Surface active structural

systems

KAMRAN NASEEM
B.Arch IVth yr J.M.I
Surface Active System

These are the systems in which

the plane of the structure (roof
or wall) itself transfers the
active load either directly to the
foundation or to the vertical
member of the structure.
•Plate and folded plate structures

•Vault and shell structures

 Systems and methods of connecting plates
form structures such as roof coverings,
wall coverings and floor coverings.
Each plate is configured to connect to at
least one adjacent plate to form a structure
of interconnected plates.
The folded-over edges form channels on
opposite facing sides of the plate which
receive folded-over edges of other plates
to connect the plates together in a
structure of interconnected plates.

The plates may be rectangular, square,

trapezoidal or triangle shaped.
• A folded plate is an example of a 3-
dimensional or space structure
•It can be seen as a space version of a
rigid frame.
•Folded plates are best formed from
reinforced concrete due to the fact that
they can be easily cast.
Folded Plate Structures
The roof of the Queen Elizabeth Building at
the Canadian National Exhibition was built
using a folded plate slab.
Frankfurt Massehalle
arch lengthwise - 525 feet from end
to end
largest clear-span, column-free
covered space in Europe
 …an arched form used to provide a
space with a ceiling or roof.
• Vaults are usually composed of
wedge-shaped pieces called
voussoirs, which are held in place,
like the stones of an arch, by the
pressure of the neighbouring
pieces.
• Because of the combined pressure of its components, any
arch exerts an outward pressure at its base, therefore must be
so constructed as to withstand the outward as well as the
downward thrust of the arch.
 Types…

• BARREL OR TUNNEL VAULT

• GROIN OR CROSS VAULT

• RIBBED VAULT

• FAN VAULT
 Barrel vault
A Barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a
wagon vault, is an architectural element formed
by the extrusion of a single curve along a given
distance

As with all arch-based constructions, there is an

outward thrust generated against the walls
underneath a barrel vault

With a barrel vault design the vectors of pressure

result in a downward force on the crown while the
lower portions of the arches realise a lateral force
pushing outwards.
Problems Related To Barrel Vault Construction……
•One is, to make the walls exceedingly thick and strong to
absorb the maximum thrust.
•A more elegant method is to build two or more vaults parallel
to each other; the forces of their outward thrusts will thus
negate each other.
•The third and most elegant mechanism to resist the lateral
thrust was to create an intersection of two barrel vaults at right
angles, thus forming a groin vault.
•The intrinsic engineering issue for lighting is the need to
avoid fenestration punctures in stonework barrel vaults. Such
openings could compromise the integrity of the entire arch
system
Cross vault

Plan of the vault from above showing

resultant outward thrust.
Shell structures are light weight
constructions using shell elements.
These elements are typically curved
and are assembled to large structures.
 Typical applications are fuselages of
aeroplanes and roof structures in
building
Shell structure of the TWA Flight Center Building by Eero Saarinen,
John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
 Geodesic domes
The geodesics intersect to form
triangular elements that have local
triangular rigidity and yet also distribute
the stress across the entire structure.
It is the only man-made structure that
becomes proportionally stronger as it
increases in size. Spaceship Earth at Epcot , Walt Disney World ,
a familiar geodesic sphere

Geodesic domes are efficient structures in several ways. The

triangle is a very stable shape; for example, a force applied to
the corner of a rectangle can deform it into a parallelogram, but
the same force will not deform a triangle.
This makes geodesic dome buildings highly resistant to such
forces as snow coverings, earthquakes, wind.