A counter-arch is built adjacent to another
arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
to oppose its forces or help stabilize it.
["counter arch." McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. Answers.com, 7 September 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/counter-arch]
See also
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Flying arch
A flying arch is a form of arch bridge that does not carry any vertical load, but is provided solely to supply outward horizontal forces, to resist an inwards compression. They are used across cutting (transportation), cuttings, to avoid them colla ...
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Flying buttress
The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey lateral forces to the ground that are necessary to pu ...
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Inverted arch
References
Arches and vaults
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