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November/December 2009 Vol. 9 No. 7
Feature Article
Thin-Shell Concrete Structuresby Amy Johnson This pavilion provides shade for spectators watching a nearby tennis court. The roof expanse is 8 meters (roughly 26 feet) and the concrete shell is approximately 2 1/2 inches thick. The reinforced concrete columns have been built incorporating catenary curves. Loading the roof with dirt and plants helps distribute the weight of the upper benches and the rooftop more evenly over the supporting columns. Decorative concrete contractors have taken concrete all kinds of places: indoors and outdoors, underfoot and up the wall. But for a subset of concrete artisans, the decorative canvas is the whole house. While most "concrete homes" end up looking like the usual frame house - rectangular - there are designers who use the strength and versatility of concrete to create homes that are shaped, sculpted works of...
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