GOTHIC ARCH LINKS:
==========
The outgrowth of the gambrel, the gothic roof further expanded the loft space with a series of built-up rafters cut to a precise curve creating a smooth continuous arch. The gothic roof was promoted around 1915 by commercial, mail order firms such as Sears, Roebuck & Co. The gothic arch was praised for its attractiveness and its ability to withstand the most extreme prairie winds. Though their popularity was short lived elsewhere, gothic barns were widely embraced in North Dakota and continued to be built into the 1950s with few apparent design changes.
==========
http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/collections/exhibits/barns.php
==========
Photos of gothic arches built by HS students using blocks of wood -- no glue -- an example of the built-in strength of the shape as it almost perfectly follows the unseen load lines:
==========
http://www.royalhigh.edin.sch.uk/departments/departments/CDT/s2_structures_02_03_class_2c.html
==========
sail4free
==========