The emergence of new types of structures and construction technologies related to them became the impetus for the search for new forms of buildings and structures and the development of a new understanding of space. Technical and economic calculations show that the area of coverings in buildings with large hall rooms, as a rule, exceeds the total area of other enclosing structures, and therefore the cost of coverings, taking into account installation work, is of predominant importance in construction estimates. Spatial forms of coverings of hall rooms significantly affect the architectural expressiveness of buildings, and therefore the issue of choosing forms, materials and rational constructive solutions of coverings is extremely relevant.
The most important components of the covering systems of buildings and structures are supporting structures, which have unlimited possibilities of interpretation of forms and materials, can be hidden or open and turn into architectural elements. It is obvious that in the process of designing the coverings of buildings and structures, it is necessary to consider and analyze various options for their constructive solutions.
The article analyzes the types of arches, their classification, the conditions of use as load-bearing structures of building coatings, as well as some problems of their static operation, which are related to the choice of form and conditions of their support and division into structural elements. The authors considered the problems of calculating and designing arches, choosing rational forms of arches that ensure the prevention of loss of their stability from the bending plane and a high aesthetic level. The main principles and methods of construction and static calculation of arches are presented.