Brickworks: Masonry vaulting

This seminar week gave the participating students the unique opportunity to obtain hands-on experience in both the tradition and the latest innovation in masonry vaulting. Novel computational methods for designing astounding masonry vaulted structures were taught that point to possible future directions for this age-old building material.

These were tested, discussed and evaluated in hands-on construction workshops taught by invited experts in traditional brick vaulting techniques. The outcome of the seminar week were a series of student-built masonry shells.

Three workshops were conducted by the following invited experts:

- Matthias Rippmann and Lorenz Lachauer, BLOCK Research Group, ETHZ, Computational Funicular Form Finding using RhinoVAULT

- Prof. Alfonso Ramírez Ponce, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexican / Leaning-brick Vaulting Construction

- Sébastien and Pascal Pittet, Pittet Artisans, Chavannes-sur- Moudon, Switzerland, Catalan / Tile Vaulting Construction

This seminar week has been organized by the Chair of Prof. Andrea Deplazes in collaboration with the Assistant Chair of Prof. Dr. Philippe Block.