Magnolia: a glass-fibre reinforced polymer gridshell with a novel pattern and deployment concept

This paper presents the design, structural concept and construction process of the Magnolia gridshell, a temporary structure built as part of a larger exhibition on timber gridshells, which itself was part of Sheffield’s “Year of Making 2016” festival. This deployable, lightweight structure in composite materials was built by staff and students of Sheffield Hallam University during a workshop which took place from Tuesday November 1st to Friday November 4th 2016. The gridshell features a central funnel with a pattern of varying density and a unique deployment concept. A two-stage form-finding process was required in which the pattern was determined first, before arriving at the final shape.