Strapwork Wooden Domes: History, Design and Proposed Development with Spherical Geometry and the Rules of the Trade as a Basis

Abstract

Strapwork wooden domes are a rare type of joinery: only six such examples exist in the world. Maybe this is why, until recently, there have been few texts that allow us to understand their layout and constructive system. Our research goes beyond a mere formal analysis of the “half oranges”, for they also study other constructions that combine strapwork joinery and spherical geometry. Regarding the latter, there was extensive knowledge that was hardly ever applied in joinery. Today, in order to provide continuity to a trade that we seek to recover, we propose the development of domes based on polyhedral symmetry that respond to the strict layout of the strapwork wheels, and to the constructive logic of the carpintería de lo blanco (Mudejar joinery).