spandraden

Spandraden is the German plural form of spandrel, an architectural term describing the space between an arch and the rectangular frame enclosing it. In English-language architectural usage, spandrel refers to the same feature, and spandraden appear in German-language texts as the corresponding plural.

Form and location: A spandrel is typically the roughly triangular or curvilinear area above an arch and within the enclosing frame; in a series of arches, spandren can refer to the spaces between adjacent arches and the outer wall. The spaces are usually filled with masonry, brick, or plaster, though they may also be left open or decorated.

Function and decoration: Spandrels may be structural, contributing to the mass and overall stability of the wall, or purely decorative, hosting reliefs, inscriptions, or paintings. In Renaissance and Baroque architecture these panels commonly carried sculptural or ornamental programs.

Examples and usage: Spandrels are visible in arcades, bridges, and aqueducts, where each arch is bounded by a rectangle that creates a spandrel above it. The treatment of spandrels varies with style and period, from plain masonry to richly ornamented panels.

See also: Spandrel (architecture); voussoir. Spandraden describe the same architectural spaces in German contexts, reflecting the cross-language terminology used to discuss arches and their enclosing frames.