Structural Appraisal of the Florentine Gothic Construction System
Publication: Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 13, Issue 1
Abstract
The nave of Santa Maria Novella, a Dominican church in Florence Italy is representative of a Florentine Gothic system of construction. This system, consisting of domical rib vaults on square nave bays, high side aisles, and crypto-buttressing, differs substantially from the French high Gothic system of even-level-crown rib vaults on rectangular bays, with flying buttresses over relatively low aisles. An investigation into the structural aspects of the Florentine Gothic construction system reveals that the domical vaults increase the longitudinal thrust and reduce the transverse thrust, which may require additional precautions to be taken during construction, but entails a less elaborate buttressing system. The domical vaults are found to perform well structurally, with an absence of tensile stresses, and are more suitable for a square bay. In general, the structural system of the nave of Santa Maria Novella is found to be the product of carefully considered structural design, which may be accepted as an alternative to the French Gothic construction system.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded in part by Samuel H. Kress Foundation, including a 2001 grant for documentation, a more recent grant from the European Preservation Program and the Raymond A. Bowers Program for Excellence in Design and Construction of the Built Environment. The writers would also like to thank Professor Harry Titus of Wake Forest University, Centre d’Etudes Mediévales, PROGEO, the City of Auxerre, and the Commune of Florence for granting access to the buildings and sharing information. The writers express their appreciation to the reviewers for their careful reading and thoughtful comments.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Volume 13 • Issue 1 • March 2007
Pages: 9 - 17
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: May 2, 2005
Accepted: Sep 12, 2005
Published online: Mar 1, 2007
Published in print: Mar 2007
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