Hammer Beam Roof Construction

The hammer beam roof is the crowning achievement in english gothic architecture and open timber roof design.
Hammer beam roof construction. They are traditionally timber framed using short beams projecting from the wall on which the rafters land essentially a tie beam which has the middle cut out. A spectacular modern example of a hammer beam roof is the new gothic roof of st george s hall at windsor castle designed by giles downe and completed in 1997. The truss derives its name from the horizontal beams at the foot of the principals which were called hammer beams. Here at vtw we occasionally create traditional hb trusses but we often work with and design modified hb trusses.
The hammer beam truss was also occasionally used in the parish churches but the wooden roofs of the churches were generally flatter and less deeply framed than those of the halls and as a rule less beautiful. Not a true truss the construction is similar to corbeled masonry see corbel in that each set of beams steps upward and inward by resting on the ones below by means of curved braces and struts. Hammer beam hb trusses are certainly an engineering marvel and are one of the most open and regal truss types out there. It uses reinforced posts curving slightly outward from the wall to support the weight.
A hammerbeam roof is a decorative open timber roof truss typical of english gothic architecture and has been called the most spectacular endeavour of the english medieval carpenter. This replaced the previous flatter roof which was destroyed in the 1992 windsor castle fire. When building a hammerbeam roof you use a series of short horizontal beams that go upward and inward.