Buttress

A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (sideways) forces arising out of the roof structures that lack adequate bracing.Angled buttressClasping or clamped buttressDiagonal or 'french' buttressSetback buttressA buttress and a flying buttress, mostly concealed, supporting walls at the Palace of WestminsterButtress at Our Saviour's Chapel, Żejtun, MaltaFaçade buttresses at Milan Cathedral, ItalyButtresses on the 700ft tall Daniel-Johnson Dam, QuebecThick buttresses characterize Earthquake Baroque architecture like Paoay Church, PhilippinesButtresses of the western side of the Mosque of Uqba in Kairouan, TunisiaButtresses to support the wall of this row house were constructed after its neighboring house was taken down as part of the Centralia mine fire. A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (sideways) forces arising out of the roof structures that lack adequate bracing. The term counterfort can be synonymous with buttress, and is often used when referring to dams, retaining walls and other structures holding back earth. Early examples of buttresses are found on the Eanna Temple (ancient Uruk), dating to as early as the 4th millennium BCE. In addition to flying and ordinary buttresses, brick and masonry buttresses that support wall corners can be classified according to their ground plan. A clasping or clamped buttress has an L shaped ground plan surrounding the corner, an angled buttress has two buttresses meeting at the corner, a setback buttress is similar to an angled buttress but the buttresses are set back from the corner, and a diagonal (or 'French') buttress is at 45 degrees to the walls.