The Kinetic Umbrella: Designing a transformable semi-elastic grid structure
Jonas Schikore, Eike Schling · 2021
The deformability of grid structures can be controlled using geometric and mechanical constraints to realize elastic mechanisms.The morphology of elastic grid structures has been related to differential geometry more than a century ago [1].Today, numerical methods allow precise physical simulations of such compliant mechanisms including mechanical parameters.However, architectural applications are limited to static strained gridshells using elastic timber or steel profiles [2].The design of transformable structures of this kind requires associated strategies [3].In scope of this paper are quadrilateral grid structures with the ability to transform by semielastic mechanisms.We investigate strategies and workflows to design, simulate, analyse, and build such structures.