Gridshell at the Weald and Downland Museum,West Sussex
This text has been assembled from the architect’s project statement and the proj- ect description in the British Construction Industry Awards, October 2002.
Edward Cullinan Architects T he Weald & Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex contains a large collection of ancient timber framed buildings, relocated from all over Britain, often salvaged from development sites. The Down- land Gridshell by Edward Cullinan Architects, London, is actually two buildings stacked verti- cally: one for the processing, analysis, documen- tation, restoration display of artefacts, which is partially underground and the other, in a lightweight timber grid shell, for the repair and construction of timber frames for use within the museum’s many historic buildings. The total area is 1200m 2 and the project sits on what was previously a museum parking lot, conserv- ing the open air landscape.
remain thin and flexible. Laths are paired and spaced using a node joint that allowed sliding and scissoring of the layers during the building process and which was locked when the shell had settled into its final form. Oak is extremely strong and supple when freshly cut. 10.4km of 35mm x 50mm green oak laths were cut into short sections, knots removed and then glued together into long lengths. The form of the roof is a tunnel 50m long and varying in width from 12.5m to 16m. Heavy oak sections form stiff boundary portals at each end. The constantly changing double curvature cross section of the tunnel is essential for overall stability of this very thin shell. All the laths and joints needed for the roof
The artefact storage is the antithesis of the loose-fitting, lightly insulated workshop above it. Cut into a hillside, made of reinforced masonry walls with heavy ash beams forming its roof and the floor of the workshop above, it is a well-sealed, earth protected structure. The surrounding earth mass and a series of concrete pipe earth tubes allow the the entire building to be heating with a domestic propane boiler located in a small mechanical room. Because framing carpenters need large amounts of open space to move and erect large timber frames, the workshop has long spans and a high ceiling. A double layer timber grid shell is used. A single layer system, such as found in geodesic domes is best for short spans. The long spans needed here used a double layer so that each member could
Grilles et enveloppes L e Weald & Downland Open Air Museum de West Sussex contient une imposante collection d’immeubles en charpentes de bois, relocalisés de partout à travers l’Angleterre. Ces immeu- bles ont souvent été rescapés de divers secteurs de développe-
grille de bois d’œuvre, sert à la réparation et à la construction des cadres de bois d’œuvre servant aux divers bâtiments historiques du musée. La superficie totale est de 1 200 m2. L’entrepôt pour artefacts représente une antithèse de l’atelier déstructuré et légèrement isolé qui se trouve juste au-dessus.
Coupé à même la colline et con- struit de murs en maçonnerie ren- forcis avec de lourdes poutres de frêne qui forment son toit et le plancher de l’atelier se trou- vant en dessous, il représente une structure bien scellée et pro- tégée par la terre. La masse de terre environnante, de même qu’une série de tuyaux de ciment
ment. Les Downland Gridshell de Edward Cullinan, architecte de Londres, consistent en fait en deux immeubles empilés à la verticale : un qui sert au traite- ment, à l’analyse, à la documenta- tion et à la restauration relative à l’exposition d’artefacts, qui se trouve en partie sous la terre, et l’autre, dans une enveloppe en
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O n S ite review
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I ssue 8 2002
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