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The Gaussian vault is a reinforced masonry construction technique invented by Uruguayan engineer Eladio Dieste to build thin-shell barrel vaults and wide curved roof spans that are resistant to buckling.

Gaussian vaults consist of a series of interlocking, curved, single-layer brick arches that can span large distances without the need for supporting columns. This allows the construction of lightweight, efficient and visually striking structures. These arches are characterised by the use of a double curvature form, which allows for greater structural efficiency and a reduction in the amount of building materials required.

They are particularly suited to the construction of churches, community centres and industrial buildings, as well as other structures that require large open spaces.

The term "Gaussian", coined by Dieste himself, typically refers to the bell-shaped curve often used in statistics and probability theory. Dieste's new combination of bricks, steel reinforcement and mortar is also called "cerámica armada" (reinforced ceramic).

History
https://issuu.com/ayrpress/docs/091002_trabajo_tutelado_r

Description
The construction technique of reinforced masonry consists of placing steel reinforced bars at the junction of the brick courses. The behavior of the reinforced brick layer similar to that of a reinforced concrete beam. The thin-shell, single-thickness brick structure derives its rigidity and strength from a double-curved catenary arch form that resists buckling failure. The structural masonry fulfils a structural function by supporting itself and the roof without beams or columns.This construction system allows the design of thin-shell, single-layer brick structures by combining bricks, iron and mortar, built on a movable formwork. They are structures that are able to withstand the loads placed on them thanks to their shape rather than their mass, which results in a lower material requirement. The number of courses of bricks in which the reinforcement bar is placed depends on the span to be overcome. The mortar in these layers is increased in cement dosage. The reinforcement must be of a corrosion resistant alloy.

This type of construction has been widely accepted because it allows for greater lightness, prefabrication and systematization in the repetition of its components, with competitive costs.

The discovery of this construction system, as well as its development, introduction and implementation, earned the engineer Dieste worldwide recognition from the international community and eventually from UNESCO

Usage
Dieste applied this construction technique to his first architectural work: the church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady of Lourdes (1958–1960), in the small village of Atlántida. It became an renowned architectural landmark, described as "a simple rectangle, with side walls rising up in undulating curves to the maximum amplitude of their arcs, these walls supporting a similarly undulating roof, composed of a sequence of reinforced brick gaussian vaults". In 2021 the Church was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name "The work of engineer Eladio Dieste: Church of Atlántida".

In 1998, Dieste used the same construction techniques in the Church of Saint John of Ávila  in a modern neighbourhood of Alcalá de Henares, Spain.