A reciprocal frame is a class of self-supporting structure made of three or more beams and which requires no center support to create roofs, bridges or similar structures.

Construction

Reciprocal roofs tend to be constructed in one of two ways. If built using dimension-ed timber each rafter is usually jointed into the previous one. More commonly these roofs are constructed with roundwood poles where each rafter is laid upon the previous one. In both of these approaches the roof is assembled by installing a temporary central support that holds the first rafter at the correct height. The first rafter is fitted between the wall and the temporary central support and then further rafters are added, each resting on the last. The final rafter fits on top of the previous rafter and under the very first one. The rafters are then tied before the temporary support is removed. The structure is most effective at lower pitches where there is minimal spreading force exerted at the ringbeam most being transferred directly downward. Unless some extra elements are added to create redundancy the structure is only as strong as the weakest element as the failure of a single element may lead to the failure of the whole structure.

History

The reciprocal frame, also known as a

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roof, has been used since the twelfth century in

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

although little or no trace of these ancient methods remain. More recently they were used by architects Kazuhiro Ishii (the Spinning House) and Yasufumi Kijima, and engineer Yoishi Kan (Kijima Stonemason Museum).

Villard de Honnecourt Villard de Honnecourt (''Wilars dehonecort'', ''Vilars de Honecourt'') was a 13th-century artist from Picardy in northern France. He is known to history only through a surviving portfolio or "sketchbook" containing about 250 drawings and designs ...

produced sketches showing similar designs in the 13th century and similar structures were also used in the chapter house of

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Constructio ...

Josep Maria Jujol José María Jujol Gibert (16 September 1879 – 1 May 1949) was a Spanish architect. Jujol's wide field of activity ranged from furniture designs and painting, to architecture. He worked with Antoni Gaudí on many of his most famous works. ...

used this structure in both the Casa Bofarull and Casa Negre.

Gallery

File:Simple reciprocal frame.JPG File:Double reciprocal frame.JPG File:Triple layer reciprocal frame roof.JPG File:Grid reciprocal frame.JPG File:Reciprocal frame roof.JPG File:Longer reciprocal frame bridge.JPG File:Leonardo da Vinci bridge Karby.jpg File:Roundhouse moon.jpg, A design using primary & multiple secondary infill rafters ''(Tony Wrench)'' File:Wholewoods reciprocal roof 0010.jpg, A design using primary & half length secondary rafters (''Wholewoods'') File:Wholewoods reciprocal roof 0016.jpg, A design using primary and full length secondary rafters (''Wholewoods'') File:Wholewoods reciprocal roof 0012.jpg, A redundancy technique using double rafter design (''Wholewoods'') File:Wholewoods Reciprocal roof 0011.jpg, A primary rafter and purlin design (''Wholewoods'') File:Wholewoods reiciprocal roof 0014.jpg, High frequency primary rafter design (''Wholewoods'') File:Wholewoods reiciprocal roof 0013.jpg, Secondary reciprocal design (''Wholewoods'') File:Roundhouse roof construction interior view.jpg File:Reciprocal frame roof before turf.jpg

References

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External links

Design forwardGreen Building elementsReciprocal Frame Architecture
by Olga Popovic Larsen
The variety of reciprocal frame (RF) morphologies developed for a medium span assembly building : A case study
Structural system Timber framing