Vault

Author(s):  
David Wendland

Vaults are curved masonry surfaces for roofs and ceilings, able to give shelter and protection. Fireproof and very durable, they were the only massive constructions available for such purposes before modern reinforced concrete was invented. Vaulted ceilings have often been a major issue in the creation of architectural space—as dominating elements with sculptural quality, and as fascinating constructions, often elegant, sometimes astonishing or even daring, always artful, and requiring and demonstrating great expertise and skill in their design and building. In early stone architecture, vaults built with horizontal circular courses can already be characterized as spatial structures. Since the early Great Civilizations, vaults were constructed with blocks arranged in radial bed joints—they could be built with great economy, with complex shape and adapting to irregular plans, as they are still in modern vernacular architecture, such as in Central Asia or in northern Africa. In Late Antiquity, vaults made with dressed stone show great ability in the geometric design—this art was later resumed both in the Middle East and in European Renaissance architecture. In Imperial Rome, vaults made of concrete reached enormous spans, were robust enough to last many centuries, and could be built virtually in any shape. Vaults of brick or stone masonry or of dressed stonework are among the greatest masterpieces of architecture, including the marvelous vaults in Persian architecture, the high vaults of Gothic cathedrals perfectly balanced upon slender pillars, the magnificent spatial inventions of Baroque vaulting, the great domes, and finally the creation of modern shell structures. By principle, vaults are stable by their shape. Their equilibrium demands curvature, regularly resulting in shapes with complex geometry. Therefore, they are very demanding in design, planning, and construction. Systems of anchoring or abutment have to be devised to contain the lateral thrust, and a shape must be created that enables the stability by counterbalancing the heavy components within the vault. Moreover, the building of the curved shape requires form control during bricklaying, geometric design of the temporary support structure, and, in case of stone structures, the formulation of precise specification for producing the single building elements. Therefore, beyond symbolic values, ideas of space in architecture, and the expertise and virtuosity of planners and builders, vaulted ceilings also reflect the historical development of applied geometry and mechanics. Their study gives an insight to the knowledge society that created the buildings.

2016 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 269-297
Author(s):  
Richard Hodges ◽  
Erika Carr ◽  
Alessandro Sebastiani ◽  
Emanuele Vaccaro

This article provides a short report on a survey of the region to the east of the ancient city of Butrint, in south-west Albania. Centred on the modern villages of Mursi and Xarra, the field survey provides information on over 80 sites (including standing monuments). Previous surveys close to Butrint have brought to light the impact of Roman Imperial colonisation on its hinterland. This new survey confirms that the density of Imperial Roman sites extends well to the east of Butrint. As in the previous surveys, pre-Roman and post-Roman sites are remarkably scarce. As a result, taking the results of the Butrint Foundation's archaeological excavations in Butrint to show the urban history of the place from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman period, the authors challenge the central theme of urban continuity and impact upon Mediterranean landscapes posited by Horden and Purcell, inThe Corrupting Sea(2000). Instead, the hinterland of Butrint, on the evidence of this and previous field surveys, appears to have had intense engagement with the town in the Early Roman period following the creation of the Roman colony. Significant engagement with Butrint continued in Late Antiquity, but subsequently in the Byzantine period, as before the creation of the colony, the relationship between the town and its hinterland was limited and has left a modest impact upon the archaeological record.


Author(s):  
Frank Wagner ◽  
Arnold Kühhorn ◽  
Thomas Weiss ◽  
Dierk Otto

Today the design processes in the aero industry face many challenges. Apart from automation itself, a suitable parametric geometry setup plays a significant role in making workflows usable for optimization. At the same time there are tough requirements against the parametric model. For the lowest number of possible parameters, which should be intuitively ascertainable, a high flexibility has to be ensured. Within the parameter range an acceptable stability is necessary. Under these constraints the creation of such parametric models is a challenge, which should not be underestimated especially for a complex geometry. In this work different kinds of parametrization with different levels of complexity will be introduced and compared. Thereby several geometry elements will be used to handle the critical regions of the geometry. In the simplest case a combination of lines and arcs will be applied. These will be replaced by superior elements like a double arc construct or different formulations of b-splines. There will be an additional focus on the variation of spline degree and control points. To guarantee consistency a set of general parameters will be used next to the specific ones at the critical regions. The different parameter boundaries have a influence on the possible geometries and should therefore be tested separately before an optimization run. The analysis of the particular parametrization should be compared against the following points: • effort for the creation of the parametrization in theory • required time for the implementation in the CAD software • error-proneness/robustness of the parametrization • flexibility of the possible geometries • accuracy of the results • influence of the number of runs on the optimization • comparison of the best results Even though this assessment matrix is only valid for the considered case, it should show the general trend for the creation of these kinds of parametric models. This case takes a look at a firtree of a high pressure turbine blade, which is a scaled version of the first row from a small to medium aero engine. The failure of such a component can lead to a critical engine failure. For that reason, the modeling/meshing must be done very carefully and the contact between the blade and the disc is of crucial importance. It is possible to use scaling factors for three dimensional effects to reduce the problem to a two dimensional problem. Therefore the contact description is shortened from face-to-line to line-to-point. The main aim of the optimization is the minimization of the tension (notch stress) at the inner bends of the blade respectively at the outer bends of the disc. This has been the limiting factor in previous investigations. At this part of the geometry the biggest improvement are expected from a superior parametrization. Another important constraint in the optimization is the pressure contact (crushing stress) between blade and disc. Additionally the geometry is restricted with measurements of the lowest diameter at specific fillets to fulfill manufacturing requirements.


Author(s):  
Roger Nifle

The “knowledge society” is an effect of “foresight to the rear view mirror”. The mutation should initially be understood as the passage of a logic of “adaptive conformation”, with a logic “of responsible autonomisation”. It will be henceforth stake and method. The integration of the three shutters axiologic, epistemological and praxeologic around the “common sense” and of empowerment or responsible autonomisation is an answer to the questions of the congress. For that it is necessary to exceed “the rational intelligence”, to reach the “ symbolic intelligence” or intelligence of Sense. The mutation is an entry in an age of Sense, that of the communities of Sense and projects, that of worlds and virtual realities. Three radical axes of change: - the responsible autonomisation like finality, capacity and method of teaching - the creation of virtual places of teaching and of formation with the macropedagogic cities. - a transdisciplinarity based on `symbolic intelligence” or intelligence of Sense.


Author(s):  
Michael E. Pregill

This chapter re-evaluates major aspects of the Golden Calf story in the Qur’an, proposing a reading of the narrative that breaks with those of both traditional Muslim and Western scholarship and seeks to restore it to its proper historical, religious, and literary context in Late Antiquity. The qur’anic references to the image worshipped by the Israelites provided Muslim exegetes with a pretext for depicting the Calf as alive or at least possessing some semblance of life. However, the qur’anic Calf is better understood not as ? lowing image of a calf but rather an image of a lowing calf, a distinction of enormous significance for the exegesis of the story. In the absence of a conception of the Golden Calf as actually or seemingly animate, the Qur’an’s allusions to the creation of this entity must be reinterpreted as well. This chapter thus proposes alternative explanations of the major elements of the traditional portrayal of the narrative, especially the depiction of the “Samaritan” as an outside interloper who created and animated the Calf through supernatural means, with Moses subsequently imposing a sentence of exile on both him and his descendants, the Samaritan community, for all time. Instead, the major elements of the key passage in the Qur’an can be interpreted as allusions to various biblical subtexts; the qur’anic story originally posited, like its Jewish and Christian precursors, that it was Aaron—called by the unique epithet al-sāmirī here—who had made the Calf and led the Israelites into sin.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1441-1458
Author(s):  
Alexey A. Baryshev

The objective of this paper is to formulate new approach to entrepreneurship and its result that is challenged by appearance of novel spheres of entrepreneurial activity related to social innovations, social networks, solution for corporate management and people`s wellbeing, production of gadget for precarious wants. These items inspire the study of axiological bases of value created by entrepreneurs. This purpose suggests addressing and revisiting the notions of entrepreneurial action and value. Their complete conceptualization applying to nascent new economy is unlikely to be possible. With this in mind, we focused on searching for metaphors that can cast light on the specifics of newly-emerging phenomena related to entrepreneurial action and value created by it. Using the theory of metaphor, we find that entrepreneurial action is of metaphorical nature itself. In the article, the creation of value is described by means of the transferal of enterprising constituents of entrepreneur's identity onto produced things. We specify these constituents as referred to the different periods of entrepreneurial history. The identification of the constituents was based on the theory of pillars and carriers of institutions by W. R. Scott. The metaphors of appropriateness, utility and wellbeing were proposed for the different periods of the development of value. The metaphor of rhetoric was defined as a root metaphor for all moduses of entrepreneurial action considered as a process of convincing on the value of things produced. Special metaphors for entrepreneurial action for each period of value development were also proposed. The metaphor of performative rhetoric was considered as shedding light on dominant modus of entrepreneurial action and modus of value under conditions of knowledge society.


2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN STEPHENSON

Abstract The elements of visual culture preserved in late Roman houses confirm an intense interest in dramatic visual display. This study employs an interpretive lens of spectacle to examine a new form of banquet space amd furnishings in the period, as well as a new style of ‘dinner-theatre’ they served. By considering ancient art as inseparable from active contexts and ephemeral events, a more sophisticated understanding of a society's self-definition through art emerges. Rather than being epiphenomenal to the poliltical culture of late antiquity, spectacle is argued to be central to the creation and contestation of power structures: performance is politics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-46
Author(s):  
Kremena Tsankova Markova ◽  
Tihomir Atanassov Dovramadjiev ◽  
Ginka Velikova Jecheva

The creation of 3D paper unfolded models with complex geometry requires precision in the design process. Achieving this is through the use of accessible resources and modern technological means which possess the necessary technical and functional capabilities. The successful realization of the models is through the use of a structured methodology containing design stages that are defined in the exact sequence. The present study aims to create the unfoldings of complex three-dimensional models by covering the stages of providing accessible resurses with a personal and commercial license that are transformed in sequence until the ready-made variants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 3037-3045

The culture of a place can be understood by analysing its architecture and vice versa. Each place has a unique culture and hence a unique architectural style. Vernacular architecture is a perfect example for displaying the culture of that place, as it is built based on the culture of that place. However, the culture of a place can be changed or altered when it comes in contact with another culture. The degree and dominance of one culture over another, purely depend on the sextent to which both the cultures have acculturated. Hence, vernacular architecture which is a reflection of culture also has a natural tendency to change and to accommodate changes and is flexible, adaptable and hence sustainable. There are many factors that lead to a cross-cultural composition like trade links, colonisation, and westernisation etc. among which colonisation plays a major role in the creation ofa new culture in the coastal stretch of India. Goa is one such perfect example where crosscultural miscegenation is seen due to Portuguese colonisation. This paper aims in understanding and evaluating the crosscultural amalgamation which is reflected in Indo-Portuguese houses through a study and analysis of four case examples in Goa using space syntax.


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