Arc de Triomphe Proportions: Geometry and Neoclassical Grammar

The Arc speaks in ratios and restraint. A few governing proportions orchestrate scale, shadow, and legibility.

📐 Key Ratios

• Height/width: ~1.11 → balanced yet vertical emphasis.
• Central vault/height: ~0.58 → dominant passage.

$$ ext{Emphasis} = rac{ ext{central vault height}}{ ext{total height}} approx rac{29}{50} = 0.58 $$

🧩 Grammar in Elements

• Barrel vault: Clear thrust, heroic scale.
• Spandrels: Knit loads; provide calm planes for relief framing.
• Entablature + cornice: Cast shadow bands; crown the mass.

🪵 Material & Craft

• Limestone: Fine jointing; hydrophobic detailing.
• Core masonry: Conservative stress lines; little creep over time.

🔍 Why It Works

• Clarity: Few ratios; strong, legible moves.
• Discipline: Minimizes noise — magnifies meaning and ritual.