From shape to shell: a

design tool to materialize

freeform shapes using
gridshell structures.
Lionel du Peloux
UR Navier, Ecole des Ponts
T/E/S/S, Paris, France
Dr. Olivier Baverel
UR Navier, Ecole des Ponts
ENSAG, Grenoble, France
Pr. Jean-Franois Caron
UR Navier, Ecole des Ponts
Al. Frederic Tayeb
UR Navier, Ecole des Ponts

ParisTech, Champs-sur-Marne, France

ParisTech, Champs-sur-Marne, France

ParisTech, Champs-sur-Marne, France

ParisTech, Champs-sur-Marne, France

What is a gridshell?
Frei Otto et al., 1974, IL10
Gitterschalen
Pinned connection between
continuous bars

=> No shear rigididy during

the erection;
Bracing with a third direction
of bar in order to get a shell
behaviour

Textile membrane

Grid Shell in GFRP in 2011

Design Process

3D Modeling

Wireframe geometry

NURBS patch.

Shape Optimization

Geometric curvature minimization in three steps. Rmin [blue =

3,00m ; red = 10,00m].

Shape Meshing

Shape Meshing

the gridshell surface

Shape Meshing

Shape Meshing

Shape Meshing

Shape Meshing


Different sets of guide-curves are chosen and the
resulting meshes are compared according to this
criterion:

Mesh testing

Developed surface

Structural Analysis

Construction

CONCLUSION
This paper has presented the different steps for
the design of a gridshell in GFRP built for the
Solidays festival in 2011 in Paris.
The steps were:
the optimization of the shape in order to avoid
concentrations of curvature locally.
Automatically mesh a surface using the compass
method.
Optimum orientation of the mesh.
Mesh relaxation.
structural analysis of the gridshell.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank:
the students of the cole des ponts (E. Roux, E.
Blache, J.-R. Nguyen, A. Grandi, G. Frambourt, T.
Perarnaun),
their university supervisor (R. Mge)
The association Solidarit Sida,
The consultant T/E/S/S
The constructor Viry
Partners such as: Serge Ferrari, Top Glass & Solutions
Composites, Owens Corning Reinforcement, DSM
Resins, ENSG, Esmery Caron, Axmann, Chastagner and
Paris Voile.

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