A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults.[1] The word "groin" refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round. In comparison with a barrel vault, a groin vault provides good economies of material and labor. The thrust is concentrated along the groins or arrises (the four diagonal edges formed along the points where the barrel vaults intersect), so the vault need only be abutted at its four corners.
Groin vault construction was first employed by the Romans, but then fell into relative obscurity in Europe until the resurgence of quality stone building brought about by Carolingian and Romanesque architecture. It was superseded by the more flexible rib vaults of Gothic architecture in the later Middle Ages. Difficult to construct neatly because of the geometry of the cross groins (usually elliptical in cross section), the groin vault required great skill in cutting stone to form a neat arris. This difficulty, in addition to the formwork required to create such constructions, led to the rib vault superseding the groin vault as the preferred solution for enclosing space in Gothic architecture.[2]
The construction method was particularly common on the basement level, such as at Myres Castle in Scotland, or at the ground floor level for the storerooms as at Muchalls Castle in Scotland.[3]
While the barrel vault was more common than the groin vault in very early architecture, including Roman and even earlier civilizations, the Romans developed the groin vault widely for applications in a variety of structures, some with significant span widths. The first groin vault in Europe was, however, constructed in Delphi by King Attalos I of Pergamon some time between 241 and 197 BC, quite possibly in 223 BC.[4] Their application of groin vaults to vast halls like the frigidaria in the Baths of Caracalla and Diocletian became highly influential in church architecture in the Middle Ages. The aspirations of church building reached its zenith then, and the groin vault was pursued aggressively for its ability to create strength, without massive buttress formations; in addition, it provided the church architects a remedy for the dim illumination inherent in the barrel vault design, since the barrel vault had to minimise fenestration to retain adequate strength.
20th-century structural engineers have studied the static stress forces of the groin vault design and validated the Romans' foresight in an efficient design to accomplish the multiple goals of minimum materials use, wide span of construction, ability to achieve lateral illumination, and avoidance of lateral stresses. A seminal modern design is the largest European train station, Hauptbahnhof in Berlin, which features an entrance building with a glass-spanned groin vault design.[5]
Comparison with other vault designsedit
A groin vault (with pointed Gothic profile) viewed from the underside, showing the arris or 'groin'.
Plan of the vault from above showing resultant outward thrust.
The construction of a groin vault can be understood most simply by visualising two barrel vault sections at right angles merging to form a squarish unit. The resulting four ribs convey the stress loading to the four corners, or piers.[6] The more complex groin vault is intrinsically a stronger design compared to the barrel vault, since the barrel vault structure must rest on long walls creating less stable lateral stress, whereas the groin vault design can direct stresses almost purely vertically on the piers.[7] A common association of vaulting in cathedrals of the Middle Ages involves a nave of barrel vault design with transepts of groined vaulting.[8]Rib vaults resemble groin vaults but introduce structural ribs running along the angles which carry much of the weight, making possible much greater variations of proportion.
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A groin vault or groined vault also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults 1 The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round In comparison with a barrel vault a groin vault provides good economies of material and labor The thrust is concentrated along the groins or arrises the four diagonal edges formed along the points where the barrel vaults intersect so the vault need only be abutted at its four corners Renaissance groin vault in the church of Santa Maria dei Carmini in VeniceGroin vault construction was first employed by the Romans but then fell into relative obscurity in Europe until the resurgence of quality stone building brought about by Carolingian and Romanesque architecture It was superseded by the more flexible rib vaults of Gothic architecture in the later Middle Ages Difficult to construct neatly because of the geometry of the cross groins usually elliptical in cross section the groin vault required great skill in cutting stone to form a neat arris This difficulty in addition to the formwork required to create such constructions led to the rib vault superseding the groin vault as the preferred solution for enclosing space in Gothic architecture 2 The construction method was particularly common on the basement level such as at Myres Castle in Scotland or at the ground floor level for the storerooms as at Muchalls Castle in Scotland 3 Contents 1 History 2 Comparison with other vault designs 3 Examples 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory editWhile the barrel vault was more common than the groin vault in very early architecture including Roman and even earlier civilizations the Romans developed the groin vault widely for applications in a variety of structures some with significant span widths The first groin vault in Europe was however constructed in Delphi by King Attalos I of Pergamon some time between 241 and 197 BC quite possibly in 223 BC 4 Their application of groin vaults to vast halls like the frigidaria in the Baths of Caracalla and Diocletian became highly influential in church architecture in the Middle Ages The aspirations of church building reached its zenith then and the groin vault was pursued aggressively for its ability to create strength without massive buttress formations in addition it provided the church architects a remedy for the dim illumination inherent in the barrel vault design since the barrel vault had to minimise fenestration to retain adequate strength 20th century structural engineers have studied the static stress forces of the groin vault design and validated the Romans foresight in an efficient design to accomplish the multiple goals of minimum materials use wide span of construction ability to achieve lateral illumination and avoidance of lateral stresses A seminal modern design is the largest European train station Hauptbahnhof in Berlin which features an entrance building with a glass spanned groin vault design 5 Comparison with other vault designs edit nbsp A groin vault with pointed Gothic profile viewed from the underside showing the arris or groin nbsp Plan of the vault from above showing resultant outward thrust The construction of a groin vault can be understood most simply by visualising two barrel vault sections at right angles merging to form a squarish unit The resulting four ribs convey the stress loading to the four corners or piers 6 The more complex groin vault is intrinsically a stronger design compared to the barrel vault since the barrel vault structure must rest on long walls creating less stable lateral stress whereas the groin vault design can direct stresses almost purely vertically on the piers 7 A common association of vaulting in cathedrals of the Middle Ages involves a nave of barrel vault design with transepts of groined vaulting 8 Rib vaults resemble groin vaults but introduce structural ribs running along the angles which carry much of the weight making possible much greater variations of proportion Examples edit nbsp Santa Maria Maggiore at Guardiagrele in AbruzzoBaths of Caracalla Rome Italy early 3rd century AD 32 9 meter high groined structure 9 Charlemagne s Palatine Chapel in Aachen Germany Santa Maria Maggiore di Firenze Florence Italy 11th century church 10 Basilica of Sant Ambrogio Milan Italy Old Cathedral of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal lateral aisles 12th century Muchalls Castle Scotland ground floor rooms from the 14th century All early Russian palaces including the Palace of Facets 1487 91 Church of St Triphon at Ivan III s suburban estate of Naprudnoe near Moscow 1490s Three churches of the Rostov kremlin 1670s and 1680s Exchange and Provost Provost Dungeon Charleston South Carolina 1771 New Orleans Mint New Orleans Louisiana 1838 Aztec Center San Diego State San Diego California 1968 now demolished Basilica Minore de San Sebastian in Quiapo Manila Philippines See also editList of architectural vaults Tower house Steinmetz solidReferences edit Honour H and J Fleming 2009 A World History of Art 7th edn London Laurence King Publishing p 949 ISBN 978 1856695848 Concise Britannica Archived from the original on 2007 09 29 Retrieved 2006 11 23 C Michael Hogan History of Muchalls Castle Lumina Press Aberdeen 2005 p 94 in Boyd T D 1978 The Arch and Vault in Greek Architecture American Journal of Archaeology 82 83 100 Schober Hans August 2006 Berlin s recently completed Hauptbahnhof Civil Engineering Magazine Architectural comparison of various types of arch design Robert A Scott The Gothic Enterprise A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral University of california Press 2003 Discussion of the Romanesque Conques St Faith Cathedral Leland M Roth Understanding Architecture Its Elements History and Meaning Westview Press Boulder CO ISBN 0 06 430158 3 1993 Guido Zucconi Florence An Architectural Guide published by Arsenale Editrice San Giovanni Lupatoto Verona Italy November 2001External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Groin vaults Groined Vaulting New International Encyclopedia 1905 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Groin vault amp oldid 1187131753, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
