I am a senior in the structures track of the combined Architecture and Engineering program at Princeton. My thesis is an exploration of the hyperbolic paraboloid form as employed by thin shell structures. Shells have fallen out of style with architects recently due to their perceived high cost and difficulty in analytically determining their structural behavior. However, with advances in materials science, construction techniques, and numerical modeling, these structures may once again become viable options to a variety of design solutions, especially within the current context of sustainable design. When a thin shell uses the form of a hypar, the geometric properties of the shape allow for a seemingly limitless potential for innovative structures, which for the most part can ultimately be analyzed using simple formulas. This thesis will categorize and evaluate many existing examples of the hypar form to better understand the many possibilities available to a designer and how they perform structurally, spatially, and environmentally. The Miami Marine Stadium, designed by architect Hilario Candela and engineer Jack Meyer, will also be analyzed in detail as a case study for a complex, innovative employment of the hyperbolic paraboloid. Relying on what I have learned through the course of this thesis research as well as other outside resources, I intend apply the hypar form in my own shell design.
Publications:
Adriaenssens S., Brown N., Lowinger R., Hernandez J. (2012). ‘Structural Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Folded Hyperbolic Paraboloid Shells: a case study of the Modern Miami Marine Stadium’. In: International Journal of Architectural Heritage. DOI:10.1080/15583058.2012.694967
Adriaenssens S., Lowinger R., Hernandez J.,Brown N., Halpern A., Aye Z M, Prier M. (2012). ‘The Shells of the Miami Marine Stadium: Synergy between form, force and energy.’ IASS-IACM 2012: 7th International Conference on Computational Mechanics of Spatial Structures., Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
