Vaulted and Arched Ceilings in Argentine Houses: Examples Using Brick, Wood, and Concrete

Written by Belén Maiztegui | Translated by Maggie Johnson
Published on May 28, 2021

A vault is a constructive technique that is achieved by compressing the materials forming it together. While this technique has existed since the time of the ancient Romans, certain types of vaulted ceilings, such as the Catalan or Valencian timbral vault, only reached popularity in some areas of the world at the start of the 19th century thanks to their lost cost and ready availability. With the ability to span over 30 meters and add substantial height to structures, vaulted ceilings became a go-to for the construction of industrial spaces such as workshops, factories, and warehouses.

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The Catalan Vault in Spanish Architecture: 15 Projects that Are Breathing New Life into An Old Technique

Smaller arches, on the other hand, are usually prefabricated or constructed in situ out of clay, concrete, or other materials and are used in conjunction with concrete or steel beams or rafters to hold crawl spaces or lofts. In general, they're less curved than traditional vaults since they're generally used for much narrower spaces. Their ease of assembly makes them a popular design technique in many parts of the world.

The aesthetic appeal of vaults and arches, along with their low cost and easy implementation, make them an optimal element to incorporate into contemporary works. In this article, we present 10 works of architecture from throughout Argentina that demonstrate just some of the innovative ways to apply this classic technique: