I have mentioned before that our new church building palapa reminds me a lot of Noah's ark.
It turns out my nautical analogy may not be off by much. But think Yankee clipper rather than an animal ferry.
During one of our recent rather minor wind storms, we discovered that the palapa roof had begun to shift.
Remember going to your grandmother's house? She would pull out the card table and you would build a fort using the western-themed blanket filled with cowboys and Indians. And if you were not careful, the slightest movement would pull the blanket off.
Well, that is what was happening to our palapa. In wind storms, it acts as a great air foil. A sail, if you will. And the pressure differential was causing the basic structure to stress.
But Mexicans are a wily lot. The church hired a contractor to reenforce the palapa.
You can see the first step at the top of this post. Each of the corners of the structure were braced on the diagonal.
The contractor then connected guy wires to various points inside the structure to create a web of interconnecting lines. In one sense, it is the opposite of the flying buttresses of European cathedrals that distribute the weight-bearing loads on the horizontal. These wires use the basic strength of the structure to bolster the weaker points.
It turns out my nautical analogy may not be off by much. But think Yankee clipper rather than an animal ferry.
During one of our recent rather minor wind storms, we discovered that the palapa roof had begun to shift.
Remember going to your grandmother's house? She would pull out the card table and you would build a fort using the western-themed blanket filled with cowboys and Indians. And if you were not careful, the slightest movement would pull the blanket off.
Well, that is what was happening to our palapa. In wind storms, it acts as a great air foil. A sail, if you will. And the pressure differential was causing the basic structure to stress.
But Mexicans are a wily lot. The church hired a contractor to reenforce the palapa.
You can see the first step at the top of this post. Each of the corners of the structure were braced on the diagonal.
The contractor then connected guy wires to various points inside the structure to create a web of interconnecting lines. In one sense, it is the opposite of the flying buttresses of European cathedrals that distribute the weight-bearing loads on the horizontal. These wires use the basic strength of the structure to bolster the weaker points.
I did not take any engineering courses in college. And what I know of construction techniques, I have pickeding up in my architectural readings.
But the interior has a different look now. The lines are rather subtle -- look like the rigging of a schooner.
And I guess that is what it is. A schooner under full sail, but docked in our port of San Patricio. Maybe we should change the name of the church from San Patricio by the Sea to San Patricio Ready for the High Seas.
Now, we need to come up with some ideas to put those bare lines to good use. They seem to be calling out for banners. Maybe a nautical signal flag or two.
Something to welcome everyone on board.
But the interior has a different look now. The lines are rather subtle -- look like the rigging of a schooner.
And I guess that is what it is. A schooner under full sail, but docked in our port of San Patricio. Maybe we should change the name of the church from San Patricio by the Sea to San Patricio Ready for the High Seas.
Now, we need to come up with some ideas to put those bare lines to good use. They seem to be calling out for banners. Maybe a nautical signal flag or two.
Something to welcome everyone on board.
16 comments:
Based on what I have seen and learned about Palapa's - that looks like a kludge - sorry. I won't even get into Mexican engineering I have also seen over the last 7 years. I would wear a hard hat in church services.
Time will tell. I am continually amazed at Mexican improvisation.
I am guessing that in a good lightening storm those guy wires might be put to good use. Perhaps you can engineer a way to harners that for "green" power?
My suggestion would be to have sailing craft builder look at your construction to make suggestions about how to shift stresses from the wind. Such a person may be able to improvise methods that allow one to actually change the tension on the rigging, depending on weather conditions. I would take the nautical metaphor all the way.
In Hawaii many of the wooden structures there were built by boat builders, using the same structural techniques as used for boat-building, sort of inverted craft if you will.
On the wall, you could display flotation devices with the names of Saints on them and adorn the building with nautical light fixtures. I recall a religious radio program from the 1950s called The Good Ship Grace.
You could raise funds by selling fishermen hats with the Church's name on it.
There is a marketing strategy here just crying out to be born.
Yikes!
"you could display flotation devices with the names of Saints on them" Ha!
Time to skip church and start going to Bedside Baptist instead. It would be safer.
It is a house of faith.
I am no engineer, but it looks rather cool to me.
I had the same idea at work. Hook up exercise bikes to the computers to generate power. We could lose weight while working. No one took the idea very seriously.
Or re-born.
It would be an uplifting experience.
I like the idea of banners, ribbons, anything that is colorful and would float in the breeze. It would make it a very pleasing place to spend a Sunday morning or afternoon.
I was thinking the same thing. And this comes from the guy who thinks the Quakers are gaudy with their decor.
I am an engineer and all I can say is: be afraid, be very afraid! That roof is at least a 10:12 pitch and more likely a 12:12 pitch. That equals HIGH wind loads. The lateral bracing is totally inadequate for such a structure. The invisible man in the sky will be of no help to the unfortunate souls spending time under that structure.
I guess we will find out this summer during our rainy season. I was in Puerto Vallarta last night for a very heavy rain storm. I have no idea what Melaque experienced.
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