Gridshells are self-supporting structures, providing an enormous range of both architectural and constructive solutions. They were designed to obtain cost-effective lightweight structures with the ability of spanning wide areas without columns. Since these constructions could be realized with a minimal amount of reusable material and the assembly was neither complicated nor time consuming, some of the first gridshells were built to be pavilions or exhibition halls. Because of the complexity of the designing process, gridshells remained prestigious buildings. A limited number of them have been constructed and most of them are the work of the same companies. From an architectural point of view, gridshells seem highly attractive. Not only can they obtain nearly every shape, but also are the rooms they create in no way oppressing, due to the slim beams and the possibility of using translucent roofing. Before the developments of the finite element method were made, variable tools had been used for the design and computation of gridshells. One of those tools is the formfinding process, which has evolved from hanging models to complex computer programs. The progress of the designing process of gridshells will be subject of this work, as well as built examples that illustrate the progress. With the help of powerful computer programs, the calculation of complicated structures is no longer an obstacle. The low amount of used material combined with the possibility of reusing it makes the gridshell a sustainable and attractive choice of structure. New materials such as fibre reinforced plastics contribute to the focus being back on a fast and effortless assembly of gridshells. This work aims at creating an overview of gridshells as a type of structure by depicting the evolution of the construction up to state of the art buildings. Additionally, the basic statics of shells and their difference to gridshells are being portrayed. In conclusion, an approach to a simplified method of computing gridshells is being analyzed and evaluated.     «

Gridshells are self-supporting structures, providing an enormous range of both architectural and constructive solutions. They were designed to obtain cost-effective lightweight structures with the ability of spanning wide areas without columns. Since these constructions could be realized with a minimal amount of reusable material and the assembly was neither complicated nor time consuming, some of the first gridshells were built to be pavilions or exhibition halls. Because of the complexity of t...     »