Timber gridshells: exploration of their architectural complexity
Within the Renewable Materials Research Center and the Industrial Research Chair on EcoResponsible Wood Construction, architectural and wood science experts are working together to develop innovative construction concepts and new methods for analyzing them.
Timber gridshells, defined as a shell with a structure concentrated into strips, allow the realization of buildings with complex geometries created with new digital design tools. This construction system can be built with various configurations of lattices and a broad range of materials, including wood.
This research develops a method allowing designers to classify projects in a three-axis graph (form, structure and material) going from simple to complex. Six different gridshells were analyzed for this study and the results show that there is incompatibility between specific erection modes and the configuration of certain lattices. It also suggests that timber gridshell projects constructed to date do not seem to take advantage of the specific wood properties of different tree species.
This method contributes important information to the ceaseless quest for complexity in contemporary architecture by guiding building professionals to complexity levels which add benefits to timber gridshell projects. Ultimately, the integration of form, structure and material into one classification system fosters a better integration between the building, the environment and the inhabitants, for the realization of generic and singular architectural works.
For more information, see the Research Note.