Essay Galaxy - Arches and Vaults in Architecture
Arches and Vaults in Architecture
Arch and Vault, a fundamental construction system in architecture used to
span the space between walls, piers, or other supports and to create a roof
or a ceiling. 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.
Arch
An arch, in construction, is a rigid span curving upward between two points
of support. It appears in a variety of structures, such as an arcade,
formed by a row of arches, supported by load-bearing arches or a roof or a
bridge, or as a single, freestanding triumphal or memorial arch. The
traditional stone or brick arch, formed of many segments held in place by
lateral thrust, was developed to connect a greater distance between two
supports than a single horizontal beam, or lintel, could b....
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