ALTERNATIVE BUILDING

CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
PART 3

AL G. DIEGO
SHELL STRUCTURES
GENERAL REMARKS
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
The word shell is an old one and is commonly u
sed to describe the hard covering of eggs, crust
acea, tortoises, etc. The dictionary says that th
e word shell is derived from the Latin scalus, as
infish scale. But to us now there is a clear differ
ence between the tough but flexible scaly cover
ing of a fish and the tough but rigid shell of, sa
y, a turtle.
SHELL STRUCTURES
DEFINITION
Shells can be defined as curved structures
capable of transmitting loads in more than t
wo directions to supports.

Sell structures can be made of such materials as :

1. Reinforced thin-shell concrete
2. Glass
3. Steel
4. Glass and steel
5. plastic
SHELL STRUCTURES
APPLICATIONS

Architecture and building. The development

of masonry domes and vaults in the Middle Age
s made possible the construction of more spaci
ous buildings. In more recent times the availabil
ity of reinforced concrete has stimulated interes
t in the use of shells for roofing purposes.
SHELL STRUCTURES
SHELL STRUCTURES
APPLICATIONS

Composite construction. The introduction of

fiberglass and similar lightweight composite ma
terials has impacted the construction of vehicle
s ranging from boats, racing cars, fighter and st
ealth aircraft, and so on. The exterior skin can
be used as a strong structural shell.
SHELL STRUCTURES
APPLICATIONS

Miscellaneous Examples. Other examples of t

he impact of shell structures include water cooli
ng towers for power stations, grain silos, armou
r, arch dams, tunnels, submarines, and so forth
.
SHELL STRUCTURES

LOTUS TEMPLE
DELHI
SHELL STRUCTURES

Zaha Hadid's -“Shell Structures envelopes”

SHELL STRUCTURES

pursuit after Zaha Hadid's inspiration Sources4-“Shell Structures

SHELL STRUCTURES

Field of concrete shells, exterior views, 2012, by Zaha Hadid Ar-

chitects
SHELL STRUCTURES

Field of concrete shells, exterior views, 2012, by Zaha Hadid Ar-

chitects
SHELL STRUCTURES

Pingtan Art Museum, Asia, MAD

Architects, Comprehensive
Experimental Zone, island, museum
design, cultural facility, organic form,
floating structure, concrete shell
Oceanic concrete shell structures,
99% of the planet's living space is
SHELL STRUCTURES

Phenomenological articulation: The perceptual identification of

functional units and their relations is facilitated by the use of
structural shells.
SHELL STRUCTURES

Teoman AYAS, "Instanbul 2020

SHELL STRUCTURES

Mountain Villa with Wooden Shell

by Vincent Callebaut
Architecture
SHELL STRUCTURES

Teoman AYAS, "Instanbul 2020

 Model Based
Thin-Shell Structures
 STRUCTURAL ART

Turning Torso - Santiago Calatrava

Eiffel Tower - Paris, France Model Based
Analysis Based
 Analysis Based Structural Art

The Market Hall in Leipzig, Germany (1929) by Franz Dischinger

Analysis Based Structural Art
Petroleum Coke Bulk Storage - Pittsburg, California
OPAC Consulting Engineers
 Model Based Structures

Sea-Rose Sheets of the Giant Sea-Rose Victoria in the Amazon

Model Based Structures

Ribbed Support in Roofs and Plants

Was Nervi inspired by Nature?
Eduardo Torroja

• Born August 27, 1899

• Spanish engineer who was
considered a pioneer in concrete-
shell structures
• Believed identity of form and
structure could be realized with
thin vaults of concrete
• Graduated in 1923
• Died June 15, 1961
Pierre Lardy

• Born in 1903
• Attended Federal Institute of Technology
in 1923
• Hired Heinz Isler in 1951
• Proponent for model based designs
• Emphasized the importance of aesthetics
for full-scale structures
• Died in 1958
Heinz Isler
• Born July 26, 1926 in Zollikon,
Switzerland
• Attended Federal Technical Institute
• Graduated in 1950 with a degree in Civil
Engineering
• Only student out of 100+ to choose thin-
shells for senior design
• Worked as an assistant to Pierre Lardy
• Based most of his structures on smaller
models
• Stated there were 3 ways to arrive at
shell shapes, (Freely shaped hills, Rubber
Balloon Membranes, and Reversed
Hanging Cloths
Hanging membranes by Heinz Isler
Thin-Shell Roof over gas station in Bern-Zurich Highway
Wyss Garden Center
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland
Indoor Tennis Center in Heimberg, Switzerland

Ever wonder what the inside looks

like?

Now you know

The barrel shell to be described is that in the set of programs SHELLS.zip, which may be downloaded from this web site. It is a
single barrel with an edge beam on the left and the valley it is a section of symmetry. so the analysis is for two barrels.
Layout of joints and members is shown in the sketch. The shell is divided into 12 equal angle members plus the edge beam.

The dimensions that must be used are feet for distances, and pounds for weights. The resulting deflections and stresses are as
noted in the output. The coordinates and dimensions were created by the program, CIRCLES.BAS which is also included. These
same values are given for the built-in example. Dimensions and loads are as follows:
    Span = 60 ft., Width=30 ft., Rise=6.5 ft
    The radius is 20.55 ft., and the end slopeis 46.86 degrees.
    This is about the maximum suitable slope of a shell.
    Shell thickness=0.29 ft (3.5 in.), Edge beam 1ft.x 3 ft.
    Length of shell segment=2.802 ft.
    Weight of concrete=150 pcf, Weight of one segment=122.9
    Snow load, (per length of segment)=25 psf. One segment=71.4 p
    Extra load has been placed at the valleys to compensate for the in-fill.

Input for the program is listed at location 5,000 as follows:

5000 DATA SINGLE BARREL WITH EDGE BEAM
5010 ' Span, E, No. of members, No. of joints
5020 DATA 60,432E+6,13,14
5030 ' Generate member/joint relations (Y?N) ?
5040 DATA "Y"
5050 ' Member/joint relations: Member, X joint, Y joint.
5060 ' Special supports: Joint, X, Y, Z, Phi, (0 to exit)
5070 DATA 14,0,1,1,0, 0
5080 ' Member, thickness, Special I value, (0 for no special value)
5090 DATA 1,1.00,0, 2,.290,0, 4,.290,0, 4,.290,0, 5,.290,0, 6,.290,0
5100 DATA 7,.290,0, 8,.290,0, 9,.29,0, 10,.29,0, 11,.29,0, 12,.29,0
5110 DATA 13,.29,0
5120 ' Do some members have no longitudinal stiffness, (List number)
5130 DATA 0
5140 ' Coordinates: Joint. X, Y
5150 DATA 1,0,0, 2,0,3, 3,2.047,4.908, 4,4.339,6.520, 5,6.826,7.805
5160 DATA 6,9.465,8.741, 7,12.207,9.309, 8,15.000,9.500
5170 DATA 9,17.79,9.31, 10,20.53,8.74, 11,23.174,7.805, 12,25.66,6.52
5180 DATA 13,27.951,4.908, 14,30,3
5190 ' Loads: Joint, X, Y, (0 to Exit)
5200 DATA 1,0,225, 2,0,322, 3,0,194, 4,0,194, 5,0,194, 6,0,194
5210 DATA 7,0,194, 8,0,194, 9,0,194, 10,0,194, 11,0,194, 12,0,184, 0
Petroleum Coke Bulk Storage - Pittsburg, California
OPAC Consulting Engineers
Twisting Torso
 Turning Torso by Santiago Calatrava

Twisting Torso Turning Torso

Ice Shell Creation at Cornell University (1999) by Dr. Mark
Valenzuela and Professor Arwade himself
Ice Shells by students at The Johns Hopkins University (Inspired by
Heinz Isler)
 If a picture is worth a 1000
words, then a simple model
is worth a 1000 calculations
THANK YOU!
AL G. DIEGO