Abandonment of sexpartite vaults: Construction difficulties and evolution
| Author(s): |
Rocío Maira Vidal
|
|---|---|
| Medium: | conference paper |
| Language(s): | English |
| Conference: | 6th International Congress on Construction History (6ICCH 2018), July 9-13, 2018, Brussels, Belgium |
| Published in: | Building Knowledge, Constructing Histories [2 vols.] |
| Page(s): | 879-886 |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The sexpartite vault experienced a brief existence during the Early Gothic and many researchers have referred to its abandonment as premature. Viollet-le-Duc and Choisy suggested that alternating supports of different sizes and the difficulties and extra costs involved in raising the roof and the side walls above the enormous semi-circular diagonal ribs, were the possible causes of the sexpartite vault's disappearance. Thunnissen added their lack of flexibility as another reason. Other authors have highlighted the strange appearance of their side compartments and the resulting constructional difficulties. These theories can be considered valid, however a thorough comparative analysis of the main examples we studied in Europe, together with practical experience building a 1/3 scale model of the vaults, has enabled us to add new hypotheses based on the analysis of their construction, defining how they evolved before they were abandoned and identifying the implicit construction features that contributed to their disappearance. |
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10078253 - Published on:
14/09/2018 - Last updated on:
05/03/2019
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