Glass Vault

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.