In this paper the notion of an abstract square function (estimate) is introduced as an operator X to gamma (H; Y ), where X, Y are Banach spaces, H is a Hilbert space, and gamma(H; Y ) is the space of gamma-radonifying operators. By the seminal work of Kalton and Weis, this definition is a coherent generalisation of the classical notion of square function appearing in the theory of singular integrals. Given an abstract functional calculus (E, F , Phi) on a Banach space X, where F (O) is an algebra of scalar-valued functions on a set O, we define a square function Phi_gamma(f ) for certain H-valued functions f on O. The assignment f to Phi_gamma(f ) then becomes a vectorial functional calculus, and a "square function estimate" for f simply means the boundedness of Phi_gamma(f ). In this view, all results linking square function estimates with the boundedness of a certain (usually the H-infinity) functional calculus simply assert that certain square function estimates imply other square function estimates. In the present paper several results of this type are proved in an abstract setting, based on the principles of subordination, integral representation, and a new boundedness concept for subsets of Hilbert spaces, the so-called ell-1 -frame-boundedness. These abstract results are then applied to the H-infinity calculus for sectorial and strip type operators. For example, it is proved that any strip type operator with bounded scalar H-infinity calculus on a strip over a Banach space with finite cotype has a bounded vectorial H-infinity calculus on every larger strip.< Leer menos