Shell & Gridshell Case Studies

This collection of Grasshopper definitions was produced for the Melbourne School of Design (MSD) studio: How virtual becomes real at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning of the University of Melbourne.

Content development: Alberto Pugnale, Louis Gadd and Alessandro Liuti, with the support of our MSD students.

Studio leaders: Alberto Pugnale,with Louis Gadd(2013-2016), Alessandro Liuti (2017) and Atreuy De Lacy (2018).

These GH definitions use Rhinoceros (Version 5 SR12 64bit), Grasshopper (0.9.0076), Karamba (1.1.0), Kangaroo (0.099).

CASE STUDY 01

THE WEALD AND DOWNLAND OPEN AIR MUSEUM

A timber gridshell with variable grid spacing

GH Definition

Literature

CASE STUDY 02

THE DUTCH NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM

A form-found gridshell based on an irregular mesh pattern

GH Definition

Literature

CASE STUDY 03

THE GREAT COURT AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM

A geometric form and an exemplary structural grid

GH Definition

Literature

CASE STUDY 04

THE KIEL CANOPY IN ANTWERP

A canopy with constant height and variable density

GH Definition

Literature

CASE STUDY 05

THE SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM

When planarity is not an issue

Coming Soon

CASE STUDY 06

THE KAKAMIGAHARA CREMATORIUM

MEISO NO MORI: Computational "form-improvement" of RC shells

GH Definition

Coming Soon

CASE STUDY 07 (coming soon)

THE HIPPO HOUSE AT THE BERLIN ZOO

A Planar Quad (PQ) gridshell designed by using translation surfaces

Coming Soon

CASE STUDY 08 (coming soon)

THE PALAZZETTO DELLO SPORT IN ROME

Structural elegance and construction innovation

Coming Soon

CASE STUDY 09 (coming soon)

THE VYKSA STEEL WORKS WORKSHOP BY SHUKHOV

A geometric form and the first doubly-curved gridshell structure

Coming Soon

CASE STUDY 10 (coming soon)

THE CHURCH OF LONGUELO BY PINO PIZZIGONI

An exemplary composition of frames and hyperbolic paraboloids

Coming Soon