Arch

Arch is a structure that spans a space while supports weight. The arch appeared in the 2nd millennium b.C. in Mesopotamia, also it was widely used in civilizations like Uratian, Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek and Assyrian in underground structures like drains.

The Romans new the most about arches, in fact, the introduced the triumphal arch, they used vaults, dome structures and invented the Roman Arch or voussoirs, which they used in bridges, gates and aqueducts.

The Vaults were arches used to provide spaces with ceiling or roof. By the other hand, the triumphal arches were made for celebrating the victory in wars and their shape was of a monumental archway.

Arches were constructed from a frame (mostly made of wood) which exactly followed the shape of the underside of the arch and then it was completed with a self-supporting complement.

Between the types of arches, we can find: triangular, round, unequal, segmental, horseshoes, elliptical, treecentered arch, and many more. The advantages of arches is that they eliminate the tensile stresses in spanning. An arch is built with small light blocks made of stone and also brick, which are easy to transport, and most important they were easy to transport in the days were all the new technology didn´t exist. Also, by using the right arch configuration, significant spans could be archived.

The main disadvantage is that the size of arches is limited by economy, because the are hard to buttress and to build. Some famous examples of arches are:

The Arc of Triomphe

The gateway arch



Arch of Constantine

Alcobaca Monastery