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

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.