Eaves. It is the part of the roof of buildings that protrudes from the façade, it serves to divert rainwater from it and protect it from the sun , it is also a decorative utility element in domestic architecture that is gradually gaining importance and in the case Particular of Trinidad are defined by unique characteristics.
Summary
[ hide ]
- 1 History of the eaves
- 2 Types of Trinity eaves
- 1 Tejaroces of one, two or three courses
- 2 Sardinel
- 3 Quarter Pole Eave
- 4 Quarter Bocel and Canecillos Eave
- 5 Eave of Tornapunta
- 6 Dog eaves and boards
- 7 Molded parapet eaves
- 8 Eave flown in Gola
- 9 Board eaves
- 10 Combined eaves
- 3 Sources
Eaves history
In all the ancient towns that are known to have existed in the houses the eaves that protected the walls from inclement weather: sun , rain , winds , snow , playing a role of utmost importance in high or small houses, poor or rich from the point of view of architecture. With the passing of time they underwent transformations, from simple they became complex when it comes to construction.
In Trinidad , being a region of the Caribbean where rain abounds, the sun radiates intensely throughout the year and in the cyclonic season the wind blows everywhere despite the city being protected by the mountains, the eaves appear from a very early stage early with an urgent need to protect the walls of houses.
In this old town, the eaves have their origin in the Spanish artistic traditions, they adapted to this type of Caribbean house with high walls and balconies that do not hide their rich Moorish-Mudejar influence. The first comes from the natural Moors of Mauritania (today Morocco ), as well as from other islands of Malaysia , it is given by the art of building and elaborating the materials used, the use of brick, arches (horseshoe and lobed), the wooden ceilings, the use of ceramics and plaster in decoration, the realization of the different types of eaves, where the elements of Christian art and Arabic ornamentation are present.
The phenomenon of the Trinitarian eaves is not static, it is diversified from abundant various types that are framed in one or another century, to sometimes travel to later times. The exquisite combinations with each other with great impact on the urban fabric of the eighteenth century give a touch of beauty and unique freshness to the facades.
The colonial facades, like the houses, underwent transformations over the centuries, the eaves suffered the same fate, although for their benefit.
It was at the beginning of the 18th century that domestic architecture acquired a singular importance in terms of elaboration and decorative treatment. Around this time, the eaves began to play a leading role, not only for their functionality, but also for the touch of elegance and beauty that they imprinted on the façade. It is noteworthy that sometimes they appear in the interiors of the houses protecting the galleries and other parts of the house.
In the first years of the 18th century, the houses were characterized by the use of the well-known “ masonry eaves ” that were made based on brick , tile , sand and lime mortars . In these cases we find the eaves of tejaroces, sardinel, quarter bocel and canecillos.
These primitive eaves of incalculable aesthetics, completion and utility at the time they appear, had the disadvantage of their low blasting onto the street, the gradual destruction not only of the walls they protected, but also of the exterior carpentry.
As an answer to this problem, the carpentry eaves that used wood appear, unlike the previous ones, among which are the eaves of the brace and of the dogs and boards.
The XIX century brought with it that a great variety of eaves persisted, the tejaroces, sardineles, bocel quarter, braces gradually disappeared and only appear in very isolated cases in buildings of this century, extensive use is made of the eaves called hounds and boards in its two variants (single grooved or without grooving) and the molded parapet.
As new materials emerged in this century, new forms of eaves were introduced, and plaster was used in the elegant and artistic gola ruffles. That characterized the most monumental buildings of the time, from an architectural point of view, these eaves arose from the logical evolution of the eighteenth century tornapunta eaves .
The houses of the XIX century remodeled on old or built on new ones, offer different versions of facades with eaves of braces or in gola with parapets. The combination of these were very picturesque solutions that brightened the trinitarian houses.
Types of Trinity eaves
The Trinidadian house adopted different solutions for different moments in the construction of its eaves, these constitute an index for the study of the city. The constructions of the aforementioned centuries are characterized by having the following types of eaves:
- One, two or three row tejaroces
- Sardinel
- Bocel Room
- Quarter bocel and canecillos
- Braces
- Dogs and boards
- Molded parapet
- Flown in gola
- Shingle
One, two or three row tejaroces
In the central region of the country these three or four courses appear, sometimes flanked by fillets. In our city in particular these are formed by embedded tiles of one, two or three courses, never four as in other regions. In the Havana constructions they are made up of two or three superimposed courses and arranged in a progressive cantilever, having a certain similarity with those of Trinidad . Due to the construction characteristics and the number of courses, its blasting towards the street does not go beyond 30 centimeters, this being a disadvantage due to the damage caused by the sun and rain on walls. Its greatest incidence corresponds to the urban fabric of the 18th century , appearing in three variants:
- Tejaroces of a course
- Two-row tejaroces
- Three-row tejaroces
The one with the most predominance is the one with two courses that appear to a greater or lesser extent in all the streets, the one with three courses is the least used, it can only be seen in a very old street with the name San José .
Sardinel
This type of eaves has a typical Mudejar character, it is made up of a row of bricks arranged horizontally and somewhat flown with respect to the wall, on which another row is placed in a corner shape so that its projection or cantilever draws a broken ribbon on the part that exceeds the tangency of the corner bricks and on top of it there are one or two rows of bricks placed normally but with progressive flight and on it the flown finish of the tiles . This variant of eaves is rare in the city, it only appears in very specific houses of the urban fabric of the eighteenth century and in such important streets as Cristo, Amargura, Real del Jigüe and Boca, unlike its predominance in other cities such as Sancti Spirits.
Quarter Bocel Eave
It is characteristic of the most primitive cities, they are not so common and it uses brick as a fundamental component in its structure. It is made by placing a row of bricks horizontal and at the same time perpendicular to the wall, something that comes out of the external parameter that will serve as the basis for successive courses that will also be placed somewhat overcast, but less than the base course, the latter does the same as the first one. fillet, then the courses are covered with mortar achieving the desired shape. Although it is a typical eaves of the city of the 18th century when the so-called masonry eaves appear, it travels much further, locating itself in buildings of the later century.
Quarter Bocel and Canecillos Eave
It is rare in Trinidad , it characterized the eighteenth century , they are found within the so-called masonry eaves , their difficulty is their low blasting onto the street and as a consequence of them the gradual deterioration of the wall that protects, at the top and finishing off the wall is the eaves of the bocel room and in the lower part and located at a certain distance the corbels that simulate holding the eaves, these could be made of wood and later covered with a mixture of lime and sand .
Eave of Tornapunta
This falls within the so-called carpentry eaves that have wood as their base , it appears in Trinidad in the second half of the 18th century , although its use continues until the 19th century , they are typical of the central region of the country and characterize to the city of Camaguey .
They are made up of a friend’s foot, made up of a wood embedded perpendicular to the wall, which has at its end a vertical bar on which the joist or sill rests and on these the alfardas, sometimes their ends imitate bows of boats and bird heads, cedar was generally used in their construction.
In Trinidad these eaves adopt three variants: the first is a very traditional style that appears in houses from the first half of the 18th century , consisting of a series of L-shaped joists located at the same distance on which a running beam rests. along the entire length of the façade and the entire roof structure rests on it, its existence in the neighboring city of Sancti Spíritus is common . The second variant is a common brace that has a large blast towards the street. The third variant is the one corresponding to the 19th century , where a more finished, more perfected brace appears, detailing elements turned in it.
Dog eaves and boards
It is the most widespread and popular, based on its simple construction and having a wide use in those more modest houses, they were sometimes the product of the transformations that some facades underwent with the elimination of the masonry eaves and the introduction of these simpler ones .
This appears in three variants: no grooving, single grooving, or double grooving. In the 18th century , the hounds that make up these eaves with double grooving are marked, and in the later one, single grooving is common. In the 18th and 19th centuries , the use of this type of eaves spread, prevailing in the 19th century more than in the 18th century . In some 19th century buildings, a blast that exceeds the limits of the pavement is characteristic, protecting the walls from inclement weather.
Molded parapet eaves
It has a greater predominance in the urban fabric of the 19th century . This eaves is associated with flat or roof ceilings, covered with a plaster ceiling that was one of the novelties of the time. It is common to find them in eclectic facades, they differ from the previous ones because of their large size, they are symbols of beauty, greatness, with lattices and balusters, decorated pillars and finished off at the top with elements that resemble pineapples or snowflakes, with bars that have some decorative charge.
This eaves tend to make the same impression as the masonry eaves used in the first half of the 18th century, which due to their low blasting towards the street do not protect the walls in a certain way.
The important thing in the facades that have this type of eaves is the beauty, aesthetics of the friezes, columns and trimmings, and the eaves are something that is added.
Eave flown in Gola
These eaves constitute the fashion of the 19th century and are generally linked to the buildings of the most important families of the time such as the Iznaga, Brunet, Cantero Palaces, among others, although they later transcended to other local houses located in various streets of the old city.
Its greatest predominance is in the 19th century , although in 18th century houses that were remodeled later, they also usually appear.
They characterize those buildings of greater relevance from the architectural point of view, they stand out for their monumentality, beauty and exquisite finish, as well as the curiosity of their terminal edges in the form of an Egyptian gola, it is the most laborious of all and replaced the auctions traditional.
These eaves of considerable length, constituted the fashion of the 19th century, were generally linked to the buildings of the most important families such as the Iznaga, Cantero , Brunet palaces , among others, later they transcended to other local houses located in different streets of the old city. They can be seen under a parapet that was a local solution or also used as a small roof to cover the balconies.
Its fundamental composition is formed by a wooden fence lined with small boards, which may or may not be covered with plaster. It is a smooth, continuous and functional eaves due to its blasting onto the street. It was not used in cities with stone walls.
Board eaves
They are located in the urban fabric of the 18th century . It is an overhang that shows a very practical solution, it has a certain inclination in relation to the wall to facilitate the fall of water when it rains. It is covered by a plank that fixes the membranes through nails and is characterized by its blasting onto the street.
Combined eaves
The combination of eaves in the 18th century was almost always linked to corner houses, although it may appear in some party walls. The range of combined eaves is wide reaching 10 types of combinations. They are characterized by ranking the facades, their beauty and giving a very picturesque touch.
The combination of the types of eaves in the city could be linked to the gradual modifications that the buildings suffered from the architectural point of view over the years.
It is curious to note how in both cases the eaves of tornapunta are nested in the center and are surrounded by eaves of sardinel and tejaroces with three courses.
Unlike the combined eaves that are framed in the eighteenth century linked to corner houses, in the subsequent century this is rare, but despite this it is important how they manage to impose themselves from one past century to another, enriching the facade. In the 19th century it was not a significant sample due to the poor percentage of its predominance.
The most relevant combinations of eaves in the urban fabric of the 19th century are seen on Santo Domingo street, corner of Guásima, where a corner house makes use of a tornapunta eaves with eave roofs protecting its side walls, on Gutiérrez street, almost on the corner of Colón, we have another example where an eclectic façade with a profile makes use of an eave of tejaroces to protect its side wall.
