Elastica project: dynamic relaxation for post-formed elastic gridshells

Parallel Session 76, Tactile strategies for teaching spatial structures (WG 20)

Marc Leyral, Sylvain Ebode, Pierre Guerold and Clément Berthou (ENSA Paris-La Villette) present their work on elastic gridshells.

An elastic gridshell is an experimental typology truly effective in terms of material consumption by span ratio. Because classical beam theory is not valid for large deflections, the form-finding, the dimensioning and the optimization of elastic gridshells are usually done with dynamic relaxation method. The apparent complexity of this method makes that typology a subject area restricted to researchers or engineers and still too inaccessible for architects.
The objective is to make those concepts understandable for architecture students and to re-build, from nothing, the set of necessary tools for the form-finding, dimensioning, fabrication and assembly of a full-scale elastic gridshell with the development of a complete, generic, open-source and ergonomic algorithm, usable by all.
This approach strongly interlinks theoretical and practical fields thanks to the construction of a full-scale public pavilion on the belvedere of the Butte du Chapeau Rouge park, in partnership with the municipality of Paris.

Read the paper by accessing our conference proceedings. 📚 Use the link https://doi.org/10.15126/900337 to download your digital copy and let yourself be #inspired!

Watch their presentation "Elastica project: dynamic relaxation for post-formed elastic gridshells" from the Spatial Structures 2020/21 Conference.

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