Nubian vault

Nubian vault
The ruins of Ayn Asil in Dakhla, Egypt

In architecture, a Nubian vault is a type of curved surface forming a vaulted structure. The mudbrick structure was revived by Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy after re-discovering the technique in the Nubian village of Abu al-Riche. The technology is advocated by environmentalists as environmentally friendly and sustenable since it makes use of pure earth without the need of timber.[1] The technology is of Egyptian origin.[2]


One of the key advantages of the Nubian vault is that it can be built without any support or shuttering. The earth bricks are laid leaning at a slight slope against the gable walls in a length-wise vault, as in this photo of a building from the ruins of Ayn Asil in Egypt. The same principle can be used to build domes, as in the example below from Cameroon.

The age-old Nubian vault technique was notably revived by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy in the 1940s with the building of a new village at Gourna, near Luxor. Architecturally, this village is a singular success; however, the families who were moved there soon abandoned it to return to their original village.

The classical definition of the contour of the Nubian vault is that obtained when a chain is held up at its two ends. The vault is more or less open or wide depending on how far apart the two chain ends are held.
The homes of the Musgum, in the Far North Province of Cameroon

More recently, since the year 2000, a French /Burkinabé NGO La Voute Nubienne, by simplifying and codifying the VN (Voute Nubienne) technique, has promoted the construction of over 250 vaulted buildings in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal (mainly village homes, but also a Catholic church, several mosques, schools, literacy centres, and a dispensary). These environmentally sound, comfortable, and aesthetic buildings require neither imported sheet metal for the roofing, nor expensive and increasingly rare timber beams. Over 150 masons have been trained in the technique, and there are as many apprentices currently undergoing on-the-job training on building sites (2009). The programme organised by the Association "Earth roofs for the Sahel" is developing rapidly year on year in response to demand from rural families, with many requests for help and technical advice coming from the countries of the Sahel, and from further afield (a programme was launched in Zambia in early 2009, under the aegis of AVN-Belgium).

See also

Literature

References

This article is based on a translation of the corresponding article from the French Wikipedia, retrieved on Junly 31, 2006.

  1. ^ Swan, Simone.Elegant Solutions. Saudi Aramco World, July/August 1999, Volume 50, Number 4.
  2. ^ Education Development Center, Inc.(1994-2001) Kerma, the First Nubian City,Nubianet.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nubian architecture — Meroitic Pyramids Nubian architecture is diverse and ancient. Permanent villages have been found in Nubia which date from 6000 BC. These villages were roughly contemporary with the walled town of Jericho in Palestine. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • List of architectural vaults — The following is a list of arched structures known in architecture as vaults.* Ambulatory vault – the covered portion of the covered passage around a cloister. Often written in the context of an ambulatory vault mosaic. * Annular vault – A Barrel …   Wikipedia

  • Nubisches Gewölbe — Darstellung und mathematische Formel der Kettenlinie Nubische Gewölbe ist eine Gewölbebauweise im Lehmbau ohne Schalung und häufig ohne Lehren, die ihren Namen von traditionellen Bauformen in Nubien hat. Die Deckengeometrie ist der Spezialfall… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Architecture of Africa — The architecture of Africa, like other aspects of the culture of Africa, is exceptionallyClarifyme|date=June 2008 diverse. Many ethno linguistic groups throughout the history of Africa have had their own architectural traditions. In some cases,… …   Wikipedia

  • Egypt — • Provides information on history, religion, and literature Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Egypt     Egypt     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Pyramid — This article is about pyramid shaped structures. For the geometric term, see Pyramid (geometry). For other uses, see Pyramid (disambiguation). The Egyptian pyramids of the Giza Necropolis, as seen from above …   Wikipedia

  • Abu Simbel temples — Coordinates: 22°20′13″N 31°37′32″E / 22.33694°N 31.62556°E / 22.33694; 31.62556 …   Wikipedia

  • Islamic arts — Visual, literary, and performing arts of the populations that adopted Islam from the 7th century. Islamic visual arts are decorative, colourful, and, in religious art, nonrepresentational; the characteristic Islamic decoration is the arabesque.… …   Universalium

  • New school hip hop — KRS One represented the political element of new school hip hop …   Wikipedia

  • Shomarka Keita — Shomarka Omar Sundiata Yahye (S.O.Y.) Keita M.D., D.Phil., (May 25, 1954) née Jon Derryll Walker, is an African American biological anthropologist. He was born in Orangeburg, SC to Johnnie Lee Walker, father and Jessie Dorman Walker, mother. As a …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”