Sponsored in part by a grant from NCPTT Workshop.
Fri, Oct 11, 8:00 – 5:00
Sat, Oct 12, 8:00 – 4:00
Location: Ottavino Stone
“American architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries would often leave empty spaces in their blueprints and simply write, ‘Guastavino here.’ They had faith that Rafael Guastavino would create elegant, highly functional spaces to grace their buildings. Guastavino — part architect, part engineer — was particularly famous for his beautifully crafted, structurally powerful, tiled arched vaults.” (An excerpt – read the full article from the Boston Globe.)
Participants will have the opportunity to construct a variety of simple “Guastavino” vaults. The morning of the first day will involve a demonstration of the construction, after which, teams of approximately six participants will have the opportunity to undertake “hands-on” construction of these vaults. Vaults will be constructed of single, double and triple wythes of tile, and may be load tested at a later date.
Learning Objectives:
- Lay out and initiate a simple tile vault
- Mix mortars to appropriate consistency and quantities to install both soffit and structural tile wythes
- Set soffit and structural tile to progress through multiple-wythe construction
- Experience the sequence of construction, including the breaking of joints
- Strike and clean joints, particularly in the soffit layer of tile
- Develop an appreciation for the craftsmanship that has been lost since the construction of vaults in so many important buildings across the United States