Reconstruction of design principles of a late Gothic net vault using 3D laser scanning

Abstract

Precise knowledge of the principles according to which vaults were designed and constructed and how they were implemented in construction not only forms a decisive basis for their preservation as monuments. These principles also provide information about the vaults shape finding and technology of their construction. The load-bearing behavior in its current state can also be traced back to certain premises. Using the example of the late Gothic net vault in the St. Peter and Paul church in Lutherstadt Eisleben, this article shows how design and construction principles of vaults can be precisely deduced with the help of known monitoring methods, tachymetry, and terrestrial three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning. The results of reverse engineering refer to the application of design principles that are relevant in the late Gothic period, such as the principal arch or the plan specifications for maintaining the heights of the ribbed intersections of figured vaults. Due to the artisanal nature of the building process at the time of their construction, individual segments of the vaults may well deviate more significantly from these rules. The fact that these apparent rule deviations may be responses to inadequacies at the project level, from planning to execution, is also explored.