Free-form grid shell with triangular mesh
Project
The business center situated directly on the Zeil in Frankfurt/Main is covered by a spectacular, free-form glass roof with a total area of 12,000 m² which allows natural sunlight to reach all levels of the atrium below. The organic architectural form is inspired by landscapes and ressembles a canyon that stretches between two building volumes. The façade showcases a vortex-like opening into the mall's atrium and is designed with alternating glass and steel panels.
The roof is designed as a shell structure by discretizing the free-form surface into a triangular mesh and exploiting the inherent stiffness of the curved geometry, thereby achieving a filigree and transparent construction.
Design of the grid shell
From digital Geometry to Reality – Construction of the grid shell
Erection of the grid shell
Structural Analsyis of the Grid Shell
Structural Analysis, Boundary Conditions, Mesh Optmization
Project data
Client MAB Projektentwicklung
Architect Massimiliano Fuksas
Finalization 2009
Services structural engineering, special structures