Matthew, super intruiging article you are a Grand Canyon of knowledge and interests. I do cad and drafting, (talk to me) and I want to live in that little space. If my house was closer to paid off, I would love to tear it down and make 2 of these on my lot, so the rest of it could be food. Living in these 100 year old hard to heat and cool houses is not easy and makes little sense when we need to grow our own food. Best
"Tiny homes", a.k.a. kennels. When Charles Schwab, Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeau, Barak Obama, Bill Gates, and Al Gore all move into one, I may start thinking about it.
There is no reason to denigrate the notion of something that may be the right (or even life saving) solution for some people. The rug has been gradually pulled out from under millions of people, bit by bit. Towns have turned to dust. Addiction and suicide rates have climbed.
The people you write about will have no right to erect any 1-storey structure on a plot of land - they must be stacked 200 levels up. Just like in those SciFi movies. To preserve the environment and contain the urban sprawl. The elites will live in the countryside in their mega country estates. Soylent green for the masses. No tiny homes - tiny cells.
I have been living in a short bus conversion for the last 6 years. Living in a smaller space is not the “kennel” you suggest. The house I had before I liberated myself was a prison of chores & soul sucking space I no longer needed.
Or tents. These are a bit larger than tents in which many human populations have lived. Those populations spend plenty of time outside those tents...in their communities...in the outdoors...
The desire for gigantic homes is mostly modern. Somewhere in between, many of us dwell. But much of that space would be unnecessary if we weren't crammed into glorified concrete termite mounds where there are too many unhealthy people who cannot be trusted not to abuse people or their property.
Have you ever lived in a one room place? For me, I feel much more centered when I do. I have lived both ways and have found a round room of 12 ft or so has a very calming effect on me. Easy to keep warm, as well. At say 15,000 dollars, you could add another when you need. Also very soundproof, compared to standard lumber construction. A concrete and or living sod roof also prevents some of the 'rays' of 5G from reaching you, and that is becoming a BIG issue. I feel much better under a sod roof, and am lucky to have one already on my property. Dont' knock it till you try it, waveless quietude rules.
All I'm saying, it doesn't work for "you own nothing and make them happy" world. Have you tried to live in a submarine bunk bed space? Like Bruce Willis in that 1997 SciFi movie "The Fifth Element" (a great movie, btw)? That's what they will let you have next. Would you feel groovy in those as well? Good for you. I am claustrophobic as it is.
Somehow, they always depict those tiny homes surrounded by nature. With 1-2 tenants. Imagine raising kids in there. Or having pets (a cat pooping in that one-room tiny home)?
How about 100,000 tiny homes in a ghetto setting - a refugee camp, more or less. How about 10,000,000 of those, wall-to-wall?
Don't blame the victims, dude. I was impoverished by lockdowns that reduced income in one business, and a business closure of the second business, possibly at the behest of Big Pharma. I couldn't afford the lifestyle you speak of even if I wanted it. At least I own my home now and I'm not paying any property taxes. Thankfully, I am able to have a large garden on another generous friend's rural property. We are all adapting to a new world we didn't want.
He can't imagine that people can walk outside to fulfill their need for space.
Lately I have a string of people coming to "comment first" on every post I make, and then just shit randomly. I think that may be what's going on here. I think it's one more example of the layers of psychosis present in the moment.
I get this on my posts as well, but sometimes with different issues, where people come to arrive to tell me I'm being some sort of useful idiot (meat eating, evolution, and abortion, of all things). One of the individuals who gives you problems is one of the ones who leaves rude comments on mine.
I believe there are a number of well-intentioned people who are acting out, because they are being controlled in other aspects of their lives, or their worlds are still small because they can't conceive in the new reality we're all inhabiting that many people are individuals and thus they won't be able to be pigeonholed into the old worldviews.
I see that you are the type of person who enjoys being rude and playing "gotcha" with opponents so you can feel intellectually superior. When I was speaking to Mathew above I wasn't actually referring to you but specifically thinking about another person who leaves these types of comments on every Substack he goes, including Mathew's and mine (his name is Ungovernable Rich) and also generally to the type of person who likes to go in other peoples' house and take a shit in their living room. If you enjoy being that type of person, that's your prerogative. It's a worse way to live than living in a RV or tiny house. I wouldn't want to be so miserable.
Just to repeat: My mistake. I’m really really sorry, I apologize unreservedly. I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.
Stay in a big house then. Encroaching surburbia is better? Bruce is a zombie now. Kids are now an improbability anyway. Your 'submarine bunk bed space' exists on film, and in your mind, but that is not reality. Spike/gonads/next generations effed. It is a really good and viable option to make 1/4 lot houses, and it is being done. Would you rather 100,000 tents?
No encroaching suburbia after this cull takes full effect. But have you seen videos of those sleeping pods for a night in China, or Japan? It IS the thing already in places, if not yet in NY City. It's coming...
A friend of mine here just bought a yurt. I will be helping him build the deck and install the yurt. I am kind of excited to participate in the process of the build.
Oooooo!!! <3 The problem with that stuff is that it needs land. Unless you can be a nomad like the Mongolians, you need to set it up somewhere permanently.
He has 6 acres, so he is in good shape. He is offering up a spot for me to park in exchange for helping him make it more homestead and less cactus and cedar trees. It is a tough decision to make. I love my neighbors here & we have a good community of like minded independent thinkers, so I really have a lot to weigh in pros and cons.
Looks inspired by the huts built by people everywhere for the last 30 000 years, give or take a couple of milennia depending on location. Yurt, straw and mud hut, igloo, you name it. Dome means home.
As they say, if our ancestors had been studid, we wouldn't be at all.
Yes, these are very natural in final form. I think much of their advancement was realizing they could produce "kits" that allowed for reversion to the dome, and with (relatively) easy shipping and assembly.
Do you know if they are looking into large-scale 3d-printing of housing units? I saw a prospect on huge printers some 10 years back or so, seemed interesting if only as a niche product.
Here, we still use wood when building houses (outside of cities that is) since a well-built wood/log house lasts at least 400 years. In the village my mother is from, the oldest houses still in use have parts from the 12th century. Coated with Falu Rödfärg (Falu Red) every ten to fifteen years the wood won't rot, and insects won't attack it. The paint is made from mineral sludge mixed with linseed oil, originally from mine tailings and leftovers.
I wonder what future archeologists will say about the materials and construction science of the twentieth century.
Have you read about rohtak domes? Built by skilled craftsman without any steel or formwork. What I find fascinating is that these rohtak dome builders probably don't think in terms of math geometry, but yet they can still build such beautiful dome like roof structures. It's like they understand geometry but not in terms of math but more in terms of intuition and feel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7K99RUlfVk
Holding a string or rope taught is using a compass. That's math even if we aren't taught it as such. American geometry is the worst textbook on the shelf.
As something of a master builder, I find the math a bit mystifying, but with the proper specs I could probably build such a thing. It would certainly be more elegant and possibly long lasting than modern buildings, which are basically energy sinks. It is hard to imagine raising a family in such a thing, insofar as to scale it for that it would be considerably more expensive and challenging to build. Not to mention American expectations. But for a reduced energy per capita future? Perhaps.
Love the construction concept for many reasons. Clearly some advantages. The shell and vault are naturally elegant solutions. This concept offers some real promise. However like so many other home concepts, the completion of an actual civilized home is vastly over simplified and its expense understated wildly. As for the price? Is a 600 sq ft structure for $10K really an advantage? The interior walls are part of the air crete fabric? I'll be paying attention to this. Realizing the powers that be don't want us developing equity the tiny home movement suits their 2030 goals perfectly. 3D printing homes are not ready for prime time yet either.
The question, "Is this an improvement?" does not have to be answered universally. Want a quick and easy "cabin" in the woods? This may work. Want a small home? This may work. Have migrant workers in need of a place to stay? This might work. Want a castle? This doesn't work.
Apr 5, 2022·edited Apr 5, 2022Liked by Mathew Crawford
In the first video he mentions "air-crete" which is cement with foam instead of sand/gravel aggregate. It is another very interesting concept but like he says it's a lot more work. The results are still impressive and much better on safety, thermal & acoustic properties than wood frame architecture.
There are significant compression strength differences but 2 story buildings have been made with it. I wouldn't go past one floor with it but some better engineers are safely up to 2 stories. I really like this "wash & wear" approach. Much simpler to build.
The hemp building folks have a month long class happening just down the road from me. I stopped by the other day and am really wishing I had signed up for the course.
I own a copy of Richard P. Stanley's book on Catalan numbers. He lists 214 combinatorial interpretations of Catalan numbers (inviting readers to become experts by finding all the 214 * 213 = 45582 bijections)...
At some point (in 2004, my God) I was interested in the generalization from squares to rectangles (learning from Richard K. Guy's papers): http://www.meyer-idstein.de/article_walks.pdf
I was at the same event in January, so I had the pleasure of being astounded by Grant and Gustavo's engineering and company. I didn't think I could be more amazed by the beauty and genius of this project until I got the link to this blog! Bookmarked it so I can read it many times again.
I think calling vaults, arches, and domes, triangles is an oversimplification from a structural engineering or architecture perspective.
You might try looking into catenary curves. This is the curve formed by a hanging cord or string under uniform gravity load. The loads are almost purely tensile along the length of the cord.
Arches are the inversion of this. A perfectly inverted catenary curve results in (mostly) compressive forces along the curve.
History shows us many different forms of compression arches (mostly not strictly catenary curves) and not purely efficient in terms of all compressive forces, but the principle is the same. This accounts for the final placement of the ‘keystone’ at the pinnacle of arches, which closes the circuit on the loads.
"I think calling vaults, arches, and domes, triangles is an oversimplification from a structural engineering or architecture perspective."
Yeah, me too. That's why I call them fractalized triangles and show a picture of discrete versus continuous.
"You might try looking into catenary curves. This is the curve formed by a hanging cord or string under uniform gravity load. The loads are almost purely tensile along the length of the cord."
Yes, I know what they are. They are curve optimized for (discrete analog) chain link force distributed among the links. But that's upside down of this physics problem, and instead of the chain link being the unit where force matters, it's the joint or shared surface between two bricks/tiles.
Catenary curves actually pertain to ropes/cords, not just chain link. It is indeed upside down of an arch or dome, but it also points to why domes and arches work.
The hanging chain or rope shows the uniform load distribution of gravity and ends up expressing the linear load path of tension. When this is turned upside down, as in a catenary vault, the load path becomes one of pure compression, which is well suited to materials such as stone, ceramic or concrete, all being fairly weak under tension loads.
Compare this to a horizontal beam or rafter. The gravity loads here cause deflection of the beam and induce tension in the bottom portion of the member, and compression in the upper. This is the primary limitation for the spanning capacity of a member. Materials that can’t handle tension don’t span very far. This is why egyptian stone architecture has closely spaced columns, whereas timber or steel structures can be built with much larger spans.
The genius of arches, vaults, and domes is that the load path becomes oriented closer to a pure compression orientation. This allows for small pieces (stones or tiles, for example) to be linked together since there is typically very little bending or shearing stress under simple gravity loading.
This isn’t the same thing as triangulation, in which the members are still behaving like beams and are subject to bending and deflection. Note that the center portion of the formwork for the catalan vault in the video uses what looks like plywood as the central web—this is because the formwork will take on bending stresses as it is loaded.
The point of this is actually mathematical as well as structural engineering. The uniform load of gravity as it is expressed in bending stress on a beam actually looks a lot like a catenary curve. The grace of curved arches and vaults is that it uses the simplicity of its form to direct the loads into a more efficient form—compression—instead of bending.
Probably nit-picky, but it’s a unique form and structural strategy in architecture and structural engineering, and worth clarifying.
Matthew, super intruiging article you are a Grand Canyon of knowledge and interests. I do cad and drafting, (talk to me) and I want to live in that little space. If my house was closer to paid off, I would love to tear it down and make 2 of these on my lot, so the rest of it could be food. Living in these 100 year old hard to heat and cool houses is not easy and makes little sense when we need to grow our own food. Best
"Tiny homes", a.k.a. kennels. When Charles Schwab, Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeau, Barak Obama, Bill Gates, and Al Gore all move into one, I may start thinking about it.
There is no reason to denigrate the notion of something that may be the right (or even life saving) solution for some people. The rug has been gradually pulled out from under millions of people, bit by bit. Towns have turned to dust. Addiction and suicide rates have climbed.
And then we got to this point.
The people you write about will have no right to erect any 1-storey structure on a plot of land - they must be stacked 200 levels up. Just like in those SciFi movies. To preserve the environment and contain the urban sprawl. The elites will live in the countryside in their mega country estates. Soylent green for the masses. No tiny homes - tiny cells.
Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine.
There’s another way. You can live in a cheap RV like I do. 😁
Yeah yeah, I know, they’re gonna ban vehicles or make gas so expensive it doesn’t matter. But I’m enjoying things in the meantime :)
Having older vehicles means we have much more adaptability than most. :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL8mWlIxzqw
Well, we know who among us is not going to be moving into a smaller house even it means "living to fight another day." 😂 🤣
haha
I have been living in a short bus conversion for the last 6 years. Living in a smaller space is not the “kennel” you suggest. The house I had before I liberated myself was a prison of chores & soul sucking space I no longer needed.
To each their own. But for families with kids, it's a torture for the kids. Let alone teenagers.
"And if it's not a solution for everyone, it's not a solution for anyone!"
That's weird, dude.
It's a temporary solution for few eccentric people, I don't deny that. But not a way to live life. If it were, it would be a norm by now, no?
I take that back. Trailer parks==tiny home communities. A norm already.
Or tents. These are a bit larger than tents in which many human populations have lived. Those populations spend plenty of time outside those tents...in their communities...in the outdoors...
The desire for gigantic homes is mostly modern. Somewhere in between, many of us dwell. But much of that space would be unnecessary if we weren't crammed into glorified concrete termite mounds where there are too many unhealthy people who cannot be trusted not to abuse people or their property.
Noice line!
It is a a classic fallacy of composition.
Have you ever lived in a one room place? For me, I feel much more centered when I do. I have lived both ways and have found a round room of 12 ft or so has a very calming effect on me. Easy to keep warm, as well. At say 15,000 dollars, you could add another when you need. Also very soundproof, compared to standard lumber construction. A concrete and or living sod roof also prevents some of the 'rays' of 5G from reaching you, and that is becoming a BIG issue. I feel much better under a sod roof, and am lucky to have one already on my property. Dont' knock it till you try it, waveless quietude rules.
All I'm saying, it doesn't work for "you own nothing and make them happy" world. Have you tried to live in a submarine bunk bed space? Like Bruce Willis in that 1997 SciFi movie "The Fifth Element" (a great movie, btw)? That's what they will let you have next. Would you feel groovy in those as well? Good for you. I am claustrophobic as it is.
Somehow, they always depict those tiny homes surrounded by nature. With 1-2 tenants. Imagine raising kids in there. Or having pets (a cat pooping in that one-room tiny home)?
How about 100,000 tiny homes in a ghetto setting - a refugee camp, more or less. How about 10,000,000 of those, wall-to-wall?
Don't blame the victims, dude. I was impoverished by lockdowns that reduced income in one business, and a business closure of the second business, possibly at the behest of Big Pharma. I couldn't afford the lifestyle you speak of even if I wanted it. At least I own my home now and I'm not paying any property taxes. Thankfully, I am able to have a large garden on another generous friend's rural property. We are all adapting to a new world we didn't want.
He can't imagine that people can walk outside to fulfill their need for space.
Lately I have a string of people coming to "comment first" on every post I make, and then just shit randomly. I think that may be what's going on here. I think it's one more example of the layers of psychosis present in the moment.
I get this on my posts as well, but sometimes with different issues, where people come to arrive to tell me I'm being some sort of useful idiot (meat eating, evolution, and abortion, of all things). One of the individuals who gives you problems is one of the ones who leaves rude comments on mine.
I believe there are a number of well-intentioned people who are acting out, because they are being controlled in other aspects of their lives, or their worlds are still small because they can't conceive in the new reality we're all inhabiting that many people are individuals and thus they won't be able to be pigeonholed into the old worldviews.
So, yes... another layer of the psychosis.
I take it you speak of yourself too? As soon as you encounter a view not perfectly aligned with yours? LOL
So it's not by conscious choice, right? What would you rather?
I see that you are the type of person who enjoys being rude and playing "gotcha" with opponents so you can feel intellectually superior. When I was speaking to Mathew above I wasn't actually referring to you but specifically thinking about another person who leaves these types of comments on every Substack he goes, including Mathew's and mine (his name is Ungovernable Rich) and also generally to the type of person who likes to go in other peoples' house and take a shit in their living room. If you enjoy being that type of person, that's your prerogative. It's a worse way to live than living in a RV or tiny house. I wouldn't want to be so miserable.
Just to repeat: My mistake. I’m really really sorry, I apologize unreservedly. I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future.
Stay in a big house then. Encroaching surburbia is better? Bruce is a zombie now. Kids are now an improbability anyway. Your 'submarine bunk bed space' exists on film, and in your mind, but that is not reality. Spike/gonads/next generations effed. It is a really good and viable option to make 1/4 lot houses, and it is being done. Would you rather 100,000 tents?
No encroaching suburbia after this cull takes full effect. But have you seen videos of those sleeping pods for a night in China, or Japan? It IS the thing already in places, if not yet in NY City. It's coming...
You are right. I stayed in a yurt once in New Zealand. Quite relaxing and homey.
A friend of mine here just bought a yurt. I will be helping him build the deck and install the yurt. I am kind of excited to participate in the process of the build.
Oooooo!!! <3 The problem with that stuff is that it needs land. Unless you can be a nomad like the Mongolians, you need to set it up somewhere permanently.
So, yup.... RV. :)
He has 6 acres, so he is in good shape. He is offering up a spot for me to park in exchange for helping him make it more homestead and less cactus and cedar trees. It is a tough decision to make. I love my neighbors here & we have a good community of like minded independent thinkers, so I really have a lot to weigh in pros and cons.
LOL. Here's hoping :)
Looks inspired by the huts built by people everywhere for the last 30 000 years, give or take a couple of milennia depending on location. Yurt, straw and mud hut, igloo, you name it. Dome means home.
As they say, if our ancestors had been studid, we wouldn't be at all.
Yes, these are very natural in final form. I think much of their advancement was realizing they could produce "kits" that allowed for reversion to the dome, and with (relatively) easy shipping and assembly.
Do you know if they are looking into large-scale 3d-printing of housing units? I saw a prospect on huge printers some 10 years back or so, seemed interesting if only as a niche product.
Here, we still use wood when building houses (outside of cities that is) since a well-built wood/log house lasts at least 400 years. In the village my mother is from, the oldest houses still in use have parts from the 12th century. Coated with Falu Rödfärg (Falu Red) every ten to fifteen years the wood won't rot, and insects won't attack it. The paint is made from mineral sludge mixed with linseed oil, originally from mine tailings and leftovers.
I wonder what future archeologists will say about the materials and construction science of the twentieth century.
Looks like a great off the grid away from intruding governments option.
Have you read about rohtak domes? Built by skilled craftsman without any steel or formwork. What I find fascinating is that these rohtak dome builders probably don't think in terms of math geometry, but yet they can still build such beautiful dome like roof structures. It's like they understand geometry but not in terms of math but more in terms of intuition and feel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7K99RUlfVk
Holding a string or rope taught is using a compass. That's math even if we aren't taught it as such. American geometry is the worst textbook on the shelf.
As something of a master builder, I find the math a bit mystifying, but with the proper specs I could probably build such a thing. It would certainly be more elegant and possibly long lasting than modern buildings, which are basically energy sinks. It is hard to imagine raising a family in such a thing, insofar as to scale it for that it would be considerably more expensive and challenging to build. Not to mention American expectations. But for a reduced energy per capita future? Perhaps.
If you go to their website, you'll see that they can chain several together to make a family sized home.
Well, they may have just made 90% of us sterile, with the jab or just the illness, so....raising families may not be so relevant from here on out...
If that is true than I suppose Mr Oehler's vision is faulty as probably the sterile will rise up and eat the elite for breakfast
Bad heartburn, I don't recommend it. And those black hearts taste kind of like rot.
I'm just hoping to watch from a safe distance.
These are cool! I can see them used on a family compound or just a small footprint! Love how they mimic nature!
I can see them replacing larger cabin builds in some parks. Lots of uses.
Love the construction concept for many reasons. Clearly some advantages. The shell and vault are naturally elegant solutions. This concept offers some real promise. However like so many other home concepts, the completion of an actual civilized home is vastly over simplified and its expense understated wildly. As for the price? Is a 600 sq ft structure for $10K really an advantage? The interior walls are part of the air crete fabric? I'll be paying attention to this. Realizing the powers that be don't want us developing equity the tiny home movement suits their 2030 goals perfectly. 3D printing homes are not ready for prime time yet either.
The question, "Is this an improvement?" does not have to be answered universally. Want a quick and easy "cabin" in the woods? This may work. Want a small home? This may work. Have migrant workers in need of a place to stay? This might work. Want a castle? This doesn't work.
In the first video he mentions "air-crete" which is cement with foam instead of sand/gravel aggregate. It is another very interesting concept but like he says it's a lot more work. The results are still impressive and much better on safety, thermal & acoustic properties than wood frame architecture.
https://www.domegaia.com/
I suspect we will see some air crete and some not. I'd be curious to find out stats on the differences.
There are significant compression strength differences but 2 story buildings have been made with it. I wouldn't go past one floor with it but some better engineers are safely up to 2 stories. I really like this "wash & wear" approach. Much simpler to build.
The hemp building folks have a month long class happening just down the road from me. I stopped by the other day and am really wishing I had signed up for the course.
The last image made me think of this book of Gaudi, the Guell Pavillions horse stables, huge arches. http://www.portalgaudi.cat/en/buildings/els-pavellons-de-la-finca-guell/
The math is WAY beyond me but it's intriguing to know some people actually use numbers to solve physical problems.
I own a copy of Richard P. Stanley's book on Catalan numbers. He lists 214 combinatorial interpretations of Catalan numbers (inviting readers to become experts by finding all the 214 * 213 = 45582 bijections)...
At some point (in 2004, my God) I was interested in the generalization from squares to rectangles (learning from Richard K. Guy's papers): http://www.meyer-idstein.de/article_walks.pdf
Stanley is awesome.
I've been looking at the idea of tiny homes for a while. There's definitely got to be something worthwhile about them.
I was at the same event in January, so I had the pleasure of being astounded by Grant and Gustavo's engineering and company. I didn't think I could be more amazed by the beauty and genius of this project until I got the link to this blog! Bookmarked it so I can read it many times again.
I think calling vaults, arches, and domes, triangles is an oversimplification from a structural engineering or architecture perspective.
You might try looking into catenary curves. This is the curve formed by a hanging cord or string under uniform gravity load. The loads are almost purely tensile along the length of the cord.
Arches are the inversion of this. A perfectly inverted catenary curve results in (mostly) compressive forces along the curve.
History shows us many different forms of compression arches (mostly not strictly catenary curves) and not purely efficient in terms of all compressive forces, but the principle is the same. This accounts for the final placement of the ‘keystone’ at the pinnacle of arches, which closes the circuit on the loads.
"I think calling vaults, arches, and domes, triangles is an oversimplification from a structural engineering or architecture perspective."
Yeah, me too. That's why I call them fractalized triangles and show a picture of discrete versus continuous.
"You might try looking into catenary curves. This is the curve formed by a hanging cord or string under uniform gravity load. The loads are almost purely tensile along the length of the cord."
Yes, I know what they are. They are curve optimized for (discrete analog) chain link force distributed among the links. But that's upside down of this physics problem, and instead of the chain link being the unit where force matters, it's the joint or shared surface between two bricks/tiles.
Catenary curves actually pertain to ropes/cords, not just chain link. It is indeed upside down of an arch or dome, but it also points to why domes and arches work.
The hanging chain or rope shows the uniform load distribution of gravity and ends up expressing the linear load path of tension. When this is turned upside down, as in a catenary vault, the load path becomes one of pure compression, which is well suited to materials such as stone, ceramic or concrete, all being fairly weak under tension loads.
Compare this to a horizontal beam or rafter. The gravity loads here cause deflection of the beam and induce tension in the bottom portion of the member, and compression in the upper. This is the primary limitation for the spanning capacity of a member. Materials that can’t handle tension don’t span very far. This is why egyptian stone architecture has closely spaced columns, whereas timber or steel structures can be built with much larger spans.
The genius of arches, vaults, and domes is that the load path becomes oriented closer to a pure compression orientation. This allows for small pieces (stones or tiles, for example) to be linked together since there is typically very little bending or shearing stress under simple gravity loading.
This isn’t the same thing as triangulation, in which the members are still behaving like beams and are subject to bending and deflection. Note that the center portion of the formwork for the catalan vault in the video uses what looks like plywood as the central web—this is because the formwork will take on bending stresses as it is loaded.
The point of this is actually mathematical as well as structural engineering. The uniform load of gravity as it is expressed in bending stress on a beam actually looks a lot like a catenary curve. The grace of curved arches and vaults is that it uses the simplicity of its form to direct the loads into a more efficient form—compression—instead of bending.
Probably nit-picky, but it’s a unique form and structural strategy in architecture and structural engineering, and worth clarifying.