Gaussian Vault Construction in Eladio Dieste's Work During the Cívico-Military Dictatorship in Uruguay.

Abstract

The late Uruguayan engineer, Eladio Dieste, referred to the distinction between the assembly and construction of buildings as the result of “the awkward accumulation of matter”. 1 For Dieste, many modern and contemporary buildings were assembled from discrete pieces, not constructed. This presentation proposal problematizes this distinction by studying Dieste’s construction work to reinforce the idea that complexity may not be the singular product of assembly precision. This assertion is unfolded through examining the methods used to construct the Gaussian Vaults of the Julio Herrera y Obes Warehouse (1975-78) and the Don Bosco Gymnasium (1983-84) in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Throughout his career, Dieste invented four structural ceramic methods focused on resisting gravity through form by using reinforced masonry construction. One of these structural innovations were Gaussian Vaults. Starting in 1955, Dieste developed two types of Gaussian Vaults: tall curved shells typically used in the construction of horizontal silos, and low long span roofs supported by a concrete frame or bearing walls. 2 Each vault variation is based on catenary curves. Unlike single curvature barrel vaults (bóvedas de cañón) or Dieste’s self-supporting vaults (bóvedas auto-portantes), Gaussian Vaults are based on rationalizing the construction of double curvature forms using standard hollow-core ceramic units with steel reinforcement. The vaults take their name from German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, and refer to the normal distribution of a curve. The typical thickness in Dieste’s vaults is 130mm, spanning up to 50m. The double curvature Gaussian form is used to prevent bending, maximize span, and minimize the material thickness of the vault. The standardization and economical development of these forms was driven by the design and construction of adjustable formwork.

In February 1973, the president of Uruguay, Julio Maria Bordaberry and the National Armed Forces dissolved the legislative chamber and established a cívico -military dictatorship that ruled the country until 1985. The construction of the Julio Herrera y Obes Warehouse and Don Bosco Gymnasium coincide respectively with the start and end of the dictatorship. This timeline highlights the socio-economic implications of the construction of Gaussian Vaults during a politically charged time. The analysis of each building’s vaults will link the socio-economic circumstances of the time with the design – structure and materiality - of the formwork. This connection will be articulated through historic archive documentation and parametric computer models used to describe the double curvature of the vaults. In addition to analyzing their form, the models will illustrate the construction sequence of the vaults.

The aim of this proposal is to examine the historic collaborative processes used by Eladio Dieste during the last quarter of the 20th century in Montevideo, Uruguay. In Dieste’s work, these processes are most visible in the relationship between labor and the construction of Gaussian Vaults.

1. Dieste, Eladio. “Architecture and Construction”, in Eladio Dieste: Innovation in Structural Art, ed. by Stanford Anderson, (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), 187.

2. Pedreschi, Remo. The Engineer’s Contribution to Contemporary Architecture, (London: Thomas Telford Publishing, 2000) 47.