The Weald and Downland Gridshell Building

The Weald and Downland Gridshell Building was the first major gridshell building to be built in Britain, for the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. Completed in 2002 it was the first of its type to be built using (35 x 50mm) new sawn oak laths bonded into continuous (50 metre) lengths using finger joints, assembled onto a flat scaffold deck and then lowered into its final form. Green Oak Carpentry Company director Andrew Holloway came up with the idea of the “node clamp” whilst in the bath! This nodal connector was the subject of a UK patent.

The end walls incorporated traditional timber frame carpentry and curved glulam arches. An undulating ‘ribbon roof’ was then constructed over the crown of the Weald and Downland Gridshell building. The glazing was constructed from polycarbonate to allow it to deform to follow the double curvature of the building and the cladding was cut from locally sourced Western Red Cedar boarding.

The Weald and Downland Gridshell building became an iconic building and went onto win a whole raft of awards including getting onto the Stirling prize shortlist. It is also another example of the importance of partnering for complex structures where the early input of the carpenter is essential to the success of the project.