Pendentive dome
Pendentive is the term given to a construction element that allows a dome to be placed over square or rectangular spaces. Pendentives are triangular segments of a sphere that spread at the top and taper to points at the bottom, thereby enabling the continuous circular or elliptical base needed to support the dome. The horizontal curve of the dome’s base is connected directly to the vertical curves of the four supporting arches on each corner. Where the curve of the pendentive and dome is continuous, the vaulting form is known as a pendentive dome.
The pendentives receive the outward force from the dome’s weight and concentrate it at the four corners where it is directed down the columns to the foundations beneath. Prior to the development of pendentives, dome construction either demanded that the supporting structure was round, such as in Rome’s Pantheon, or were supported by corbelling or the use of squinches (a construction filling to form a base) in the corners of a room that allowed the dome to sit on top of four arches. Both of these methods limited the possible width and height of the dome. By directing force away from the walls, pendentive domes could be constructed much larger and higher.
The Romans were the first to experiment with pendentive domes in the 2nd-3rd century AD. They saw the supporting of a dome over an enclosed square or polygonal space as a particular architectural challenge.
Byzantine architects perfected the construction methods, and as a result pendentives are a common feature of Islamic architecture, often used with delicate ribbing. Pendentive domes were commonly built for Orthodox, Rennaissance and Baroque churches, in particular in Roman Catholic Europe and Latin America.
A major early example of a pendentive dome is the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul which was completed in AD 537. Another famous example is the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem from the 7th century.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architrave.
- Barrel vault.
- Bas-relief.
- Cantilever.
- Classical orders in architecture.
- Conoid shell.
- Flying buttress.
- Folded plate construction.
- Geodesic dome.
- Hagia Sophia.
- Hyperbolic paraboloid.
- Masonry.
- Millennium Dome.
- Portal frame.
- Purlins.
- Shell roof.
- The development of structural membranes.
- The history of fabric structures.
- Types of dome.
- Why are domes popular?
Featured articles and news
Skills gap and investment returns on apprenticeships
ECA welcomes new reports from JTL Training and The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership.
Committee report criticises UK retrofit schemes
CIOB responds to UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report.
Design and construction industry podcasts
Professional development, practice, the pandemic, platforms and podcasts. Have we missed anything?
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.