Although originally envisaged by the architects as a gridshell roof, a finite budget and the prices from other manufacturers were making a significant aesthetic compromise extremely likely. However when Carpenter Oak & Woodland became involved we applied some lateral thinking. The result is a striking roof structure with the aesthetic of a gridshell but within the clients’ financial reach.
Rectangular buildings don’t actually lend themselves to true grid shell construction. Grid shells work best in circular or elliptical forms with the loads passed down to a ring beam. However we understood what the architect was trying to achieve. We devised a solution that comprised a number of repeatable longitudinal elements that interlocked with the curved ribs to create the same aesthetic as is achieved with a gridshell.
The glue laminated ribbed roof structure over the dance hall
Detail of the interlocking ribs and longitudinal purlins
