Architecture Basics : Vaults

7:55 AM

Definition of a Vault : a three-dimensional arched ceiling construction to support a floor or
roof, often of masonry.


Wikipedia :
Vault (French voûte, from Italian volta) is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that requires a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required. However, when the vault is built above ground, various replacements are employed to supply the needed resistance. An example is the thicker walls used in the case of barrel or continuous vaults. Buttresses are used to supply resistance when intersecting vaults are employed.

Vaulting :
1 the curved surfaces of a vault, or a series of vaults
2 the making of masonry vaults







TYPES OF VAULT
1.Barrel vault, tunnel vault, wagon vault, cradle vault
2.Pointed barrel vault, pointed vault, Gothic vault
3.Rampant vault
4.Conical vault, expanding vault
5.Cloister vault, domical vault
6.Pointed cloister vault, domical vault
7.Groin vault, cross vault, intersecting barrel vault
8.Pointed groin vault, pointed cross vault
9.Dormer vault
10.Trough vault
11.Coved vault
12.Segmental vault, segmental barrel vault






A, B bay
C web, cell, severy
D principal arch
E transverse arch
F wall arch

*Romanesuqe definition on the further reading page.
religious architecture in Western Europe in the early 11th century, characterized by bulky massing, sparing use of detail and the round arch; known in England as Norman architecture

*Double-bay system, definition on the further reading page.
Engaged system a pattern of columns to support vaulting in Romanesque basilicas where the side aisles are half the width of the nave, requiring columns for aisle vaulting at half-bay widths along the sides of the nave

Early Christian | Romanesque :
Barrel vaults were frequently used in Romanesque architecture. Formed by the extrusion of a semicircular arch along an axis, barrel vaults require thick supporting walls. Thus they contribute indirectly to the apparent heaviness of the Romanesque in contrast to the Gothic.
Example : Saint Sernin, Toulouse, France  | ca.1080.

http://www.cities-of-europe.com/



References :
Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction (2008)

Wikpedia :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vault_(architecture)
Architecture styles | A visual guide , Owen Hopkins.
http://www.amazon.com/Architectural-Styles-A-Visual-Guide/dp/1780671636

Image references :
Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction (2008)
http://www.cities-of-europe.com/bazilikata-sveti-sernen-toulouse-francia/

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