Diagrid
Diagrid (a portmanteau of diagonal grid) is a design for constructing large buildings with steel that creates triangular structures with diagonal support beams.[1] It requires less structural steel than a conventional steel frame. Hearst Tower in New York City, designed by Sir Norman Foster, reportedly uses 21 percent less steel than a standard design. The Diagrid also obviates the need for large corner columns and provides a better distribution of load in the case of a compromised building. Another building designed by Sir Norman Foster, 30 St Mary Axe, known as "the Gherkin", also makes use of this structural system.
British architect Ian Ritchie wrote in 2012, "... The origin of ‘diagonal’ structures is surely the Russian genius Vladimir Shukhov. He pioneered new analytical methods in many different fields, and I have been fortunate to visit some of his constructed projects more than once. Shukhov left a lasting legacy to early Soviet Russia constructivism, and as the leading engineer and mathematician during the late 19th and early 20th century he created hyperboloid, thin shell and tensile structures of extraordinary refinement and elegance. ..." [2]
Buildings utilizing diagrid
- World's First Hyperboloid structure, 1896, Polibino, Russia
- Shukhov's Rotunda, Nizhny Novgorod, All-Russia exhibition, 1896.
- The world's first double curvature steel diagrid, Vyksa, Russia, 1897.
- Altair, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Shukhov Tower, Moscow, Russia
- Hearst Tower (New York City)
- 30 St Mary Axe - Swiss Re building ("the Gherkin"), London, England
- 1 The Avenue, Spinningfields, Manchester, England
- CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, China
- The Bow, Calgary, Canada
- Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
- Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Aldar headquarters building, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Guangzhou International Finance Center, Guangzhou, China
- The first design for the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site in New York, New York included the use of a diagrid perimeter.
- Buro Happold and Norman Foster, Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, British Museum, London
- Nagoya Dome, Nagoya, Japan
- Ville Hara, Lattice lookout tower, Helsinki, Finland
- Vela – Milan Trade Fair, Milan, Italy
- Westhafen Tower, Frankfurt, Germany
- MyZeil, Frankfurt, Germany
- The Crystal, Copenhagen, Denmark.
See also
- Vladimir Shukhov
- Buckminster Fuller
- Frei Otto
- Norman Foster
- Gridshell
- Geodesic dome
- Hyperboloid structure
- Panrussian Exposition 1896
- Tensile and membrane structures
- Stretched Grid Method
References
- Design and Construction of Steel Diagrid Structures
- Diagrid Framing System Lifts Historic Building into Skyline