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Maximum load capacity with minimal consumption of materials — this is how supporting structures in construction should be today. Researchers from the University of Stuttgart and Bosch Rexroth AG, Lohr am Mein, Germany, have now come a great deal closer to achieving this goal. They have constructed a wooden shell that is much thinner than anything deemed possible — until now. With a mere 4 cm thickness, the shell spans a surface of over 100 m2. The structure is situated on the Vaihingen Campus of the University of Stuttgart and was introduced to the public on April 16, 2012. The extreme slimness of the shell is made possible by using an adaptive structure.
Structures had always been designed for an exact maximum stress. This type of stress, however, generally only occurs very rarely — and only for a short time. Therefore, most building materials used today serve these peak loads that rarely occur. The aim of ultra lightweight structures developed at the University of Stuttgart is to achieve a drastic saving of materials and a better reaction to dynamic loads through an active manipulation of the structure. In the case of the Stuttgart wooden shell, this manipulation is achieved through hydraulic drives. Each drive rests on the points of support of the shell and generates movements that compensates for deformations and material stresses caused by wind, snow, and other loads.
