engleski

Structural analysis of an outstanding historical building: New insight into its construction history

The development of the constructional concept and details was a slow, step-by-step process. As the forms, spans and structural solutions changed slowly, they were able to apply their knowledge, acquired by observing pre-existing structures, to the structures they were actually building. But there are some outstanding buildings, which made a giant leap in the history of construction with their original constructional and structural concept. These buildings, if their innovative concept proved to be structurally sound, became the origin of a new tradition - or remained isolated examples. One of these isolated, unique structures is the cathedral of Šibenik, Croatia (began 1431 – completed 1536). The construction was carried out by unexceptional Venetian masters, when in 1441 a major structural problem appeared. Only in 1443 the construction was resumed, guided by a new protomagister, George the Dalmatian. He solved the structural problem and constructed the eastern part of the church in a new way. While the walls of the western part of the cathedral, built before George the Dalmatian, are constructed of ashlar masonry, the apsidal part is built using specific technique of assembling large stone slabs into the stone “ frames” . Nicholas the Florentine, protomagister of the Šibenik cathedral 1477-1505 (after George the Dalmatian's death), adopted the specific constructional method of the apsidal part and applied it to the barrel and semi-barrel vaults of the church. Thus he created an original vault system: the webs are assembled of long, thin stone slabs, wedged into slender stone arches. These vaults are much lighter than usual massive barrel vaults, and, unlike masonry vaults, transfer their load mostly to the arches. As the arches are tightened with iron tie-rods, their horizontal thrust does not affect their slender substructure. This structural system is unique. Precise and original details, rediscovered only ten years ago, during the disassembling of the dome (damaged during the war in 1991), prove high skill of Dalmatian stonecutters in the time of Renaissance. We researched the mechanical behaviour of this original, daring structure. In order to research the construction history of the cathedral of Šibenik, we analysed both historical documents and mechanical response of the structure in several building phases. This approach provided interesting insight into the mechanical characteristics of the building and into its behaviour during the construction, and inspired new hypotheses about its construction history.

construction history; structural analysis; structural systems; tradition; innovation

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