[GSBN] Catalan vaulting

[kim thompson]

Hi 
Further to Bob's notes. My interest in catalan vaults was rekindled through various personal (indirect) connections to Peter Rich (Architect). Peter won the
World Building of the Year award for Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in S. Africa. (http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=120)

See also his work at:       http://www.theearthawards.org/site/built-environment-win/
I quote the web site for The Earth Awards:
"One of the biggest infrastructure challenges facing developing countries is the need to build with local skills and materials. A country cannot become self-sufficient if it relies on Western construction techniques and imported talent and the budget is rarely  available.This challenge was taken up by architect Michael Ramage of Cambridge University and engineering professor John Ochsendorf of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Working with South Africa-based architect Peter Rich they have pioneered a solution for sustainable building in the world’s poorest and remote areas.

Sustainable Shells has been held up as a truly global revolution in construction, winning it recognition as the finalist in the 2010 Earth Awards’ Built Environment category.Sustainable Shells marries earth bricks with traditional tile vaulting to enable the construction of strong and durable medium-sized buildings. Versatile in its design, it provides a new opportunity for communities to develop the skills needed to build their own schools, clinics and homes.
Michael Ramage explains: “Sustainable Shells is about making a home from the ground on which is it built. It is about giving a community the skills and tools to construct their own buildings without the need for costly imports. Most importantly, it gives people the confidence to construct their own environments and be truly self-reliant”.

Peter Rich Architects and Ramage’s team have worked with tile press manufacturers to pioneer the first stabilised-earth tiles for structural vaulting, made from earth and a small quantity of cement. The vaulting technique is centuries old. What is new about Sustainable Shells is its combination of locally-made earth tiles with structural vaulting (rather thanfired bricks) to maximise the energy savings and effectiveness of construction.

Michael adds “The most effective sustainable design comes where constraints drive innovation. We identified a challenge and have addressed it with Sustainable Shells – a brand new way of building which can radically reduce the energy consumed. This is exactly what The Earth Awards is about: identifying new techniques which help people all over the world to build a better tomorrow.” 

kim

On 2011-09-19, at 4:47 PM, Bob Theis wrote:

> 
> It's not really about bales, but some of us have been grousing for years now that our wall systems are quite green but our roof systems  are   business as usual.  
> 
> Well,  Kim Thompson reminded me of a technique I loved while living in the depths of NYC, but forgot about when I got to California. And I've been talking it up since, so I decided to save myself some effort by posting an introduction here. 
> 
> Known variously as Catalan vaulting, timbrel vaulting, cohesive construction, or Guastavino vaulting, it's centuries old, had its heyday in the industrial world in the early 1900s, ( for the archinerds, Gaudi and McKim, Mead and White used it extensively ) and is so counterintuitive it still makes my head hurt. 
> 
> It's used to form vaults and domes,  and big ones, too.  Using several layers of thin flat tiles,  something like 6" x 12" x 3/4 - 1 " thick. Traditionally ceramic, but recently pressed soil cement has been used. 
> 
> The first layer gets installed using a gypsum mortar, buttered at the edges and tapped into place without any falsework under it ( ! )  This is possible because gypsum sets so fast. After the first layer has been extended out a few feet, it is followed with at least two additional layers laid with cement lime mortar, typically in diagonal courses to avoid joint alignment between layers.  Out into space it extends until you lock it all up at the apex. 
> 
> Impressive enough, but the astounding part is how fiendishly strong the finished product is.  The floor vaults created with it at places like the Boston Public Library ( McKim, Mead and White,  architects) are incredibly flat, with a rise to span like 1:10. I wish I had a copy of the photo my architectural  history professor showed, of a vault being demolished by a worker with a jackhammer standing on half a vault  cantilevered out about 15 feet. 
> 
> There's a revival of interest in the technique in academie,  and MIT is one of its hotbeds. They've set up several good websites, and  is a good place to start.  Professors there have advised on the design of recent buildings, including one in very rural South Africa, which has a good photo album at http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bellamyjk/BuildingInSouthAfrica#  ( Thanks to Kim for the link ) 
> 
> There are issues to address, of course, such as how best to insulate it, and whether it needs to be made more ductile for seismic regions. But it's handsome,  fireproof, rot proof and not based on sticks; that seems like a good place to start. 
> 
> Check it out. Tell Guastavino I sent you. 
> 
> Bob 
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