Escaleras tabicadas - Scale realine

Abstract

The construction technique of the bóvedas tabicadas, or Catalan vaults, has evolved over time according to distinct variants depending on the different geographical locations and resources present there. In this sense, from the Spanish region of Catalonia, where the technique has proven its widest development, it has spread from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in France under the name of combles briquetes, or in Portugal in the form of abobadilhas alentejanas, to certain central European areas in Belgium and Germany, as well as in Italy, particularly Sicily, where the construction of so-called realine vaults has been attested at least since the 19th century. The procedure was mainly applied for the construction of vaults, of various shapes and sizes, useful for covering spaces. Nevertheless, its use, albeit on a more modest scale, also took place for the construction of other elements useful to the building, such as internal partitions or vertical connection structures, namely staircases, which in some cases exceptional levels of cleverness were reached. It is precisely to the deep study of the latter that this dissertation is oriented which starts from the description of the peculiar characteristics of the Catalan escaleras tabicadas, to the in-depth study of certain types of realine staircases found in Partinico, in Sicilian territory.