AAR 1295 | BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS II

THE CONSTRUCTION
OF VAULT

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

INTRODUCTION
The most subtle and exquisite part of Architecture is the formation of every sort of Arches
and vaults, cutting their stones, and adjusting them which such artifice, that the same gravity and
weight which should have precipitate them to the earth, maintain them constantly in the air,
supporting one another in virtue of the mutual complication which links them, and in such a way
close above masonry buildings with all safety and strength.
A vault, in architecture, is an 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.
Masonry vaults are usually composed of wedge-shaped pieces called voussoirs, which are held in
place, like the stones of an arch, by the pressure of the neighboring pieces. Because of the combined
pressure of its components, any arch exerts an outward pressure at its base, and the base, therefore,
must be so constructed as to withstand the outward as well as the downward thrust of the arch. This
construction can be accomplished by using strong, heavy walls to support the arch or by supporting
the walls with exterior structures, or buttresses. A temporary supporting structure must be erected
within the vaulted area during construction, because a masonry vault does not become selfsupporting until the central voussoirs or keystones are put in place.1

Figure 1 Vault

http://www.royalarchmasons.on.ca/architecture.htm

Page 1

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

TYPES OF VAULT
Barrel Vault
1. A barrel vault is the simplest of the vaults and is the base design for many vaults that have a
more intricate design. It consists of an ongoing series of semicircular arches. One is directly
behind another, causing it to look like a half of a barrel. In some instances, it is described as
resembling a tunnel.
Groin Vault
2. A groin vault is created by two barrel vaults intersecting at right angles. The arches of groin
vaults are round or pointed. It is also known as a cross vault.
Rib Vault
3. A vault reinforced by masonry ribs is known as a rib vault. When this type of vault has two
masonry ribs dividing it into four sections, it is called a quadripartite rib vault. A vault divided
by three masonry ribs that make six sections is called a sexpartite rib vault.
Cloister Vault
4. A cloister vault has a domed shape and has a base that is square or shaped like a polygon. It
has curved sections that rise from the square or polygon to a centered point.
Fan Vault
5. Half cones that are fan-shaped are know as fan vaults. The cones meet in the center of the
vault. This vault is considered to be a part of the rib vault family.
Net Vault
6. Another variation of the rib vault is the net vault. The masonry ribs have a complex design
that resembles a net.
Annular Vault
7. An annular vault uses the barrel vault as its base. Instead of a straight line, the barrel vault
has a ring shape and springs out from two walls that are concentric.

Page 2

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Rampant Vault
8. A rampant vault is a continuous barrel vault where one side is higher than the other. Usually
these are used to support or form the ceiling of a stairway.
Catalan Vault
9. The Catalan vault consists of plain bricks that form a low arch. It is also known as the Catalan
turn, timbrel vault,It is widely used in Catalonia from which it derives its name.

Figure 2 Four types of common vault

A number of different types of vaults are used architecturally. The simplest of these is the
barrel, or tunnel, vault, the roof of which is shaped like half a cylinder and is supported by straight
walls. The annular vault is similar to the barrel vault, except that the passage within it is not straight
but curved, giving the entire structure the appearance of a portion of a ring. A groined vault is
formed by the intersection of two vaults of the barrel type, usually at right angles to each other. The
junctures at which the two vaults meet are elliptical ridges, called groins. In the simplest form of
groined vault, the two conjoined vaults are of the same size and the floor of the vault is square; if the
vaults are of different sizes, however, the floor of the vault is rectangular and the two areas of the
ceiling between the groins are of unequal shape and size.2

Types of Vaults | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5855587_types-vaults.html#ixzz1FjgMBvbS

Page 3

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

HISTORY OF VAULT
The Ancient World
In ancient Egypt brick vaulting was used, chiefly for drains. The Chaldaeans and Assyrians used vaults
for the same purpose but seem also to have made architectural use of high domes dome, a roof
circular or (rarely) elliptical in plan and usually hemispherical in form, placed over a circular, square,
oblong, or polygonal space. Domes have been built with a wide variety of outlines and of various
materials.
Roman and Romanesque Styles
The vaulting technique of the Etruscans was absorbed by the Romans, who started in the 1st cent.
A.D. the development of a mature
vaulting system. Casting concrete in
one solid mass, the Romans created
vaults of perfect rigidity, devoid of
external thrust, and requiring no
buttresses. Thus vaults and domes
could be easily erected over vast
spaces, producing impressive and
complex thermae, amphitheaters, and
basilicas.
Roman vaults were the basis on which
more complex and varied forms were
developed in the Middle Ages. The
tunnel (or barrel) vault spans between
two walls, like a continuous arch. The
cross, or groined, vault is formed by
the intersection at right angles of two
barrel vaults, producing a surface that

Figure 3 Drawing for construction of vault in roman time

has arched openings for its four sides and concentration of load at the four corner points of the
square or rectangle.

Page 4

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

The semicircular arch was universally employed in

Romanesque vaulting throughout Europe, and the
Roman cross vault was the type used for covering square
or rectangular compartments.

Figure 4 The interior view of St. Philibert, Tournos (950-1120),

shows the transverse barrel vault covering the bay of the nave,
the clearstory window and groin vaults in the aisle.

Figure 5 St. Sernin, Toulouse, (1077-1179) has

paired aisles on each side of the nave, and the
innermost aisle has a gallery above to help brace
the thrust of the nave vault

Page 5

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

BARREL AND GROIN VAULT

Figure 6 Bayeux Cathedral, the crypt has groin vaults and

simplified Corinthian capitals

Figure 7 The barrel vault of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe

RIBBED VAULT

Figure 8 The nave of the abbey church of Saint-Georges de

Boscherville, has pointed transverse ribs.
Figure 9 At Saint-tienne, Caen, both the nave and
the tower are covered by ribbed vaults. c.1080

Page 6

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Gothic Vaulting

Unlike Romanesque Buildings, in which continuous mass of wall is necessary to sustain the
load, the Gothic structure is a skeletal system that transfers roof loads down to the ground at
discreet points , thereby freeing large expanses of wall to be opened for window.
Ribs to strengthen the groins and sides of a cross vault were first employed in the Church of
Sant'Ambrogio, Milan (11th cent.). When the system of using ribs to form a complete organic
supporting skeleton was developed, it became one of the basic principles of perfected Gothic
architecture. The use of ribs led to increasing complexity, beginning in the 12th cent., in vault forms.

The pointed arch, which was dominant in

medieval architecture from the 13th cent. onward,
helped to overcome the difficulties of vaulting oblong
compartments exclusively with semicircular sections
and to bring the various ribs of unequal spans to a
crown at the same height. Some vaulting
compartments or bays were divided by ribs into six
segments and were known as sexpartite vaults, but
the four-part vault generally prevailed. In England the
multiplication of ribs for structural and decorative

Page 7

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

purposes culminated in the 15th cent. in the elaborate fan vault of the Perpendicular style
Perpendicular style, term given the final period of English Gothic architecture (late 14thmiddle 16th
cent.) because of the predominating vertical lines of its tracery and paneling. It is also called
rectilinear for the prevailing angularity of the designs.
This in turn led to a new esthetic, an esthetic of line rather than mass. In a Gothic building
not only is space defined by lines but this lines possess dynamic force. Clearly articulated shafts rise
from floor to ceiling, meeting and mingling in the pattern of vaults and traceried windows in way
that irresistibly suggest that this is how the building stands up.3

English gothic vault style

Figure 7 Early English (1775-1265)

view of the nave, Canterbury cathedral

Figure 9 Final phase english gothic

fan vaults, Kings College chapel

Sutton , Ian, Western Architecture, Thames and Hudson, London 1999.

Page 8

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

Figure 8 The Decorative period (1250-1370)

nave vaulting, Lincoln cathedral

2011

Early English (1775-1265) corresponds

roughly to High Gothic work in France. Vaulting is

straight forward, usually quadripartite, and windows are lancet shaped. The Decorative period ( 12501370), uses vaulting elaborated with extra ribs, .. And window tracery worked into trefoil or
quatrefoil cusped shapes, intersecting lines or flowing curvilinear shapes. The final phase, the
perpendicular, is the most distinctly English. Constructed from about 1330 until 1540, it is
distinguished by panel tracery and vaulting in elaborate conical fan shapes.

German Gothic vault style

Figure 8 ST. WOLFGANG CHURCH, SHNEEBERG

German Builders initially used French cathedrals as models, occasionally importing master
masons, but they were creating their own versions of the Gothic style. Particularly characteristic of
German Gothic is the Hall-Church, a building where the vaults of both the nave and the aisles are
essentially the same height.4

Moffet , Marian et al. A world History of Architecture, Laurence King Publishing Limited, London 2003.

Page 9

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Figure 9 ST. BARBARA CHURCH, KUTNA HORA

One reason for the German fondness for hall-churches must have been that they were more
favorable to complex vaulting patterns , since ribs could spring in all direction instead of only
inwards. Vaulting is the outstanding feature of German late Gothic. It is tempting to look for
connections with English Decorated, but the style soon takes of into a world of Autonomous
fantasy.
Italian gothic vault style
Italian designers modified Gothic style to fit local
conditions,.. that demonstrates the flexibility of Gothic
to accommodate varying interpretations Cultural
esthetics pre disposed Italians to prefer internal tie-rods
instead buttressing, so flying buttresses appear only
rarely. Many of the religious orders desired churches that
maintained a sense of openness and visibility, qualities
that could be achieved by Gothic. 5

Moffet , Marian et al. A world History of Architecture, Laurence King Publishing Limited, London 2003.

Page
10

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Renaissance and Later Vaulting

The architects of the Renaissance and baroque periods abandoned Gothic methods and returned to
Roman vault forms. New devices were added to these basic forms, including barrel vaults of semielliptical section, domes mounted on drums, and cross vaults with groins of elliptical section. In
modern times reinforced concrete produces lightweight vaults devoid of thrust.

Page
11

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

THE TIMBREL VAULT

Brick, stone and concrete are materials strong in compression, but weak in tension (if the
structural breadth increases, the material has to be supported by many columns or it collapses).
Nowadays, this problem is solved by steel structures or the use of steel reinforced concrete - the
tensile strength of steel is significantly more than that of bricks, stone or plain concrete. Pre World
War II, the weak tensile strength of brick was compensated for by superior craftsmanship.
The "timbrel vault" allowed for structures that today no architect would dare to build without steel
reinforcements. The technique was cheap, fast, ecological and durable.

Figure 10 The craftsmanship associated with timbrel vaulting has long vanished, but the achievements are still with us today.
Lonja de la Seda de Valencia, 15th century

The method of timbrel vaulting was developed in the 14th century around the
Mediterranean, although its precise origins are unknown. The timbrel vault is also known as a
"masonry vault", "Catalan vault", "tiled vault", "laminated vault", "flat vault" and "layered vault"
(derived from Spanish, French, Italian and Catalonian descriptions).

Page
12

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

A roof of tiles

Timbrel vaulting differs substantially from the Roman method of arch building, which relies
on gravity. The timbrel vault does not rely on gravity but on the adhesion of several layers of
overlapping tiles which are woven together with fast-setting mortar. If just one layer of thin tiles was
used, the structure would collapse, but adding two or three layers makes the resulting laminated
shell almost as strong as reinforced concrete.
The result defies common sense, because a timbrel vault is very thin compared to a Roman
vault, while at the same time it is capable of bearing much higher loads. This of course enables wider
spans and gentler curves.

Figure 12 Timbrel vault in Catalonia

Figure 11 Timbrel vault in medieval era, Santa Maria del

Mar in Barcelona

Page
13

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

At the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the timbrel vault was rediscovered
by the Catalonian architects of the Modernisme movement. Some striking examples are the crypt of
the Colonia Guell, which Antoni Gaud designed in a very low-tech fashion by hanging
ropes and weights from the ceiling (the building has now suffered a disastrous restoration),
the Aymerich Amat i Jover in Terrassa, a textile factory built by Llus Moncunill i Parellada, or
the Celler Cooperatiu de Pinell de Brai by Csar Martinell.

Figure 13 the Aymerich Amat i Jover in Terrassa

Figure 14 Timbrel vault at the crypt of the Colonia Guell

Page
14

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Figure 15 The Celler Cooperatiu de Pinell de Brai

CASE STUDY : TIMBREL VAULT BY RAFAEL

by Csar Martinell

GUASTAVINO
Most masterpieces of catalan vaulting, however, are in the United States. The method was
previously unknown in the Americas, until a family by the name of Guastavinos imported it. Rafael
Guastavino, born in Valencia in 1842, improved the centuries-old technique and renamed it "cohesive
construction". He substituted bricks with thin tiles and the traditional mortar with rapidly hardening
Portland cement, which enabled him to build vaults 3 to 5 times wider than the typical size of
traditional timbrel arching.

The oyster bar in grand central terminal

Page
15

Figure 16 The ceiling of the osyter bar in Grand Central Terminal

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

The con stuction of timbrel vault for Osyter bar in Grand Central Terminal
The main vaults at the oyster Bar are configured from a part of a sphere by cutting vertical
chunks off the sphere to form a four-sided shape.Rather than directing all of the load from the vault
into the pendentives in each corner, the Guastavinos trimmed the curved openings on the four sides
with veryb substantial, wide tile arches that carried a good portion of the vault load. The loads from
the vaults and the arches were delivered to the steel columns of the main Grand Central Terminal
building.
The vaults of the Osyter Bar were constructed for the most part of the three layer of tiles,
one being the glazed face layer and the other two consisting of red terra cotta. All were bonded
together with high-strengh Portland cement mortar along their edges, as well as between the layers.
At the pendentives it was customary for the Guastavino to use several more layers of tile.
Many face tile had fallen off during the fire. This may be attributed to two causes, most probably
acting together. The first was thermal shock caused by a rapid heating and concurrent expansion of
the tiles, followed by a rapid cooling when water from the fire house was sprayed on the ceiling,
which likely generated sufficient movement and stress to cause the bond in the mortar parge joint to
fail.6
Economical and fast
The popularity of the timbrel vault was not restricted to its aesthetic appeal. It was simply a very fast
and economical method, for two reasons. Firstly, and logically, much less building material was
required. Secondly, there was no need for wooden scaffolding. Building a Roman vault demands
large amounts of wood, as every arch is required to be supported by a wooden centering for a long
period after initial construction.

Structural Repairs to Fire damaged Guastavino

http://www.jstor.org/pss/1504709

Page
16

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

The masonry vault, on the other hand, is self-supporting apart from some temporarily required,
light shiftable formwork at the beginning of the job. While constructing a timbrel vault, workers
simply stood on the work of the day before (which was two to four inches thick).
These huge savings in both building materials and construction equipment meant that the
Guastavinos could offer much lower prices than their
competitors.
Durable and fire-proof
Cohesive construction also made buildings fire-proof (an
example of this is the Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona,
which burned for 11 days during the Spanish Civil War,
without collapsing or too much damage). There have
been some major city fires during the 19th century (like
the great Chicago fire in 1871), and the Guastavinos aptly
saw the marketing potential: they soon renamed

Figure 17 The santa Maria del mar in Barcelona

themselves the "Guastavino Fireproof Construction

Company". There were more advantages to the construction. The floors, ceilings, arches and stairs
were sound-insulating and resistant to floods, dampness and the lodgement of pests such as rats
and roaches.

Figure 18 Cohesive construction of masonry vault

Page
17

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Convincing the public

Cohesive construction also proved to be very durable. During the restoration of Ellis Island in
the 1980s, only 17 of almost 29,000 tiles had to be replaced. And of course, several churches are
living proof of the achievements of timbrel vaulting in the Middle Ages.
The Guastavinos initially had a hard time convincing the public that their ultra-thin and ultralight arches were strong and safe. To persuade their buyers, the technique was demonstrated in
public (see picture right).In many ways, timbrel vaulting offered similar properties to reinforced
concrete, but without the use of steel.It was achieved without computers or engineering
calculations, relying instead on intuition and practice.
According to Rafael Guastavino, the masonry vault would become the main construction
material of the future. He proved to be wrong. The Guastavinos firm closed in 1962, twelve years
after his son died. Rising labour costs and the arrival of steel and concrete building methods
rendered the technique virtually obsolete. Still, two later examples deserve attention.

CASE STUDY: THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASONRY VAULT IN MAPUNGUBWE

NATIONAL PARK
In Mapungubwe National Park,the vaulted structures were built using stabilized earth tiles
and the ancient tile vaulting technique, which requires no reinforcing.The largest free-form vaults
span 14.5m.It is unreinforced masonry vault which only 300mm in thickness.This vault called Catalan
Turn or Catalan Arch or a timbrel vault.Timbrel vault is a type of low arch made of plain bricks.It is
traditionally constructed by laying bricks lengthwise over a wood form or another word
centering,making it a much gentler curve than has generally been produced by other methods of
construction.
This is a design method rather than a design tool,in which the gravitational loads dictate the
structure.To build without steel reinforcing, as the structurally efficient shape leads to leads to a
compression-only solution,and therefore requires no tensile rein-forcing.The architect and engineer
are to evaluate and manipulate the forms within the natural constraints of the material and a skill
that can be learned.The resulting form is neither geometrically nor mathematically defined, but is
instead a direct structural response to the loading.

Page
18

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

In order to determine the thickness and degree of curvature for the vault we can find
through a line of thrust that fits within the masonry.
The static equilibrium of these surfaces is then checked with recently developed thrust
network analysis.The project incorporates ten masonry vaults,ranging in span from 5 meters to 20
meters,and a similar number of regular barrel vaults and domes.

This picture shows the wood is being constructed as a structure before bricks is laid.

Page
19

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

Bricks are arranged using mortar

The bricks with mortar are arranged from the edge of the vault until it reach at the thrust of the vault
Page
20

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

The mortar is laid over the surface in order to withstand more pressure and more stable

The vault are half constructed

Page
21

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

The interior of the vault look like

Page
22

2011

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

The first tile-vault of the SUDU has a 5.8 meter span and consists of a floor
system for a second story occupancy.plaster mortar is to be build in the first
layer of the vault out into space without formwork.A vault cannot remain only
one tile thick.

This catenary or funicular geometry indicates a theoretical line of thrust

which must exist in a masonry structure.This describes the compressive forces in
the arch as they travel through the masonry system. Within any arch, a catenary
line with a range of minimum and maximum thrusts may be found. The
shallowest catenary shows an arch of maximum thrust in which pushes more
substantially outward on its supports while the steepest catenary indicates an
arch of minimal thrust pushing outwards.

Page
23

THE CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

2011

When an arch is subjected to a point load, it catenary thrust-line becomes

deformed.As soon as this line of thrust touches the outside of the masonry,cracks
may be formed.When the line of thrust exits the masonry arch,failure
mechanisms are formed which will cause the vault collapse.

Page
24