Undulating Downland Gridshell in England is a Self-Supporting Structure Built from Local Oak

The Weald and Downland Gridshell is a sustainable building originally designed to provide a space for hosting workshops and to sell artifacts. Located within <a href="http://www.wealddown.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex" target="_blank">Sussex</a>, England, its innovative undulating shape is made from local green oak <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lath">laths</a> bolted together as a framework. Designed by <a href="http://www.edwardcullinanarchitects.com/index.html" target="_blank">Edward Cullinan Architects</a>, with structural engineers <a href="http://www.burohappold.com/" target="_blank">Buro Happold</a> and the <a href="http://www.greenoakcarpentry.co.uk/" target="_blank">Green Oak Carpentry Company</a>, the Downland Gridshell building is a fantastic self-supporting wooden structure, and is one of only four of its kind in the whole world.

The Downland Gridshell is part of The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, which covers a total of 50 acres exhibiting nearly 50 historic buildings from different periods and styles.

Completed in 2002, its design resembles a peanut with three nuts. It is mainly used as timber framing workshop, but also has room for special events.

It was constructed from green oak laths sourced from Normandy, bolted together to form a square lattice about 165 x 115 feet.

The lattice was assembled and then bent by gravity, making it very energy efficient while creating the fantastic undulating shape we see today.

According to a DTI research study by Buro Happold, the green oak gridshell's embodied eco-rating is only about 3 percent of an equivalent steel or concrete structure.

The Gridshell has won numerous awards including a British Construction Industry Award, a Civic Trust Award and a Gold Wood Award, and it was once used as a temporary entrance canopy on the Centre Pompidou.