barrel vaults

Semicircular stone roofs

A barrel vault is an architectural ceiling or roof formed by a continuous semicircular arch, creating a tunnel-like space.

The simplest type of vault, it spans the distance between two parallel walls.

Barrel vaults appear throughout history from ancient Roman construction to Romanesque churches: The wine cellar featured a traditional barrel vault.

Related

nave · crypts · keystones · ambulatory · catenary · echoes · Roman arches · Roman engineering · cathedral architecture · buildings · round arches · transepts · spandrels · structural engineering · Pantheon · ancient ruins · passageways · chancel

Opposites
vault/ceiling geometry

barrel vaultsdomes

Vaulted rounded ceilings

geodesic domes · dropped ceilings · onion domes

ceiling/roof flatness

barrel vaultsflat roofs

Level building covers

drop ceilings

Family

barrel, vaults, vault, barrels, barreled, barreling, vaulted, vaulting, vaulter

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G