Gridshell
Encyclopedia
Tensile structure
A tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending. The term tensile should not be confused with tensegrity, which is a structural form with both tension and compression elements....
derives strength from double curvature), but is constructed of a grid or lattice.
The grid can be made of any material, but is most often wood (similar to garden trellis) or steel.
Gridshells were pioneered in the 1896 by Russian engineer Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov , was a Russian engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new methods of analysis for structural engineering that led to breakthroughs in industrial design of world's first hyperboloid structures, lattice shell structures, tensile...
in constructions of exhibition pavilions of the All-Russia industrial and art exhibition 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod
All-Russia exhibition 1896
The All-Russia industrial and art exhibition 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod was held from May 28 till October 1 , 1896. The 1896 exhibition was the biggest pre-revolution exhibition in Russian Empire and was organized with the money allotted by Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia...
.
Large span timber gridshells are commonly constructed by initially laying out the main lath members flat in a regular square or rectangular lattice, and subsequently deforming this into the desired doubly curved form. This can be achieved by pushing the members up from the ground, as in the Mannheim Multihalle. More recent projects such as the Savill Garden gridshell
Savill Building
The Savill Building is a visitor centre at the entrance to The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park, Surrey, designed by Glen Howells Architects, Buro Happold and Engineers Haskins Robinson Waters...
were constructed by laying the laths on top of a sizeable temporary scaffolding structure which is removed in phases to let the laths settle into the desired curvature.
Gridshell buildings
- Shukhov RotundaShukhov RotundaShukhov Rotunda, round exhibition pavilion for the All-Russia Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod of 1896 with lattice hanging covering and the World First Membrane roof . Designed by Vladimir Shukhov in 1895...
by Vladimir ShukhovVladimir ShukhovVladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov , was a Russian engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new methods of analysis for structural engineering that led to breakthroughs in industrial design of world's first hyperboloid structures, lattice shell structures, tensile...
, 1896 - Mannheim Multihalle by Frei OttoFrei OttoFrei Paul Otto is a German architect and structural engineer.- Life :Otto was born in Siegmar . He studied architecture in Berlin before being drafted into the Luftwaffe as a fighter pilot in the last years of World War II...
and ArupArupArup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
(many of whose team members later left to found Buro HappoldBuro HappoldBuro Happold is a professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment, with its head office in Bath, Somerset...
), a very large exhibition space constructed in 1975. - Weald and Downland GridshellWeald and Downland GridshellThe Weald and Downland Gridshell is a building designed by Buro Happold and Edward Cullinan Architects for the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum: it was a runner-up for the Stirling Prize in 2002. The building is a structural wooden gridshell, constructed of oak sourced from Normandy...
by Buro Happold and Edward Cullinan architects, a two-layer wooden gridshell, and the first gridshell constructed in the UK. - Savill BuildingSavill BuildingThe Savill Building is a visitor centre at the entrance to The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park, Surrey, designed by Glen Howells Architects, Buro Happold and Engineers Haskins Robinson Waters...
in Windsor Great ParkWindsor Great ParkWindsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
by Buro Happold and Glenn Howells Architects, a large four-layer wooden gridshell. - Helsinki Zoo viewing platform by Ville HaraVille HaraVille Hara is a Finnish architect. He studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology and Ecole d’Architecture Paris-Belleville and graduated as an architect in 2002....
- Japan Pavilion, Expo 2000Expo 2000Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hanover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hanover fairground , which is famous for hosting CeBIT...
, by Frei Otto, Buro Happold, Shigeru BanShigeru BanShigeru Ban is an accomplished Japanese and international architect, most famous for his innovative work with paper, particularly recycled cardboard paper tubes used to quickly and efficiently house disaster victims...
and SONOCO, a gridshell of circular paper tubeshttp://www.designboom.com/history/ban_expo.html. - Flimwell Woodland Enterprise Centre Modular Gridshellhttp://vs2.i-dat.org/unstructured02/eco3.html by Feilden Clegg and Atelier OneAtelier OneAtelier One is a British structural engineering company, established in 1989 with offices in London and Brighton. The company has collaborated with architects, designers and artists , and is consistently experimental...
. - Pishwanton Hand-Built Gridshellhttp://vs2.i-dat.org/unstructured02/eco4.html by David Tasker and Christopher Day.
See also
- Tensile structureTensile structureA tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending. The term tensile should not be confused with tensegrity, which is a structural form with both tension and compression elements....
- Thin-shell structureThin-shell structureThin-shell structures are light weight constructions using shell elements. These elements are typically curved and are assembled to large structures...
- Geodesic domeGeodesic domeA geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
- Hyperboloid structureHyperboloid structureHyperboloid structures are architectural structures designed with hyperboloid geometry. Often these are tall structures such as towers where the hyperboloid geometry's structural strength is used to support an object high off the ground, but hyperboloid geometry is also often used for decorative...
- Buckminster FullerBuckminster FullerRichard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
- Norman FosterNorman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames BankNorman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....