Guastavino tile

Guastavino tile vaulting in New York's City Hall subway station

Guastavino ceiling tiles on the south arcade of the Manhattan Municipal Building

Guastavino tile is the "Tile Arch System" patented in the United States in 1885 by Valencian (Spanish) architect and builder Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908). It is a technique for constructing robust, self-supporting arches and architectural vaults using interlocking terracotta tiles and layers of mortar to form a thin skin, with the tiles following the curve of the roof as opposed to horizontally (corbelling), or perpendicular to the curve (as in Roman vaulting). This is known as timbrel vaulting, because of supposed likeness to the skin of a timbrel or tambourine, or "Catalan vaulting". Guastavino tile is found in some of New York’s most prominent Beaux-Arts landmarks and in major buildings across the United States.

The Guastavino terra cotta tiles are standardized, less than an inch thick, and approximately 6 inches (150 mm) by 12 inches (300 mm) across. They are usually set in three herringbone-pattern courses with a sandwich of thin layers of Portland cement. Unlike heavier stone construction, these tile domes could be built without centering. Each tile was cantilevered out over the open space, relying only on the quick drying cements developed by the company. Akoustolith was one of several trade names used by Guastavino.

Significance

Guastavino tile has both structural and aesthetic significance.

Structurally, the timbrel vault was based on traditional vernacular vaulting techniques already very familiar to Mediterranean architects, but not well known in America. Terracotta free-span timbrel vaults were far more economical and structurally resilient than the ancient Roman vaulting alternatives.

Guastavino wrote extensively about his system of "Cohesive Construction". As the name suggests, he believed that these timbrel vaults represented an innovation in structural engineering. The tile system provided solutions that were impossible with traditional masonry arches and vaults. Subsequent research has shown the timbrel vault is simply a thinner masonry vault than with traditional arches that produces horizontal thrust also, simply to a lesser degree due to its lighter weight.

Archival sources

The records and drawings of the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company are held by the Department of Drawings & Archives in the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University in New York City.

See also

• Catalan vault
• Glazed architectural terra-cotta
• First Church of Christ, Scientist (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Biltmore Estate
• Guastavino - NYC Restaurant

External links

• Guastavino.net: documenting Guastavino's work in the Boston area. This page provides copies of writings and patents by the Guastavinos as well.
• Rafaelguastavino.com: documenting Guastavino's work in New York City
• shows method of construction