- Catalan vault
The Catalan vault, also called the Catalan turn or Catalan arch or a timbrel vault, is a type of low
arch made of plain bricks often used to make a structural floor surface. It is traditionally constructed by laying bricks lengthwise over a wood form or "centering", making it a much gentler curve than has generally been produced by other methods of construction.It is a traditional form in
Catalonia (where it is widely used), and has spread around the world through the work of Catalanarchitect s such as Antoni Gaudí andJosep Puig i Cadafalch .A study on the stability of the Catalan vault is kept at the archive of the Institute of Catalan Studies, where it is said to have been entrusted by Puig i Cadafalch.
Though it is popularly called the Catalan vault, this construction method is found throughout the Mediterranean and the invention of the term "Catalan vault" occurred in 1904 at an architectural congress in Madrid. The earliest known reference to this vault is from Valencia in 1382.
ee also
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Guastavino tile External links
* Ramage, Michael. " [http://architecture.mit.edu/class/guastavino/features/ramage/index-ramage.htm# Construction of a Vault] ". details the process of constructing a six-foot by six-foot vault.
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