Timber Post-formed Gridshell: Digital Form-finding / drawing and building tool.

Pone, Sergio; Colabella, Sofia; D'Amico, Bernardino; Fiore, Andrea; Lancia, Daniele; Parenti, Bianca

Abstract

Summary: This research deals with design, structural analysis and construction of timber post-formed gridshells. Starting from the scale modelling experience, from 1:20 to 1:1 scale, a digital form-finding strategy was early developed with a Building Process Finite Element (FEA) simulation (GBP-FEAs), with which a real scale experimental structure was designed (and built). Then in a further experimentation building the digital form finding was performed with aid of a graphical algorithm editor (Gfft – Gridshell form finding tool), that uses generative algorithms. At present time both strategies are used together: with the Gfft a “correct” form – and the correspondent flat square mesh - is searched, structural analyzed and improved; then GBP-FEAs finding out the resulting stresses ratio at every deformation stage. The next goal to achieve is the development of an integrated software to design a “correct” gridshell without any knowledge of FEA or graphic algorithms software's.

• Conference Name: International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS) Symposium 2013 - BEYOND THE LIMITS OF MAN
• Start Date: Sep 23, 2013
• End Date: Sep 27, 2013
• Publication Date: 2013
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: Timber post-formed gridshell; digital form-finding; form-improvement; generative tools; free form construction
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/9716
• Contract Date: Mar 22, 2016