Form Finding and Optimisation of Bamboo Gridshell Structures

 This paper presents the utilisation of parametric tools for bamboo gridshell structure  design through form finding and optimisation to obtain structure-efficient forms. Models  of gridshell structures were developed in Rhinoceros using plug-ins Grasshopper and  Kangaroo, by defining the designated span, height, grid configuration, and mesh size. The  structural behaviour of the models was analysed through Finite Element Analysis (FEA)  using Karamba3D to obtain the stress distribution and deformation. The input mechanical  properties were obtained from material tests of three Indonesian bamboo species:  Gigantochloa apus, Gigantochloa atter, and Dendrocalamus asper. Based on the FEA  result, the structural efficiency was considered for optimisation, and the iterative process  of structural optimisation was done by modifying these parameters: strength usage,  number and size of the members to obtain optimised gridshell forms. The form finding and  optimisation process demonstrated generating efficient gridshell structures using bamboo  and is envisaged to be applicable for further bamboo gridshell design.