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Vault (architecture)
Architectural term for an arched roof / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Vault (disambiguation).
In architecture, a vault (French voûte, from Italian volta) is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof.[1][2] As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while rings of voussoirs are constructed and the rings placed in position. Until the topmost voussoir, the keystone, is positioned, the vault is not self-supporting. Where timber is easily obtained, this temporary support is provided by centering consisting of a framed truss with a semicircular or segmental head, which supports the voussoirs until the ring of the whole arch is completed.[3]
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Vault_diagram.png/640px-Vault_diagram.png)