Engineering : ARUP
http://cityform.mit.edu/projects/sutd-gridshell.html
https://www.archdaily.com/387696/sutd-library-pavilion-city-form-lab
https://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/15/sutd-library-gridshell-pavilion-by-city-form-lab/
Building upon a long tradition of catenary structures that use little material to achieve considerable spans, the canopy forms a lightweight timber shell with no columns, beams, or vertical walls.
A numeric hanging-chain model was used to determine an efficient double-curvature shape that follows the lines of thrust in compression. Using computational design and computer controlled fabrication allowed the pavilion’s complex three-dimensional form to be achieved with readily available materials and a streamlined assembly process at minimal cost. Unlike steel gridshells, it has no complex three-dimensional structural joints – all of its elements were prefabricated from strictly flat plywood and galvanized steel sheets on CNC machines in Singapore. The site work thus comprised an orderly assembly of 3,000 unique plywood and 600 unique sheet-metal tiles based on only one drawing – the numeric map of a three-dimensional puzzle indicating which pieces fit next to which other pieces. ID numbers were engraved in the cutting process on each plywood and cladding element, which remain visible in the finished structure as ornament.
To reduce costs, the architects developed customised software to create components that could be made using simple two-dimensional cutting machines.