Construction and form-finding of a post-formed timber grid-shell.

In this paper, the design procedure and construction phases of a post-formed timber grid-shell are described. For form-finding and verification of structural safety, two different numerical models were developed. A particle-springs system tool was used to get feed-backs on the allowable shape and element’s cross section without the use of scale models. The structural response and the different construction phases of the prototype were analyzed through finite element modelling, involving material and geometric non-linearities. The mechanical properties used in the modelling were derived from experimental investigation. To validate the formfinding procedure, a comparison of the results of numerical analysis and experimental outcomes is presented.