Vault

"The interest in the possible formal declinations
of Abeille’s genial patented vault, led
us to examine the relationship between the
surface of the vault, the type of stonework
employed and the minimum number of
modular ashlars necessary for the complete
tiling of the structure.
The desire to use the fewest possible
geometric elements to ‘fill’ the space,
without creating problems of continuity,
responds to the necessity to simplify the
phases of construction and mounting in
any vaulted structure. The sphere project
was an experiment to create a prototype of
a spherical vault using the same ashlars as
those patented by Abeille while at the same
time applying the simplicity required by
contemporary construction specifications.
The tiling of a spherical surface with a single
geometrical shape is, as is well-known,
impossible. Thus we decided to use the
joints between ashlars as irregular compensatory
elements capable of covering the
spherical surface: identical ashlars, different
joints. It is due to the particular geometrical
conformation of Abeille’s ashlars that
the irregularity of the joints is effectively masked"
cf. Stereotomy Modern Stone Architecture and its Historical Legacy //Writings/Articles