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Rafael Guastavino

92 quotes

“[A] rich and extensive property that for centuries was possessed by the monks.., "" (the Stone Monastery).., and the buildings thereon, consisting of churches, convents and the palace of the abbot, of different epochs of Romanesque, Byzantine, Renaissance and ... I was invited... to visit this property, as they intended to convert the immense into a summer resort.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was in October, 1871... I saw a of immense grandeur, one of the most sublime and extraordinary works of nature. Imagine , covered by an immense natural , supported by walls of the same nature, with gigantic s... like great chandeliers.., the floor a lake, receiving the whole light through an immense ventinel or opening, like a rosette window in a cathedral, covered by the fall of the full mass of water of the river Jalon, its builder...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I had just left , after completing some buildings, among them the large manufactories of Batllo Brothers, and was under the impression that I had accomplished something... according to the Cohesive System; but with this great specimen of nature's architecture.., I recognized how small and insignificant my work had been.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The thought entered my mind... that all this colossal space was covered by a single piece, forming a solid mass of walls, foundation and roof, and was constructed with no centres or , and especially, without the necessity of carrying pieces of heavy stone, and heavy s or heavy centres; all being made of particles set one over the other, as nature had laid them.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I became convinced that there was much to learn from the immense book called Nature, never enough studied, and that our ordinary system of construction was very poor, notwithstanding that we possessed the material... that enabled us to imitate nature.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hence I understood why my... professor... D. Juan Terras, said one day : "The architect of the future will construct by imitating nature.., the most rational, durable and economical method.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is really a colossal specimen of cohesive construction. Why had we not built on this system? ...[I]n the south of Europe, and in Asia, there existed many buildings on the Cohesive System, erected centuries ago. ...Roman triumphal arches, the Pantheon, the of the Santa Sophia, the cupola of the Cathedral of Zamora, and others in Asia, and some in Moorish constructions of the Middle Ages. The larger part of these... are... concrete... some... with marble facing or other stone outside.., others are concrete throughout.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[F]irst attempts... were... in simple concrete. But I soon found that no arch work could be done with concrete... so well as it could be accomplished with s... laid in , if the material and process are well adjusted.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I commenced work in , beginning with my own private residence... as a physician might try his own medicine, carrying out my ideas by building a construction four stories in height, practically with no beams, using clay and cement.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Afterwards I built the bleacheries of Muntadas Aparicio & Co.; a merino and other woolen-goods factory for Carreras & Sons; another... factory, in Villa Franca, for Michans & Co.; the glass manufactory of Modesto Cossademunt; the Theatre of Vilsar; the manufactory of porcelain for Florens & Co.; and the silk manufactory of Saladriguez. I also made some applications of the system in the private houses of... bankers...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But all this work... had not the right technical sanction.., thickness of the arches was determined by intuition and practice... But can... [one] satisfy the sciences with these? Can we have any guarantee by these alone?”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[W]as it possible to determine anything in the embryo state of the manufacture of s fifteen or twenty years ago, when no manufacturer was able to guarantee... because of the difficulty in obtaining regularity..; when each manufacturer had his own formula, and... the market could not be supplied with a sufficient quantity of each brand to... test... strength.., to base any calculations... and... no certainty of always being able to procure... quality... cement..? That was the condition of affairs in Spain, and in fact, all Europe...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[P]lans of the buildings and factories referred to were sent to the Philadelphia Centennial, in 1876. The success... there, and the ... convinced me that this country was the... place for the development of the Cohesive System.., coming here... 1881.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I recognized the necessity of studying American methods, materials and facilities. To this... I devoted five years. It was... essential that I should be well posted, particularly in... timbrel arches: First, because is the essential part; second, because of the position of the arches.., failure... endanger[s] the lives of workmen; third, because the application of the arches being for [supporting] floors, and requiring speedy work.., it was necessary... to know... [the] material... and... conditions.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[[Manufacturing|[M]anufacture]] of here was almost an impossibility..; if... by hand-work it would be very dear, and if by machinery.., probab[ly]... too heavy and useless. ...[O]bstacles and difficulties seemed insuperable, and hope almost left me. Fortunately, work and perseverance are... great factors towards success.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The publication of some artistic works in illustrated papers were received with appreciation, and some successful competitions for semipublic buildings in New York put me in position to begin... tests and experiments with imported tiles.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[M]y first work done with this fireproof system in America, was in a four-story private house on 78th Street, New York, in 1886, with American tiles. ...[T]he same year I commenced... the interior of the Arion Club, 59th Street, whose building committee... ascertained that with my arches they could... sav[e] of over $5,000, in two floors alone, over... ordinary... fireproofing. From that time on I have been building in New York...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[I]n July, 1889, I put all my affairs in the... corporation.., the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have now the satisfaction of seeing a system of construction established.., which only four years ago was considered a dream, and... was noticed in a prominent technical book as a simple curiosity only. ...[A]ll the great obstacles ...have at last been overcome.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The "Timbrel Arch"... is as ancient as the " Cohesive System," and may be as old as its opposite.., the "Gravity System.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[A]lthough the " Cohesive System," including... timbrel arches, was frequently practised by the ancients, after... the height of its splendor in the Middle Ages it gradually disappeared... as modern civilization and the Renaissance approached.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he general use of vaults of brick, stone or the timbrel, as well as the use of the arch itself, and its origin, is very ancient. They were applied before the days of the Rome, who did nothing but improve, making their use general...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he cohesive form, as well as the typical timbrel arch, and the arch in general, was, so to speak, "born," and is not any particular invention.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[N]either brick vaults, stone vaults nor timbrel vaults can be said to belong to any civilization. Similar circumstances necessitated their creation in every country.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The ns improved the manufacture of brick. ...[W]ith abundance of clay, as well as asphalts and mineral oils... as fuel, they came to the practical idea of burning the clay, and instead of using raw brick... For such purposes ovens were needed; hence the necessity for covering and closing space without lumber or stone, but with bricks and terra-cotta. Thus were the dome and shapes developed...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Assyrians attached great importance to the of their bricks, possibly to give them conditions of cohesive strength...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must... call attention to the construction of arches and s in the Arabian epoch, and that of the Mussulman in Persia.. where a new and powerful civilization was already developed... where the n left the trail of his ceramic work...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he Oriental civilization had great influence in... antique Byzantium.., it gave... the foundation for new ideas in the architectural arts.., it founded the classical examples of the "Cohesive System." ...The greatest development was in Cordova and Granada, Spain; but under the influence of the beginning of this civilization the construction of St. Sophia, the grandest and most finished model of the cohesive cupola, was carried out.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The cupolas of Persia are all constructed over brick walls, and are the continuation of the same wall with the same material.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From the building of the cupola of St. Sophia to the period of the Renaissance several cupolas on the cohesive principle were constructed. The principal of these cupolas were the Mosques of Solyman II., Sultan Ahmet, and the Holy Apostles, of ; Santa Maria of Ravenna; St. Mark, Venice, and the Cathedral of Zamora, whose cupola is one of the most beautiful in Europe.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[I]n the Renaissance, the most remarkable are... in the Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Medici Chapel and Baptistry of Florence; St. Augustine's and St. Peter's in the Vatican, Rome; the Madonna de la Salute, Venice; Ste. Genevieve, Paris; St. Paul's, London; La Real capilla de los Desemparados, ... and the Dome de los Escolapios.., Spain.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All the cupolas constructed, up to the epoch of Constantine, were with brick and , in the Arabic style, following the constructive lines without altering the aesthetic forms; and in all the cupolas built after the time of Constantine, beginning with the period of Brunelleschi in , including the dome of St. Paul's, London, the exteriors are not the representation of the interiors, being successively more prominent.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the... [St. Paul's, London] cupola... the interior dome or decoration is a hemisphere, the second one is... as a truncated , and the third... is the exterior dome. The whole does not represent the progress of the art of instruction and the way to apply aesthetic forms.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This anomaly is due to... disuse of the hydraulic mortars of the Romans, Arabians and Byzantines, because the art of manufacturing these materials, which constituted the basis of their cohesive construction, was lost.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the construction of St. Sophia the Byzantines used baked clay and of Vesuvius, or -stone.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The architects of the Renaissance, especially in Italy and Spain, were... impressed by the works of the Romans, Byzantines and Arabians, and wished to imitate their bold construction; but they did not have... the material or the skilled hands. They therefore used plaster, and thenceforth the timbrel arch was introduced along the coasts of the Mediterranean from to , and Genoa, and along the Italian coast to Naples. ...This epoch ...supplies [many facts] to aid ...our study.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In some cases the timbrel vaults were used as a ceiling and floor, having two or three thicknesses of tiles with plaster, and the haunches were filled with light pottery; this pottery was leveled over with rubbish and mortar, finishing with flooring tiles.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]his construction was used only in large buildings, such as convents, palaces and churches, where the walls were very thick, amounting to one-third of the full span, and where the character of the building was a guarantee that the ceilings would not be abused; otherwise it was necessary to patch and repair every few years.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[I]n general building it was only used in small spans, such as eighteen to twenty inches between beams, three tiles being used to two courses of bricks set flat over the centre; and in this state it... remained until the present...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[A]ll the timbrel arches of the Renaissance epoch existing in Italy... [and] Spain are constructed with plaster material, which does not meet the exigencies of good construction. Consequently... no technical academy in Spain or Italy has taken into serious consideration such empiric construction, which has a tendency to lamentable accidents.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“France and England are not here taken into consideration, because, like... other nations of the north, they have not bricks of dimensions and conditions suitable for the cohesive form; they have bricks of a small top and bottom surface... four by eight inches, when, generally, the types for the cohesive system are the Assyrian bricks, or the bricks of the Orientals, the dimensions of which were about twelve to fourteen inches long, six to eight inches wide and one to two inches thick.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In Spain, where this system has been used and is still in use on a larger scale than in any other country, there does not exist any treatise, or a single work, on the theory of this construction, or a single scientific explanation of this manner of building; not even an empirical explanation...”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The time that s began to be generally used in modern days was from 1845 to 1850, and from this date commenced the renaissance of the "Cohesive Construction.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The modern that Mr. Parker invented and patented in 1791 and 1796 was so dear, and the conditions of setting were so slow, that its introduction into buildings was much retarded. This cement, in the beginning, was called Parker's cement; its author called it Roman mortar.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The other cements called Medina, introduced shortly after, had the same defects. Mr. Aspdin, on the 21st of October, 1824, took out a patent for the formula of the celebrated . This cement was given the name of Portland by... Mr. Aspdin, because, when it is good, and smoothed with the trowel, it is very similar to when it is polished.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[W]ant of proper s, and of an invariable brand on which to base... calculations, was one of the main obstacles which beset the n and n architects.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The first work of importance of this character [I] constructed in Spain... in 1868—the manufactory of Batllo in La Corts de Serria. ...Afterwards I built others. In some cases the risk and danger caused by the irregularity of the materials was so plain that the workmen were afraid.., compelling me to remain in the works to inspire confidence and success.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On account of these special advantages... this experimental work culminated in the United States.., in New York and Boston, with specimens that have no rivals in any part of the world for lightness and resistance.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he movement initiated in England by the unappreciated Mr. Parker, with 1791 and 1796 patents—who thought he had discovered the old Roman cements,—after passing the patented improvements of Mr. Aspdin, of October 21, 1824, may have culminated in New York and Boston. But not without the valuable assistance and confidence of the eminent architects, Messrs. , Buchman & [Gustav] Deisler, , F. H. Kimball, T. M. Clark, De Lemos & [August W.] Cordes, A. H. Pickering, A. F. D'Oench, and others, whose co-operation and support in the annals of constructive art deserve to be held in remembrance.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) first seen 1845 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Note: Theodore Minot Clark (1845–1909) & see Theodore Minot Clark @BuildingsOfNewEngland.com
“We... divide construction... into two classes: ...First, "Mechanical Construction," or, construction by gravity. Second, "Cohesive Construction," or, construction by assimilation.”
Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908) said by 1908 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source