The Catenary as Inspiration

Even if we oversimplify the problem of architectural design, it still depends on three completely different criteria: technical (how to build with the materials at one’s disposal and how to determine the best ways to put them together); mechanical (the laws nature imposes to assure stability); and aesthetic (the more contingent and less well defined). The three criteria are not independent and vary also in time and space. The techniques used to build vaults and the mathematical knowledge of the catenary itself, as well as the knowledge of the laws of nature that describe the role it plays in stability, vary greatly from one epoch to another. The aim of this chapter is to analyse the evolution of the role played by the catenary in the design of vaults or domes in view of the different criteria.