Suspension and equilibrium

Suspended from the roof of a local bike shop in Calgary, the gridshell was designed and built to create a unique spatial experience for customers of the shop. Working with the malleable characteristics of freshly-milled green lumber, the grid was shaped to take on a dynamic, fluid shape that both compresses and expands the space below. With an overall amplitude of 9 ft, the 500 sq ft gridshell defines the clothing area by making it more intimate and enclosed at its lowest ebb and opens up to project over the bike racks at its crest.

The lightweight structure was formed through the process of dynamic relaxation, where the grid was raised from specific connection nodes, distributing the forces throughout the surface of the grid until the it reached equilibrium. Each of the nodes were then fastened, giving rigidity to the form. The almost invisible 1/16” aircraft cable that the holds the gridshell in place gives the impression that it floats above the shop. The structure was made using locally harvested trees that were felled by arborists in suburban developments, wood that would usually go to the landfill.