LOAD BEARING MASONRY CONSTRUCTION - Load bearing masonry construction was the most widely used form of construction for large buildings from the 1700s to the mid-1900s. It is very rarely used today for large buildings, but smaller residential-scale structures are being built. It essentially consists of thick, heavy masonry walls of brick or stone that support the entire structure, including the horizontal floor slabs, which could be made of reinforced concrete, wood, or steel members. Most construction today is not load-bearing masonry but frame structures of light but strong materials, that support floor slabs and have very thin and light internal and external walls. The key idea with this construction is that every wall acts as a load carrying element. In a load bearing structure, you cannot punch holes in a wall to connect two rooms - you would damage the structure if you did so. The immense weight of the walls actually helps to hold the building together and stabilise it against external forces such as wind and earthquake. The floor slabs were made of horizontal wooden beams, joists, and planks. A joist is a smaller wooden beam that rests on two larger beams. The buildings were covered with sloping wooden roofs, that could be finished with clay tile, wood or stone shingles, or metal plating such as thin sheets of copper. Every wall had a simple continuous strip foundation below it. Most classic buildings in Europe are built with load bearing masonry construction.

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Load Bearing Masonry Construction

understandconstruction.com

A modern example of load bearing masonry construction
for a residential building. Note the absence of concrete columns
and beams. The walls are the main load carrying elements.

Load bearing masonry construction was the most widely used form of construction for large buildings from the 1700s to the mid-1900s.

It is very rarely used today for large buildings, but smaller residential-scale structures are being built.

It essentially consists of thick, heavy masonry walls of brick or stone that support the entire structure, including the horizontal floor slabs, which could be made of reinforced concrete, wood, or steel members.

In contrast, most construction today is not load-bearing masonry but frame structures of light but strong materials, that support floor slabs and have very thin and light internal and external walls.

The key idea with this construction is that every wall acts as a load carrying element.

In a load bearing structure, you cannot punch holes in a wall to connect two rooms - you would damage the structure if you did so.

The immense weight of the walls actually helps to hold the building together and stabilise it against external forces such as wind and earthquake.

In traditional European loadbearing masonry structures, the floor slabs were made of horizontal wooden beams, joists, and planks.

A joist is a smaller wooden beam that rests on two larger beams.

The buildings were covered with sloping wooden roofs, that could be finished with clay tile, wood or stone shingles, or metal plating such as thin sheets of copper.

Other such buildings had flat terraces, that were built by pouring a concrete layer over a wooden floor, and then finishing with some form of tile or stone to provide a strong, waterproof finish.

Every wall had a simple continuous strip foundation below it.

Most classic buildings in Europe are built with load bearing masonry construction.

The American architect Louis Kahn famously used load bearing construction for the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

His structures clearly express the construction system rather than conceal it under decorative skins.

In this structure, concrete is used exclusively for members in tension, which are ties that tie together the two ends of the brick arches.

WHY IS LOAD BEARING WALL CONSTRUCTION NOT USED TODAY?

IIM Ahmedabad, India, by architect Louis Kahn

Load bearing masonry construction is not used today for a number of reasons:

It does not perform very well in earthquakes.

Most deaths in earthquakes around the world have occurred in load bearing masonry buildings.

Earthquakes love heavy buildings, because that is where they can wreak the greatest havoc.

It is extremely labor-intensive, as it is built mainly of masonry, which is made by hand.

Humans have still not developed a machine that produces masonry!

This also makes for very slow construction speeds in comparision with modern methods that are far more mechanised.

It is extremely material-intensive. These buildings consume a lot of bricks, and are very heavy.

This means that they are not green, as all this material has to be trucked around from where it is produced to the site.

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

OF LOAD BEARING MASONRY BUILDINGS

Load Bearing Structures

Load bearing construction has a very long, bright and interesting history.

To start with, masonry structures were large and solid, like the pyramids.

With the development of the arch, openings were created in these structures, and large structures like the colosseum in Rome were built.

The arch was first developed in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iran-Iraq-Turkey-Syria) and was then picked up by the Romans.

Load Bearing Buildings

Taj is an example of load bearing construction

In India, builders started using horizontal slabs of stone to construct floor plates. This is called trabeate construction.

The Taj is built of red sandstone masonry walls faced with white marble. Its walls are 6ft (1.8m) thick in some places.

Europeans built fine stone walled buildings with floor slabs made of wood beams and planks.

The buildings had elaborate arched openings and very finely crafted domes.

These buildings have lasted hundreds of years, with limited repair in many cases, testifying to the quality of the craftsmanship and the brilliance of the design.

Load Bearing Wall Construction

High-rise load bearing masonry construction.

And then, the Americans came in and super-sized things.

At left is the Mondadnock Tower, a 16-storey office building built in 1893 in Chicago.

It was made of brick walls 6 feet thick at the base and about 18" thick at the top. It still exists - you can rent an office space in it by clicking here.

It was built to be the world's largest office building at the time by architects Burnham & Root.

They said their design was inspired by an Egyptian pylon, which is a kind of monumental gateway to a temple, built with massive sloping masonry walls.

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TRIANGLES USED IN ARCHITECTURE - The two most common triangular forms used in architecture are equilateral and isosceles. Triangles are effective tools for architecture and are used in the design of buildings and other structures as they provide strength and stability. When building materials are used to form a triangle, the design has a heavy base and the pinnacle on the top is capable of handling weight because of how the energy is distributed throughout the triangle. This is why many residential homes have A-frames; it provides a sturdy structure. The most sturdy of the triangles are equilateral and isosceles; their symmetry aids in distributing weight.

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Triangles Used in Architecture

By Nicholas Ramos

Geometry and architecture are two disciplines that are fundamentally linked.

One of the most recognized geometric shapes is the triangle.

Triangles are identified by the three angles that are linked through line segments to form a three-sided shape.

The two most common triangular forms used in architecture are equilateral and isosceles.

Triangles and Architecture

Triangles are effective tools for architecture and are used in the design of buildings and other structures as they provide strength and stability.

When building materials are used to form a triangle, the design has a heavy base and the pinnacle on the top is capable of handling weight because of how the energy is distributed throughout the triangle.

This is why many residential homes have A-frames; it provides a sturdy structure.

The most sturdy of the triangles are equilateral and isosceles; their symmetry aids in distributing weight.

Equilateral Triangle

The equilateral triangle is by far the most common triangle used in architecture.

An equilateral triangle features three congruent sides and angles measuring 60 degrees on each corner. The lengths of the sides vary.

A common example of equilateral triangles used in architecture is the Pyramid Complex of Giza in Egypt.

Each of the four triangular sides that form the pyramids are equilateral triangles.

These are examples of the strength of the triangle in architecture as the pyramids have been standing for over 4,000 years.

Isosceles Triangle

Isosceles triangles, which have two equal sides, are also found in architecture throughout the world, especially in modern pyramidal architecture.

Isosceles triangles were used in the architecture of the East Building in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

The building was designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei.

His architectural style featured the use of isosceles triangles and other geometric shapes.

The East Building was plotted on an oddly shaped piece of land.

Pei used an isosceles triangle also as the base of the building to accommodate the shape of the plot.

The Flatiron Building in New York City is one of the world’s groundbreaking skyscrapers.

This building is built on a triangular block in Manhattan, giving it a triangular shape, specifically, an isosceles. It has stood over 100 years, illustrating the strength of triangular architecture.

Scalene and Right Angle Triangles

A scalene triangle is one in which all sides are incongruent. Scalene triangles are not commonly found in architecture.

There is no symmetry in these triangles, causing an uneven distribution in weight. This is hazardous as one angle will have more weight and pressure placed on it than another.

Right angle triangles have one angle that is a perfect 90 degrees. These special triangles are not traditionally used in the structural characteristics of a building.

They are, however, vital to the construction and design of the building.

Right triangles are used to create perfect corners and straight lines. If the walls and corners of a building are crooked, the building also will be crooked.

Additional Information

Triangles are also used as adornments in architecture, not just in the foundational design.

In churches, triangular windows are often featured as window frames or in the stained glass, possibly representing the Holy Trinity.

The Hearst Tower in Manhattan uses triangular framing to add extra support for the tower and to frame the all-glass window structure; both equilateral and isosceles triangles are used.

About the Author

Nicholas Ramos was born in Washington, D.C. He is currently a journalism major in Georgia and plans to specialize in law. Ramos has been writing since 2009, specializing in fashion, travel and health.

https://sciencing.com/triangles-used-in-architecture-12084289.html