Building the Cathedrals

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Crossover Summit at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012: The Cathedral Builders

Published on Sep 13, 2012

The Cathedral Builders

The Cathedral Builders, a work-in-progress from ARTE, is designed for longevity and has an unusual mix of production partners. A 3D film about medieval cathedral-builders leads us to a webdoc and a casual game, that allow us to experience building virtual cathedrals, while augmented reality apps enhance the experience of visiting the sites. This German‒French co-production by Seppia and Indifilm is financed by ARTE, The Catholic Church, ZDF, The City of Strasbourg, regional funds in France and Germany, historical museums, modern art museums and the French Ministry of Culture.

3D PAPER MODELS TO BUILD. Medieval Churches and more!

ARCHITECTURE & MODÉLISME

LIVRES MAQUETTES 3D / 3D PAPER MODELS BOOKS TO BUILD

http://www.instantdurable.com/ACCUEIL/accueil_franglais_menu.htm

More than 50 titles.
from French and European landmarks.
Each model is supplied as a book with :
- sheets to cut out
- historical presentation
- instructions for assembly
in many languages
which allow you to build up
the model as you see it.

Cathédrales Notre-Dame de Paris, Reims et Chartres

Maquettes à construire. Photo of 3 paper models to build up from Architecture Modélisme Collection.

Also: CASTLES - MEDIEVAL CITIES

Books, cards and many more styles: http://www.instantdurable.com/ACCUEIL/accueil_franglais_menu.htm

Order online, ships from France.

Medieval Ceilings: Different Kinds of Ceiling Finishes

http://www.whatprice.co.uk/decorating/ceiling-finishes.html#

Different Kinds of Ceiling Finishes

The Many DIfferent Ceiling Styles and Finishes

NEW - Use Whatprice to get quotes from painters and decorators

The Medieval age saw the rise of awe-inspiring Cathedrals that even with today's construction technology will be quite challenging to duplicate. The Medieval man had this quest of reaching out to the heavens as exemplified by the spires and vaulted ceilings of the Middle Ages. Frescoes, executed by great artists of those times like Michelangelo, were commissioned by the church to further give emphasis to "looking up and reaching out" to heaven. 

Today, the market is flooded with different ceiling finishing materials. There is no need for a "Michelangelo" to do your ceiling "frescoes" as you can readily buy a roll of decorative sheet and glue the sheet yourself on the ceilings. However, the great ceiling styles of the past are still being employed up to now. Though most homes have flat ceilings to conform to the generic construction materials available in the market, there are buildings that depart from the norm for aesthetics or structural functions.

Basic Ceiling Styles

Architects strive to give their clients unique, functional and aesthetically pleasing designs. The ceiling is one great feature to do details on as its wide expanse draws one's attention to it. There are different ceiling styles that were used and still being used today. Modern construction technology no longer requires decades to construct magnificent ceilings.

• Conventional ceiling - It is usually 2.40 metres high to fit standard construction material. The finishing is usually drywall or plaster.
• Suspended ceiling - It is also a type of conventional ceiling. The difference is that a suspended ceiling is flat ceiling built under an existing ceiling.
• Cathedral ceiling - As the name implies, this is a sloping ceiling attached to the trusses of the roof up to the ridge.
• Shed ceiling - This type is similar to a cathedral ceiling but only one side is sloped. However the rise of the ceiling is not as steep as the cathedral type.
• Vaulted ceiling - This type has an angle or arch that starts from the top of walls or columns to the ceiling for a dramatic, high and spacious feel.
• Tray ceilings- This type aims to resemble an upside down tray. The centre is flat with side sloping from the walls.
• Cove ceiling - This type is actually a flat ceiling that has rounded corners joining the ceiling and the wall.

Different Ceiling Finishes

Just like the walls of a house, the ceiling has to be decorated or "finished" to some extent. A building's ceiling is in direct proportion to its floor that is why special consideration should be attributed to a ceiling's finishing too.
Plaster - Plastering is probably the "oldest" form of finishing there is known to modern construction. Even the great Cathedrals centuries ago used plaster for their interior finishing. Plastering has evolved over the centuries. There are now various techniques to make your plaster finish more interesting.

o Plain Plaster -This is plain cement plastering that could be used as base for other types of ceiling finishing.
o Sand face plastering - A cement mortar with a 1:4 cement and coarse sand ratio is applied. After a week, the second coat is applied this time in a 1:3 ratio. The result is a plaster finish that has a sandy look and feel.
o Rough Cast Plaster - The plaster is a mix of sand and gravel splattered on wet cement plaster. The finishing has a rustic feel.
o Pebbled Dash Plaster - It is the same as rough cast plaster but 6mm pebbles are used instead.

Drywall - Is the term applied to a method of construction using gypsum boards. These are panels made of gypsum plaster that is pressed between thick sheets of paper then kiln dried. This method of construction and material is easier and faster to install that plastering. There are different types of drywall materials available in any home depot. There is the regular white board from ¼' to ¾' thick. Some subtypes that came out in the last two decades are: fire-resistant boards; blueboard; greenboard; cement board; soundboard or acoustical board; soundproof drywall; mould-resistant boards; foil-backed drywall; ceiling boards that are stiffer than the regular ½" boards and of course the environboard, which is needless to say is made of recycled materials.
There are drywall ceiling finishing that can add interest to a flat drywall ceiling. Some of these textures are now being used extensively in modern structures as they are cost-effective and simple to

Schedule

apply to a point.

Read more: The Different Styles and Finishes of Ceilings
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15 Amazing Monasteries, Sanctuaries and Abbies

Web Urbanist. Written by Steve on February 22nd, 2009 - Topics: Abandonments, Architecture, History, Travel, Various

Regardless of your religion, temples, cathedrals and churches express mankind’s eternal desire to create heavenly castles on earth. The 15 examples described here showcase the best of the best, and if these immaculate constructions instill a sense of wonder and amazement it is perhaps because they were built by people with a vision of something above and beyond this mortal world.

Brilliant Buildings: 136 Amazing Approaches to Architecture

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 12:04 PM PDT

Our homes are our castles… that old maxim dates from the days when one’s abode was a slovenly hovel, a well-mannered manor house or even an actual castle. The same goes for public buildings, apartment blocks and factories. Our buildings are the covers our enterprises - and ourselves - are judged by. These 136 brilliant buildings show, in so many ways, that when it comes to architecture skyscrapers reflect our soaring imaginations.


St. Andrews Cathedral, Scotland
(image via: Undiscovered Scotland)

Though the United Kingdom boasts many beautiful cathedrals, it is the ruined ones that captivate one with a sense of poignant charm and echoes of turbulent times past. St. Andrews Cathedral hasn’t held a mass since 1559 when the howling winds of the Reformation did what centuries of winter gales could not: bring down Scotland’s largest cathedral. The ruins of the main cathedral (consecrated in 1318) and associated outbuildings evoke a sense of eerie majesty and are, besides golf, one of the biggest tourist draws to this part of Scotland. ...