Gargoyles

architecture · water management · gothic · medieval

Rainwater workers. Gargoyles are carved stone creatures designed to channel water from roofs down and away from building walls. A trough runs through their bodies and water shoots out through their mouths, protecting the mortar and stones below from damage.

Fantastically weird shapes. Gargoyles look like elongated monsters and animals because their length is actually on purpose. The longer the creature, the farther the water shoots away from the wall, which keeps the building safer during storms.

Gothic team players. Medieval builders put multiple gargoyles on a single building to divide rainwater into many streams instead of letting it all come down in one place. This teamwork prevented rainstorms from damaging walls and eroding the mortar that holds stones together.

Flying buttress partners. When architects used flying buttresses (curved stone supports), they sometimes carved channels into the buttresses to guide water over the walls of church aisles, working together with gargoyles to protect the entire building.