What Are Vitruvian Waves And Why Should You Care?

Today’s discussion is part of a 3-part series, the series goes into detail about architectural friezes, Vitruvian waves, historical significance and the importance of these details from a functional perspective.   The outline of the articles in this series follows below:

• Vitruvian Waves and Architectural Friezes – Part I

• • The history of architectural friezes

• • Use of architectural friezes in the New World

• • The Vitruvian Wave
  • A noteworthy American relief
• Vitruvian Waves and Architectural Friezes – Part II

• • A kerf at a sill
  • A rectilinear alternative Vitruvian wave
• The functional engineering benefit of protecting architectural facade 

• • Protection, projections, and capping

• • Mortar deterioration 

• • Biocolonization
  • Tuckpointing 

An architectural frieze is basically a masonry or similar type material band that runs horizontally across or around the facade of a building.  Our articles are often focused on the principles of historic masonry restoration, preservation, tuckpointing or repointing, and preventative maintenance. Today though we’re going to discuss some classic architectural details of incredible craftsmanship and beauty. These details relate to the principles of building science that tie right back to the common brick used in the majority of brick buildings right here throughout Capitol Hill and the historic neighborhoods of Washington, DC.

We’ve looked at many masonry buildings in the past with similar details. Today though, we’re taking a close look at a commonly used pattern that goes all the way back to Greek architecture. In addition to the aesthetic value, the symbolism, and the implications around quality and craftsmanship, there’s also a functional purpose to banding, horizontal friezes, and similar projecting elements  in masonry facades.

The history of architectural friezes

Friezes in buildings go back to Greek and Roman architecture, also referred to as Greco-Roman architecture, from over 2,000 years ago.   However, you can see examples of decorative headers above columns in Egyptian architecture that predates the vast majority of Greco-Roman architecture by thousands of years.  The big difference between this type of Egyptian architecture and Greco-Roman architecture is that the Greco-Roman architecture is broken down into divisions, known as orders, within each entablature assembly, even in cases of varying design.   While it may be true that the Greco-Roman approach to the order of entablature was designated and defined or restricted, it’s debatable whether they were the first to use architectural friezes.  Evidence indicates carved and decorative banding above columns in horizontal arrays were created thousands of years before the Parthenon, for example which was being built about 2,500 years ago.

The picture below shows a portion of the front facade of a historic masonry building. The lower level of the building is clad with a limestone or sandstone, carved with reliefs at each window opening, resembling contemporary casings, but recessed instead of applied and rectilinear as opposed to ornate.   Greco-Roman classical orders of architecture included an architrave below the frieze and a cornice above the frieze. Here there is a stone detail below the frieze but no cornice above the frieze.   Greco-Roman friezes were part of entablature assemblies that rested upon the columns. Often the columns would be set with the entablature  above and then in a tympanum on top of the entablature . Today we might refer to the tympanum as a gable, in contemporary types of construction.

The brick above the ribbon or frieze above the ground level is a common brick, not a pressed brick.  Accordingly, this type of brick has a relatively thick motor joint.  The brickwork is built with a common bond. The common bond is not related specifically to the common brick, in fact it would be almost just as typical to see common brick Built-in a running bond but in this case the common brick is built with a common bond.  The upper window sills are a limestone, matching the facade cladding at the level below.

Use of architectural friezes in the New World

Washington DC is very interesting, in terms of architecture.  DC is one of the relatively early cities on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, part of the original 13 colonies of America. But not nearly as old as other nearby cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.  Many of the large buildings in Washington DC were designed and built at a period of time after the Baroque or Rococo styles of architecture.   Commonly, in architectural trends, successive styles are a reaction or revolt to the prior style.   Although neoclassical architecture has relatively simple designs in terms of rectilinear forms, the grand scale and particularly the entablature  and orders of details related to the architectural friezes, architraves, and cornices, are borrowed from classical architecture.

When you look at the side of the portico, (which we will talk about in much greater detail in next week’s continuation article), you may notice a similar but different symbol that runs around the horizontal band at the edge of the awning.

The Vitruvian Wave

The Vitruvian wave is also known as a running dog pattern. However, the one seen in this particular photo clearly resembles what we think of today as a nautical breaking wave, not a running dog, and this symbol has a few different potential deeper meanings.

Much of this discussion is based around the architectural details of this type of historic construction, but some of the elements that our company focuses most on are related to preservation, upkeep, maintenance, and restoration. When you look close in the picture below you can see there is a darker area on top of a limestone frieze banding.   That darker area is at a relatively horizontal section of the banding which sort of creates a shelf. There’s a grade to that almost horizontal area which allows water to drain away from the facade. It also helps keep the lower portions of the wall dryer in rain events that are not coincident with heavy winds. Heavy winds change the way precipitation will wet a building facade. But in many cases the larger portion of the facade below is protected by this slate projection of the band area.

When you look closely though, you can see that there is deterioration at the masonry at the top of the frieze band and also deep recesses in the mortar joints between the individual sections of the limestone. This type of slow but pervasive damage can be mitigated by routine maintenance. This type of maintenance doesn’t have to happen every day and it’s not even expensive but it needs to have a engaged and conscientious masonry contractor to provide careful seasonal cleaning and restoration of the mortar joints. The mortar joints may be able to last many years between each repointing.

A noteworthy American relief

Although there are clearly deep ancient historic origins of architectural friezes, America of course has also put its own spin on this design detail.   The frieze at the Greek parthenon is one of the most noteworthy in the world, that particular architectural frieze is over 3′ tall and over 500′ in length. By comparison the architectural frieze at the National Building Museum, in Washington DC, is approximately 3′ high by over 1000′ in length. The architect may not have been trying to compete, but an enormous effort has been applied into the design and construction this particular architectural detail.

This particular detail was built into the building prior to the finalization of construction in the late 1800s.  At the time, surely, the impact of the still Civil War was still palpable and present.   The artwork in the casting of this particular frieze included the imagery of soldiers, calvary, wagons, and even depictions of sailors pulling boats and infantrymen driving artillery.  

While earlier historic friezes were often stone carved, this particular frieze was made from cast terracotta.   These details make more sense when you consider the original use of the building. Currently the building museum is dedicated to highlight elements of architecture, engineering, and construction and related history and technology. At the time of original construction though this was a military pension building where the administration of pensions or retirement funds for military personnel was managed and dispensed.

The level of architecture and detail in construction was enormous, compared to the amount of effort put into similar buildings today.    The building museum’s website (at https://www.nbm.org/about/historic-home/) states that the original construction cost was $886,614.  This factoid is fascinating.  That value is similar to the cost of construction for the simplest of contemporary homes, today.  That money, in 1894, would be worth a lot more today, because of typical inflation over the last roughly 127 years.  Google says that $1 in 1894 would be worth about $353.63 in today’s money.  It’s hard to believe.  That means a penny would be worth $3.54.  

The implications, though, are fascinating.   The value of the original cost of construction is a total of roughly $32 million in today’s dollars, adjusting for inflation.   Part of the reason that this is fascinating though is not about the difference of dollars, through inflation, between 1894 and 2023, today. The real story is in the difference in those values of what that adjusted value purchased back then, in terms of construction, and what can be bought today. The cost of constructing this building today would cost 10 times more than it cost back then, even after adjusting for inflation. That’s an astounding revelation.

As a side note, the level of fine detail in the relief is almost unparalleled with typical stone carvings; however, the downside or tradeoff with terracotta is long term durability.  Clearly though after 100 years of exposure to the elements this particular relief shows near no signs of deterioration, either through durability or impeccable restoration and preservation.

Historic masonry upkeep and preservation

On the surface, these types of ornate and high class details seem different than the average Washington DC residential or even more contemporary commercial building, However, some of the elements have significant consistencies. Even in the historic rowhomes of Capitol Hill, we have brick buildings with terracotta inlays.  The inlays have three dimensional details, just like a carved relief from historic times but they are there in the front of facades, on the busy streets of our Washington DC neighborhoods.

In a forthcoming week, we will post part two of this fascinating series on architectural facade details and historic architecture. .

To properly maintain, repair, and care for these historic buildings, a knowledge, interest and understanding of historic building principles is required.  Here in Washington DC, historic masonry buildings are extremely expensive and the amount of financial loss caused by improper repointing and low quality construction is staggering.   However, in addition to the direct financial value of the property, there is also a cultural loss when historic buildings are damaged. By comparison, consider neighboring poor cities, when historic buildings are damaged, it’s not just the loss of value to the property owner, there’s also a loss to all inhabitants and visitors of a city, present and future, who care about architecture, history, and culture.

We encourage all of our clients, and all readers of this article and to our blog in general, to prioritize the historic built environment of Washington DC and neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, and Georgetown and become educated on on the difference between proper historic preservation versus improper work which leads to significant damage to the historic fabric of a building.

From a conservation and preservation perspective, several approaches can be taken to improve conditions related to deteriorated historic brick masonry. Primarily, lime mortar brick joints and low temperature fired soft red clay bricks should be inspected and checked on a routine maintenance schedule, either seasonally or at least annually.   If brick masonry is kept in good condition, the life of embedded wood elements can be significantly extended.  Hire a professional contractor which specializes, understands and appreciates historic construction elements and buildings.

You can learn a lot more on our blog.  Feel free to check it out.  If you have questions about the historic masonry of your building in Washington DC, fill out the webform below and drop us a line.  We will be in touch if we can help.