Diagrid is a design for constructing large buildings with steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 that creates triangular structures with diagonal support beams. It requires less structural steel

Structural steel

Structural steel is steel construction material, a profile, formed with a specific shape or cross section and certain standards of chemical composition and mechanical properties...

 than a conventional steel frame

Steel frame

Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...

. Hearst Tower

Hearst Tower (New York City)

The Brilliant Hearst Tower is located at 300 West 57th Street, 959 8th Avenue, near Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York...

 in New York City, designed by Sir Norman Foster

Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank

Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....

, reportedly uses 21 percent less steel than a standard design. The Diagrid also obviates the need for large corner columns and provides a better distribution of load in the case of a compromised building. Another building designed by Sir Norman Foster

Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank

Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....

, 30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe

30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...

, known as "the Gherkin", also makes use of this structural system.

Buildings utilizing diagrid

• Hearst Tower (New York City)
  Hearst Tower (New York City)
  The Brilliant Hearst Tower is located at 300 West 57th Street, 959 8th Avenue, near Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York...
  
  
• 30 St Mary Axe
  30 St Mary Axe
  30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
  
   - Swiss Re building ("the Gherkin"), London, England
• CCTV Headquarters
  CCTV Headquarters
  The CCTV Headquarters is a , 44-storey skyscraper in the Beijing Central Business District and serves as headquarters for China Central Television . Groundbreaking took place on 1 June 2004 and the building's facade was completed in 1 January 2008...
  
   in Beijing, China
• The Bow, Calgary, Canada
• Seattle Central Library
  Seattle Central Library
  The Seattle Public Library's Central Library is the flagship library of The Seattle Public Library system. The 11-story glass and steel building in downtown Seattle, Washington was opened to the public on Sunday, May 23, 2004...
  
  , Seattle, Washington
• Capital Gate
  Capital Gate
  Capital Gate is a mixed use skyscraper in Abu Dhabi adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre designed with a striking lean. At and 35 stories, it is one of the tallest buildings in the city and features a dramatic 18-degree incline to the west. The owner and developer of Capital Gate...
  
  , Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate
• Guangzhou International Finance Center, Guangzhou, China
• The first design for the Freedom Tower
  Freedom Tower
  One World Trade Center , more simply known as 1 WTC and formerly known as the Freedom Tower, is the lead building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
  
   at the World Trade Center
  World Trade Center
  The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
  
   site in New York, New York included the use of a diagrid perimeter.