Which risk increased for medieval stonemasons constructing Gothic cathedrals with increasingly large stained glass windows?

💡 Explanation

Increased window size reduced the unbuttressed wall area, so lateral force vectors from the vault were less distributed through stone. Resultant outward thrust increased shear stress on the buttresses, because the reduced wall area provided less inherent resistance; therefore shear became problematic, rather than window came corrosion or ground settling, although still potentially problematic.

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