Glass Vault
Digital Form Finding for Traditional Masonry Technique
ITECH Form and Structure Seminar 2021, in collaboration with Min Deng, Weiqi Xie
University of Stuttgart
Glass has much higher compressive strength than concrete and bricks, however, the potential of using glass as load bearing material in long-span shell structures has not been fully explored. The goal of this research is to use digital structural analysis tools to design a lightweight masonry shell using glass blocks as structural elements.
Frameless vault construction sequence
Figure 1: (Left) Construction of Catalan Vault. Comparison between a Catalan Vault and a stone Voussoir; (Right) Construction without centering of a Catalan Dome. The geometry is controlled by rod attached to a fixed-point.
Source: Published by Architect Luis Moya [1957]
Form finding techniques in physics simulation are being used to avoid bending in the structure. Cross sections are optimized for material efficiency. Inspired by the traditional thin-shell vaulting techniques of Catalan mason, a construction method without massive scaffolding is developed to build the shell with less material waste.
