Principles and Geometry of Modular Steel-Glass Space Structures

Bernhard Weller, Stefan Reich, Jan Ebert, Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Building Construction, Germany

Many transparent roof structures have been built worldwide in the last decades. These transparent structures have usually curvilinear forms. This geometry allows the activation of membrane forces and thus very slender steel profiles of the structural system. Plain structures usually work as bending systems and are mostly less transparent steel structures with glass panes as roof covering. An interesting different concept is the use of the principle of steel space grid structures and improve their transparency by the activation of glass panes in the compression layer for the transfer of in-plane forces.
The intention of this study is to point out the potential of space grid structures with steel-glass module in roof applications. The basic principle of these new transparent space structures is the strict replacement of bar members in the compression layer by glass panes. At the example of a plain double layer grid the transformation from traditional steel space grid structures to space grid structures made of steel-glass-modules is described.

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