Design process for a prototype concrete shells using a hybrid cable-net and fabric formwork

Veenendaal D. and Block P.
Engineering Structures
2014
doi: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2014.05.036

By combining a cable net with a fabric, it is possible to scale the concept of flexible formworks to the size of large-span roofs and bridges, especially when applying a thin coat of concrete or mortar to form a shell structure. By carefully designing the cable net and its topology, and calculating and controlling the prestressing forces, it is possible to form a wide range of anticlastic shapes, beyond those of the hyperbolic paraboloid. A complete workflow for the computational design and optimization of a shell shape and its corresponding flexible formwork are presented as a proof-of-concept for future work. A prototype shell structure was built based on this workflow to validate the overall approach, and identify further challenges. In addition, a first comprehensive overview of flexible formworks for anticlastic shells is presented to frame the present research.