Squinches and Pendentives in Architecture
- Squinch: Concept and construction. Straight walls are erected o n a square base, a dome is placed on the top of these four walls. ...
- Pendentives: Concept and construction. Though squinches solved the problem of supporting the dome they the tended to have a blocky-chunky appearance, hence a much more elegant solution- pendentive was developed ...
- Evolution of Pendentives. During the Renaissance and the Baroque the preference for domed churches, especially in Roman Catholic Europe and Latin America, gave great importance to the pendentive.
What is a pendentive and squinch in architecture?
Pendentive and squinches are architectural elements that help support a dome. They fit into the corners of a space and bridge the difference between a dome and the square room on which it sits. A squinch, the more basic of the two, is a wedge that fits into the top corner of a space. Furthermore, where is a Pendentive found? Pendentive.
What is the difference between a dome and a squinch?
Pendentive and squinches are architectural elements that help support a dome. They fit into the corners of a space and bridge the difference between a dome and the square room on which it sits. A squinch, the more basic of the two, is a wedge that fits into the top corner of a space.
Where is a squinch found in architecture?
A squinch, the more basic of the two, is a wedge that fits into the top corner of a space. Furthermore, where is a Pendentive found? Pendentive. Pendentive, in architecture, a triangular segment of a spherical surface, filling in the upper corners of a room, in order to form, at the top, a circular support for a dome.
What is the difference between a pendentive and a square dome?
The use of four squinches turns a square into an octagon to support the dome, but they have a blocky appearance. A pendentive is more elegant, like a spherical triangle.
What does pendentive mean in architecture?
pendentive, in architecture, a triangular segment of a spherical surface, filling in the upper corners of a room, in order to form, at the top, a circular support for a dome.
What is squinch system?
squinch, in architecture, any of several devices by which a square or polygonal room has its upper corners filled in to form a support for a dome: by corbelling out the courses of masonry, each course projecting slightly beyond the one below; by building one or more arches diagonally across the corner; by building in ...
What does a pendentive do?
Pendentive is the term given to a construction element that allows a dome to be placed over square or rectangular spaces. Pendentives are triangular segments of a sphere that spread at the top and taper to points at the bottom, thereby enabling the continuous circular or elliptical base needed to support the dome.
What was the purpose of the architectural feature called the pendentive within Byzantine churches?
Starting from approximately A.D. 500, architects in early Christian Byzantine era began utilizing pendentives to raise height and support the weight of big domes. Byzantine architecture developed around the Roman capital of Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople and today known as Istanbul.
What is a squinch in photography?
The latest advancement in strategic, like-amassing picture taking is squinching, which is narrowing the eyes by tightening your lower eyelid and letting the top one drop down just a bit.
What are spandrels on a house?
In buildings of more than one story the spandrel is the area between the sill of a window and the head of the window below it. In steel or reinforced concrete structures there will sometimes be a spandrel beam extending horizontally from one column to another and supporting a section of wall.
Who created the pendentive?
The first experimentation with pendentives began with Roman dome construction in the 2nd–3rd century AD, while full development of the form came in the 6th-century Eastern Roman Hagia Sophia at Constantinople.
What is the top of a dome called?
Apex: The uppermost point of a dome (also known as the 'crown'). Cupola: A small dome located on a roof or turret. Extrados: The outer curve of a dome. Haunch: Part of an arch that that lies roughly halfway between the base and the top.
What was Pendentive dome used for?
Beginning in about A.D. 500, builders began using pendentives to create additional height and carry the weight of domes in early Christian architecture of the Byzantine era. Don't worry if you just can't visualize this engineering. It took civilization hundreds of years to figure out the geometry and physics.
Where is the narthex in a church?
narthex, long, narrow, enclosed porch, usually colonnaded or arcaded, crossing the entire width of a church at its entrance.
What is pendentive history?
pendentive: A spherical triangle which acts as a transition between a circular dome and a square base on which the dome is set.
What is the difference between squinches and pendentives?
A squinch is a small arch places on the inner corner of a square base and is used to connect the dome to the base, transferring some of the dome's...
Who invented the squinch?
The squinch was first developed and used in the Middle East and Ancient Rome in c. 5th century C.E. It was frequently used to build domes in early...
Did the Pantheon have pendentives?
The Pantheon in Paris, France utilizes both pendentives and arches. The weight of the concrete dome is considerable and both were needed in order t...
Who created the pendentive?
The first use of pendentives was seen in the construction of Roman domes in the 2nd and 3rd centuries C.E. Full development of the concept first ap...
Squinch: Concept and construction
Straight walls are erected on a square base, a dome is placed on the top of these four walls. This means that the load is transferred from the points the dome meets the walls i.e. the centre of the wall. A heavy structure like dome needs uniform weight distribution hence the load must be transferred through the corners of the square as well.
Pendentives: Concept and construction
Though squinches solved the problem of supporting the dome they the tended to have a blocky-chunky appearance, hence a much more elegant solution- pendentive was developed by the Byzantines. It is simpler in appearance but more complex in its geometry.
Evolution of Pendentives
During the Renaissance and the Baroque the preference for domed churches, especially in Roman Catholic Europe and Latin America, gave great importance to the pendentive. Pendentives are also frequently used in Islamic architecture. They are often decorated with stalactite work or as in Iran, with delicate ribbing.
Difference between Pendentives and Squinches
An arch in each of the corners of a square base that transforms the base of the dome into an octagon and allows the dome to rest on the square base.
What is the shape of a pendentive?
Instead of building ordinary wall s above the four-arch frame, they filled the spaces between the arches with walls in the shape of spherical triangles. Each of these walls is called a pendentive. 1
Can a supportive framework be covered with a dome?
Instead of a groin vault, this supportive framework can alternatively be covered with a dome. This presents the interesting technical challenge of connecting something round to something square, whether the dome is set directly on the supportive frame or raised upon a cylindrical drum.
