Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
until the faces of the 4 squinches (in form half cones) about against one another
at the centre points of the sides).
Finally there is to be noticed an unusual and isolated phenomenon in connec-
tion with vaulting but one which falls squarely within the Iranian world. Its origins
are in Median building of the 8th century BC, but its fully developed form occurs
in Sassanian building. h is phenomenon is a type of moulded plaster vaulting
component; but one which is reinforced. h e superi cial resemblance to an anal-
ogy with pre-fabricated, reinforced concrete units is obvious; the only examples
of this known in ancient building. However the material is unlikely to behave as
true concrete, i.e. to react to stresses as a single substance (v D. Huf , “Fertigteile
im Iranischen Gewölbebau”).
Across the ages the material changed, but the idea of the form remained constant.
h e Median examples were of mud plaster (i.e. mud bricks of special format), the
Sassanian examples were out of gypsum plaster. h e 'reinforcing' was of pliant wood
or rushes etc. h e units were cast in the form of curved 'ribs' of rectangular cross
section, which could be assembled contiguously one at er the other as arches to
form a barrel vault. h e typical rib unit was ca 1m long with a section ca 20cms ×
10cms. h e arches formed with these units were high pointed (2 centred) arches,
or high parabaloid arches. h e units could comprise one complete side of an arch
meeting at the crown, or units forming the shoulders of the arch and a special unit
for the crown (parabaloid arch).
Rein-
forced
plaster
vaulting
397
398
298.1
298.2
General References
Modern Brick Masonry
W.G. Nash,
Brickwork
, London, 1970.
E.G. Warland,
h e Technique of Building
, Chap. VII, Brick Walls, London, 1959.
S.K. Sharma & B.K. Kaul,
Building Construction
, Chap. 3 Brick Masonry, New Delhi 1980
Introductory Survey of Ancient Brickwork
R. Boucheron
et al
., ed.,
La Brique Antique
, Rome (Ecole Française), 2000.
J.W. Campbell & W. Price,
Brick
, Chaps 1 & 11, London, 2003.
R. Besenval,
Technique de la Voûte dans l'Orient Ancien
, 2 Vols., Paris, 1984.
Middle East Neolithic Origins and Development
O. Aurenche, “L'Origine de la Brique dans le Proche Orient Ancien,” in M. Frangipane ed.,
Between
the River and over the Mountains
, Rome, 1993, pp. 71-85.
