticamente las fuentes escritas originales, teniendo en cuenta la práctica constructiva llevada a cabo por albañiles mexicanos y extremeños y algunos modelos a escala elaborados específicamente para este trabajo. Este estudio revisa ideas de autores españoles del siglo XIX y declaraciones de albañiles del siglo XXI, sobre la forma en que se deben colocar los ladrillos, la proporción de la mezcla del mortero, la forma de las hiladas y los procedimientos que controlan la forma de la bóveda. Tanto las fuentes históricas como las declaraciones de albañiles en ejercicio, junto con la experimentación real de los procedimientos operativos, así como el uso de modelos, refuerzan o niegan las ideas tradicionales.
ABSTACT: This paper deals with brick vaults by slices, that is, those built with no formwork, where the brick is vertical or inclined, held by the mortar adherence, and the courses form thin arches, which will finally show only their headers or stretchers on the intrados. Those vaults have been built in many different cultures and periods, in particular in Byzantium, in large areas in the Iberian Peninsula, especially in the Extremadura region and, more recently, in Mexico. The paper focuses on the material aspects of brick-and-mortar placement, the form of the slices, and the sequence of operations in the construction process. Original written sources will be critically analyzed, taking into account actual construction practice carried out by Mexican and Extremaduran bricklayers and physical models specifically prepared for this paper. This study reviews ideas of Spanish authors from the nineteenth century and statements of twenty-first century bricklayers, about the way in which the bricks should be placed, the mix ratio and use of mortar, the shape of the courses and the procedures that control the shape of the vault. Both historical sources and statements from practicing bricklayers, together with actual experimentation of the operating procedures, as well as the use of models, reinforce or deny traditional ideas.