The ambitious late Gothic vaults created in the 15th and 16th centuries with their complex shape and complicated meshes of ribs soaring along spatial curves, were extremely demanding in their geometric design. This regards both the design of the whole structure, as also the design specifications for the single stone elements which were prefabricated and fit together on the building site with astonishing precision. In consequence, the particular character of these structures and their geometric features are intrinsically linked to the design routines and the geometric concepts used by the Master Builders. At present, these procedures and methods are not well understood, because they are not documented in original drawings, and because they differ in principle from the modern practice. In consequence, necessary works of repairing and restoring cannot recur to any information related to the original design. Moreover, understanding the characteristics of information transfer from the design to the execution, would cast a light on the information society in which these constructions were created. In several case studies, the geometric concepts of the intricate spatial curve systems of late Gothic vaults have been clarified on the basis of detailed surveys and geometrical analyses carried out on the built objects. On this background, also the existing sources such as historical design treatises could be re-interpreted. In a collaboration between the research group working on the design principles of late Gothic vaults at the Technische Universität Dresden, and expert stone masons specialized on historical working techniques and practical stereotomy at the Cathedral Workshop Œuvre Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, the phases of the design process, such as full-scale drawings on the tracing floor and the production of full-scale models and samples of ribs and keystones, are currently investigated in practical experiments. As result, we propose a complete picture of the design process from the general concept to the setting-out of the single stone elements. Further, we are able to drive general considerations on the Late Medieval and Early Modern design practice for stone structures and trace a new interpretation of the early treatises of stereotomy.

The ambitious late Gothic vaults created in the 15th and 16th centuries with their complex shape and complicated meshes of ribs soaring along spatial curves, were extremely demanding in their geometric design. This regards both the design of the whole structure, as also the design specifications for the single stone elements which were prefabricated and fit together on the building site with astonishing precision. In consequence, the particular character of these structures and their geometric features are intrinsically linked to the design routines and the geometric concepts used by the Master Builders. At present, these procedures and methods are not well understood, because they are not documented in original drawings, and because they differ in principle from the modern practice. In consequence, necessary works of repairing and restoring cannot recur to any information related to the original design. Moreover, understanding the characteristics of information transfer from the design to the execution, would cast a light on the information society in which these constructions were created. In several case studies, the geometric concepts of the intricate spatial curve systems of late Gothic vaults have been clarified on the basis of detailed surveys and geometrical analyses carried out on the built objects. On this background, also the existing sources such as historical design treatises could be re-interpreted. In a collaboration between the research group working on the design principles of late Gothic vaults at the Technische Universität Dresden, and expert stone masons specialized on historical working techniques and practical stereotomy at the Cathedral Workshop Œuvre Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, the phases of the design process, such as full-scale drawings on the tracing floor and the production of full-scale models and samples of ribs and keystones, are currently investigated in practical experiments. As result, we propose a complete picture of the design process from the general concept to the setting-out of the single stone elements. Further, we are able to drive general considerations on the Late Medieval and Early Modern design practice for stone structures and trace a new interpretation of the early treatises of stereotomy.