The Downland Gridshell 
Conservation Store and Workshop

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Pre-construction

Experiments were conducted with thin timber laths joined with plastic strapping to test the structural feasibility of a grid

April 2000

A test rig representing part of the gridshell was fabricated and tested to destruction.  The loads at which the timber laths failed were well in excess of the maximum loading that will be experienced during construction or operation.

Details of a joint from the gridshell

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