Tension only

A tension resistant stereotomic structure is similar to a typical vault, or arch, in the sense that rigid and well defined voussoirs work together in order to transfer the gravity loads thrust along the structure onto a stable base. The difference in this case is that materials ought to resist tension instead of compression. An early example is the horizontal voussoir arrangement of the Smeaton’s tower (Rondelet and Blouet, 1868) where dovetails create a unity along stones that deters them from projecting outwards. This major step in lighthouse construction includes the formal prerogatives of voussoir joining techniques for tensions resistance, mainly represented by the use of dovetails or similar. The Marble Curtain by Gang (2011) uses round dovetail joints similar to puzzle pieces in the contour of marble slabs that are draped from a ceiling. Following the principle of the inverted catenary, the Catenary Compression project by Tehrani (2015) features interlocks in the volumetric voussoir edges, allowing it to be suspended from a ceiling and achieve a draping cloth configuration; on the other hand, the volumetric nature of the voussoirs would allow this same morphology to be vertically inverted and this vault would be structurally efficient in compression.