Browsing by Author "Wendland, David"

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Open Access
A case of recovery of a medieval vaulting technique in the 19th century: Lassaulx's vaults in the Church of Treis
(2003) Wendland, David
In 1829, the "Journal für die Baukunst" published an essay with the title "Description of the procedure in the making of light vaults over churches and similar spaces", where, referring to observations made on medieval buildings, a method of building vaults without formwork is described. The author of this essay, Johann Claudius von Lassaulx (1781-1848), was a Royal Prussian building inspector at Koblenz (Germany). As an architect he built numerous public buildings in that area, including several large parish churches in the medieval style. He was strongly engaged in research, restoration and maintenance of medieval architecture, as well as a promoter of neo-medieval architecture both in his projects and in his writings. The first major project where Lassaulx put in practise his method of vaulting, is the new parish church at Treis, near Koblenz. This church, built in 1824-1831, was one of the very first churches in gothic style in modern age in Germany. Following a critical analysis of Lassaulx's essay, his description of the vaulting technique is compared with his own vault constructions referred to in the essay, where based on digital measurements a geometrical analysis of the masonry fabric has been carried out. This comparative study gives the opportunity to understand in detail the building technology and the conceptual choices in the making of the technological artefact. Further, the relevance of Lassaulx's publication and its position within the development of the technical literature, building technology and architecture in the 19th century are discussed. In fact, the precise technical description of a construction principle that allows its reproduction, provided by its author, is a necessary condition for creating a relationship between architectural design and the technical solution in detail, characteristic for the neo-medieval architecture and the development of modern architecture. In this study, the possibilities of the application of modern information technology in the survey of historical constructions are shown, namely the use of three-dimensional measurement and reverse geometric engineering for the aim of geometrical analysis, as well as the connection of technical, philological and architectural-historic analyses. The contribution is a preliminary report of the research contained in the author's doctoral thesis “Lassaulx und der Gewölbebau mit selbsttragenden Mauerschichten. Neumittelalterliche Architektur um 1825-1848”, supervised by Prof. Dr. phil. D. Kimpel, University of Stuttgart, Institut für Architekturgeschichte, delivered in 2007.
Open Access
Model-based formfinding processes: free forms in structural and architectural design
(2000) Wendland, David
The problem of form generation and of the transmission of production instructions is discussed, introducing the concept of form process. Examples for instructions is discussed, introducing the concept of form process. Examples for architectural motivations are presented. In structural design, physical models have been used to determine the figure of equilibrium for structures resistant by form, such as tents, tensile structures or shell structures. For structural design as well as for architectural design not concerning structure, some examples for the application of working methods are discussed, and it is shown how it has become possible to realize the outcome of the form-finding process in industrial production.
Open Access
Systematic underestimation of the thrust of vaults among some builders of the 19th century
(2007) Wendland, David
In building manuals of the 18th and 19th century, we can often read either that vaults don't exert any outward thrust at all, or that their thrust can be easily absorbed by very simple means. Although the theories which are formulated to support these statements are not correct, they have been largely applied even after having been refuted. In case-studies of the works of three builders of vault constructions – in their time highly recognized namely for their technical knowledge, especially in the field of masonry structures and vaults –, some approaches to the problem of thrust will be shown which might appear curious respect to today's knowledge. The understanding of these approaches, however, is first of all useful to explain the structural solutions arising from them. In a more general view, their analysis may be useful to gain a deeper understanding of the problems that arose from the application of the mechanical theories by the builders in the 19th century for the realization of their innovative vault constructions. The paper describes part of the research taken out for a seminar paper on the works of Alessandro Antonelli at the University of Stuttgart, Institute of Lightweight Structures (IL) and Institute of History of Architecture (IAG), which was supervised by Prof. Dr.-Ing J. Tomlow and Prof. Dr. phil D. Kimpel in 1993, and within the doctoral thesis "Lassaulx und der Gewölbebau mit selbsttragenden Mauerschichten. Neumittelalterliche Architektur um 1825-1845" supervised by Prof. Dr. phil. D. Kimpel, University of Stuttgart, Institute of History of Architecture (IAG), delivered in 2007.
Open Access
Vaults built without formwork : comparison of the description of a traditional technique in building manuals with the results of practical observations and experimental studies
(2005) Wendland, David
The presented study is dealing with vaults built with current brick formats, avoiding the need of formwork by the layout of their masonry pattern. The descriptions in the historical technical literature are the base of our knowledge on the traditional technique; yet this information is not sufficient for its reproduction. A complementary study taken out on historical constructions and practical experimentation leads also to a critical revision of the manuals themselves. On the key issues of the geometrical description of the apparatus and of the shape in relation to the construction process, the relation between the manuals and the practice are discussed. In particular, an experimental construction is presented which has been realized within the author's teaching activity at the School of Architecture at the TU Dresden (Germany; chair of structural design, Prof. Dr.-Ing. W. Jäger). The realization of this experiment is also an example of the didactic approach of "learning by doing" in architecture teaching. The contribution is a preliminary report of some of the research contained in the author's doctoral thesis “Lassaulx und der Gewölbebau mit selbsttragenden Mauerschichten. Neumittelalterliche Architektur um 1825-1848”, supervised by Prof. Dr. phil. D. Kimpel, University of Stuttgart, Institut für Architekturgeschichte, delivered in 2007.
Open Access
The vaults in "Sistani's House" in Bam Citadel (Iran) : construction principles, shape geometry and design for reconstruction
(2007) Wendland, David
In the context of a pilot project for the reconstruction of a building at Bam Citadel (Iran), the outlines for the possible reconstruction of the vaults are described. Bam Citadel, an outstanding ensemble of traditional Persian architecture and adobe structure, has been devastated by an earthquake in 2003; since then, efforts are being made for its reconstruction. In the paper, the traditional building technique of the vaults is described, which takes place free-handed, i.e. without centering. Particular emphasis is given to the description of the shape of the vault as determined by the building process, the layout of the masonry fabric, and the structural detailing. The aim of the study is the integration of the traditional building procedure with a state-of-the-art design process capable of enhancing the security of the building. Therefore, a CAD modelling procedure is proposed for reproducing the shape of traditional Persian vaults with high fidelity, creating models suitable for importation and handling within software tools for numerical modelling. Further, the possibility of predetermining the masonry fabric and the shape control are described, as well as the essential detailing on a preliminary design stage, and some proposals for the improvement of the seismic performance of the reconstructed vault. This report describes a practical application of the research contained in the author's doctoral thesis “Lassaulx und der Gewölbebau mit selbsttragenden Mauerschichten. Neumittelalterliche Architektur um 1825-1848”, supervised by Prof. Dr. phil. D. Kimpel, University of Stuttgart, Institut für Architekturgeschichte, delivered in 2007.