68-Barcelona-Sagrada Família
Inverted model designed by Gaudí for structural calculations
Reproduction of Gaudí’s original model 1:15 scale at the museum of the Sagrada Família
Between 1898 and 1908, Gaudi designed the Church of Colònia Güell using a highly innovative method; inverted model. This model in which the crypt is on top and the roof on the bottom allowed him to design a light brick and stone structure.
The inverted model is based on the theory of catenary inversion. A chain suspended from two points naturally forms a curved shape known as a catenary. The chain is only subject to the forces of tension. Inverting the chain’s catenary curve gives us the perfect shape for a stone or brick arch that can effectively withstand stresses equivalent to those of the chain.
Gaudi put this structural theory in practice in his model.
In 1914 only the crypt and portico were finished and workers had begun on the nave wall. Gaudi considered this project an experiment for the structural innovations he would implement in the temple of the Sagrada Família, such as the branching inclined columns and the hyperbolic paraboloid surfaced.
68-Barcelona-Sagrada Família
Inverted model designed by Gaudí for structural calculations
Reproduction of Gaudí’s original model 1:15 scale at the museum of the Sagrada Família
Between 1898 and 1908, Gaudi designed the Church of Colònia Güell using a highly innovative method; inverted model. This model in which the crypt is on top and the roof on the bottom allowed him to design a light brick and stone structure.
The inverted model is based on the theory of catenary inversion. A chain suspended from two points naturally forms a curved shape known as a catenary. The chain is only subject to the forces of tension. Inverting the chain’s catenary curve gives us the perfect shape for a stone or brick arch that can effectively withstand stresses equivalent to those of the chain.
Gaudi put this structural theory in practice in his model.
In 1914 only the crypt and portico were finished and workers had begun on the nave wall. Gaudi considered this project an experiment for the structural innovations he would implement in the temple of the Sagrada Família, such as the branching inclined columns and the hyperbolic paraboloid surfaced.