Customer Reviews

The Stone Skeleton: Structural Engineering of Masonry Architecture

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Jacques Heyman's text is without doubt one of the most interesting books I've read in the last couple of years. I became interested in gothic architecture after seeing for the first time in person a gothic structure, the St. Eustache church in the Les Halles area of Paris. It was 2001, and this first sight of such a building forced me to hearken back to my undergraduate engineering mechanics classes from a decade earlier. The stunning magnificence of my "find" in central Paris that day eventually drove me to more fully explore the structural operation of this style of architecture which lay behind the dramatic visual appearance of "gothic."

I began my little quest by identifying, and then visiting, the principal gothic structures in France (with the help of such great books as Stan Parry's introduction to gothic architecture). I then attempted to identify the key architectural elements common in all these structures. Finally, I researched the historical development of the style all the way from Suger's St. Denis basilica to the emergence of the Renaissance. But all this research left me with some unanswered questions. How do simple forms, such as the pointed arch, the flying buttress, and the barrel vault, actually operate? Why would such forms remain standing up, even when, in some cases, surrounding parts of the building had been destroyed in times of war, or perhaps by stone-robbing to build other structures (for example, structures at Ourscamp, Soissons, and Caen)? For that matter, why even use features such as the flying buttress, when other, simpler forms would suffice?

The Stone Skeleton thoroughly answers these questions, not from an aesthetic or historical view, but from an engineering view, where geometry, stereometry, thrusts, force vectors, the pull of gravity, and the physical properties of concrete and stone are the principal actors of interest. Although it is true that the book does investigate the subject through the lens of engineering (this is the books forte, and why it is such an invaluable addition to the subject), and the volume occupies itself at length with the examination of forces present in concrete and stone structures, most anyone with a moderate mathematical background and the patience to re-read a paragraph until the concepts become clear can profit from this text. In my mind, it is a missing link in the immense genre of gothic architecture texts.

I picture this text to have two related, but nevertheless discrete, audiences. The first is the one described above, the person who is interested in gothic architecture as an historical and aesthetic art phenomenon, and wishes to develop a greater understanding of the structural factors behind such structures. With a little work and patience, the text more than fulfils this need. But the second audience is the actual engineering student or in-practice engineer who wishes to develop a more sophisticated knowledge of the mechanics of concrete and stone structures. In this sense, I could easily see this work used as the textbook for an entire undergraduate or master's level course, or perhaps as a text for a directed independent study, where the end result is a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics of stone structures and the actual operation of the architectural devices present in gothic structures (barrel vaults, groin vaults, domes, arches, pointed arches, piers, flying buttresses, pinnacles, and so on).

I remember at some point in my gothic investigations I came up with a nagging question: why is the lower side of a flying buttress curved? Why not just lay a straight, diagonal beam from the outer wall of the building to the outer buttress pier? Was the curve added for aesthetics? Or was there some important design principle at play? Eager to find the answer and certain that this little fact would be easily discovered, I turned to my mini-library of gothic, only to be repeatedly disappointed (often, tantalizingly so, with texts that ALMOST addressed the question). The answer finally came in Heyman's text, along with many such similar questions. If you, too, are interested in such questions, this book is for you.

this work covers quite thouroughly the mathematics and mechanics of arches. It spends particular time on construction in the Gothic cathedrals including the barrel vault, cross vault, dome, and flying butress. It is beautifully illustrated and it presents the basic concepts as well as giving a quite extenisive theoretical analysis. A good book for anyone familiar with masonry and an essential for anyone involved in repairing and maintaining Cathedrals and other large stone structures.

For those who are interested in stone as a structural rather than purely decorative building material, this book is an excellent beginning. The focus is on the physics of arches and further to vaults, domes, etc., as this ability to create openings in otherwise solid walls is what makes masonry useful. This is not a book for 'do-it-yourself' types who want a book to help them try their hand at simple gardening stonework. One of the best book I own!

There's no doubting this is an authoratative book. It's based on an article that first appeared in a professional journal, and I feel that is its real audience. I found myself in trouble shortly after the introduction, despite a couple of mechanics courses in graduate school. You may have better luck, but I think only practicing structural engineers will be able to enjoy this book.

A great beginners book on solid stone structures of magnificent proportions. More an engineers book than a layman, the structural aspects of how piling stones on top of each other can withstand bombing, when steel structures can not. I don't think I'll ever walk into a cathedral again without marveling at the fact that the stones don't just fall down! It is amazing information that awes you and gives you a real appreciation for the art of the stone architecture where the structure drove the design - not the other way around.

This is definitely a very well written book concerning structural engineering applied to medieval type of buildings. The practice at that time was driven by principles of geometry and physical proportion, and generally speaking masonry structures work well under this scheme.
The Stone Skeleton is a book that will catch the interest of students and even professional structural engineers who enjoy learning about both gothic cathedrals and buildings designed in a similar way.
A structural analysis textbook may come in handy should someone wishes to go deeper into the mathematical concepts of elastic versus plastic structural analysis and the design of domes and vaults. Other structural elements such as piers, pinnacles, flying buttresses and subjects such as cracking and settlements are also briefly discussed.

The book explains the design of massive masonry structures in simple, yet highly accurate, terms. It presents knowledge for the design of masonry structures that is even invaluable to practicing engineers.

Finally a book that is not dumbed down excessively. The book is highly technical for an average non engineering type to read, but it's about as simple as it can truly be given its goal, which is structural analysis. If you are interested in a book talking about beautiful masonry, and the inspirations and motivations of the builders, this is NOT your book. It is a engineering look at the state of many of these structures and how the designers accounted for stresses due to wind loadings, foundation settling, and the tensile, shear, and compressive forces inherent in building by using geometric rules handed down since Vitruvius. Heymen also explains while building using geometry works for stone and how all of the above stresses and forces were contained within the masonry ensuring its long term stability. He also explains how modern engineers are working to ensure these structures continue to stand. If you are an engineering student interested in history and historical buildings this book is a must have.