Abstract
The article concerns a parametric description of unconventional building forms roofed with folded sheeting transformed elastically into shells. The description supports the designer in the search for attractive forms and a rational use of materials. The adoption of strictly defined sets of initial parameters determines the diversification of the designed architectural free-forms. An impact of selected proportions between these parameters on these forms is illustrated by an example of a single structure. Folded elevations and a segmented shell roof make each such structure internally coherent and externally sensitive. The mutual position and proportions of the shape of all elements, such as the roof, eaves, and façades, along with regular patterns in the same structure, determine this consistency of its form and sensitivity to harmonious incorporation into the natural or built environments. The study is a new insight into shaping free-forms of buildings in which the modern and ecological materials determine the important shape and mechanical limitations of these forms. With a skillful approach, the materials allow their extensive use in buildings. However, various interdisciplinary problems related to architectural shaping of free-forms and static and strength work thin-walled shell sheeting roofs must be solved. For effective design it is necessary to use relevant software applications, where spatial reasoning is crucial for ordering the three-dimensional space by means of simplified engineering models.
Highlights
Curved shell roofs have been used since the Gothic and became very popular in the Renaissance owing to their attractive architectural forms, strong and stable constructions and big internal, column-free space in buildings [1,2]
To strengthen the shell roofs and improve their stability, complete shells are combined into a single internal coherent shell structure in which ribs are used along the common edges of their adjacent individual shells [3]
In the parametric description presented in the sections that follow; the solutions of the issues appearing in the shaping process of different free-forms of buildings covered with folded roofs transformed to the shell form are presented
Summary
Curved shell roofs have been used since the Gothic and became very popular in the Renaissance owing to their attractive architectural forms, strong and stable constructions and big internal, column-free space in buildings [1,2]. In order to obtain effective forms of all folds in the transformed shell, the fold’s cross-sections are provided with free lateral deformation when assembling these folds into the shell directrices Allowing such freedom for all shell folds enables the designer to optimize their initial effort to the lowest possible level. As a consequence of both conditions, the initial stresses resulting from the fold’s shape transformations can be designed as smallest possible, which allows the use of the shell folds as structural elements transferring dead and live loads onto the roof directrices. For this reason, thin-walled folded sheets are readily used for roofing. The description takes into account the results of experimental tests [15,16] and computer analyses [34,35] of shape changes and static strength work of all folds in such transformed shells (Figure 6)
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