The cupola construction:
Before the actual construction of the cupola could kick off, a transition from the square ground floor plan to a circle has to take place. This means an octagon is constructed from the original square by dividing each 1/4 of the square into 4 sections of 22,5 degrees, measured from the horizontal part of the axis and connecting to the points where the angles meet with the outside lines of the square. The transformation from square, via octagon to the connecting base of the cupola is made by constructed arches that are mainly used to save on expensive material. The arches are based on granite bases; this has constructive reasons and guarantees that the weight gets more evenly spread. From here the bricklayers get hoisted on the top of the now octagon-shaped surface and adjusted more and more, till the construction matches a circular shape, which is the actual base for the cupola.
To caulk the in between spaces of the circularly arranged brickwork, they are sloped in a radial manner and therefore support themselves. As every new layer has enough tension between them to do without additional support. To make sure that the round shape of the cupola is balanced and the measurements of the spacing in between the centre and the wall is levelled at every point, a rotating rod gets installed on the top of the centre point inside of the cupola. By turning it clockwise it automatically measures and indicates the right position for every brick and every layer. There are four openings in the form of arches cut out of the cupola. According to the ground plan they are situated right on top of the meeting point of the axis lines and the outside lines of the square, this centres them right in the middle of each wall on the first floor. Their top end gets adjusted to the shape of the cupola and gets hoisted in accordance with the rest of the bricklayers.The very top end of the cupola gets finished off with an adjusted tube that is closed on one end with a glass disk. After trying a few other options this is the ideal and the most practical solution.
The house construction:
The whole construction of the building is based on a grid pattern, consisting out of two different dimensions. The measurements of the floor pattern are coordinated with the measurements of the sliding formwork used to construct the vaults of the ceiling.
To optically emphasize and improve the transition in between the vaults and the columns or the walls, the columns have been placed slightly backwards towards the inside. Granite blocks have been installed on top of the columns, and function as a connection from there to the lowest point of the vault.
Surfaces