The Gothic vault, unlike the semi-circular vault of Roman and Romanesque buildings, can be used to roof rectangular and irregularly shaped plans such as trapezoids. The other structural advantage is that the pointed arch <answer>channels the weight onto the bearing piers or columns at a steep angle</answer>. This enabled architects to raise vaults much higher than was possible in Romanesque architecture. While, structurally, use of the pointed arch gave a greater flexibility to architectural form, it also gave Gothic architecture a very different and more vertical visual character than Romanesque.
What structural benefit is offered by the Gothic vault?
channels the weight onto the bearing piers or columns at a steep angle