Buttress

A buttress is an architectural structure built against (a counterfort) or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall.[1] Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (sideways) forces arising out of the roof structures that lack adequate bracing.

The word buttress, in a much more general sense, means to support; one might buttress another person's argument, for instance. By visual analogy, that which looks like a buttress may be called so; eg Buttress root at the base of the trunk of a tree.

Contents

Terminology

In addition to flying and ordinary buttresses, brick and masonry buttresses that support wall corners can be classified according to their ground plan. A clasping or clamped buttress has an L shaped ground plan surrounding the corner, an angled buttress has two buttresses meeting at the corner, a setback buttress is similar to an angled buttress but the buttresses are set back from the corner, and a diagonal (or 'french') buttress is at 45 degrees to the walls.[2][3]

Buttress ground plans
Angled buttress  
Clasping or clamped buttress  
Diagonal or 'french' buttress  
Setback buttress  

See also

Gallery

Buttress ground plans
A buttress (and mostly concealed, a flying buttress) supporting walls at the Palace of Westminster  
Buttresses at Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk; Ostend, Belgium  
Buttress at The Saviour Chapel, Żejtun, Malta  
Flying buttress at Lincoln Cathedral, England  
Wall buttresses in the form of a blind arcade cavity wall at Canton Viaduct, United States  
Thick buttresses characterize Earthquake Baroque architecture like Paoay Church, Philippines  

References

  1. ^ Schroder and Vince Ogletree (2010), Adobe Homes for All Climates : Simple, Affordable, and Earthquake-Resistant Natural Building Techniques, Chelsea Green Publishing, page 191
  2. ^ "Glossary : Buttress". www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk. http://www.lookingatbuildings.org.uk/glossary/glossary/B.html?no_cache=1&tx_contagged%5bpointer%5d=8. 
  3. ^ Edward Wyatt. "CHURCH ARCHITECTURE : SPIRES AND BUTTRESSES". www.prestbury.net. http://www.prestbury.net/magazine/church_architecture/page05.htm.