Downland Gridshell

They chose to use oak, and not just any oak, but green unseasoned oak. This is a natural source which has natural defects, not to mention that when green wood dries it typically checks. But I suppose that would only be IF they had used the very center so the rings would dry out, shrink, and create a check. Aside from this, there seems to be many other complications, such as grain direction, knots in the wood, splitting, etc. It begs the question if this was the best selection of what to make the frame from. Perhaps a glulam system, but perhaps this was too intensive, costly or just not in the tradition of a timber work shop, but then again, is a grid shell in this tradition.

So I have a question, basically they said they didn't need to fireproof the grid shell for a few reasons. First, it was a roof and it isn't required, and second, the other openings could be considered as windows and thus not required. It seems to me that while this may technically pass the building code, it does not pass in spirit of why fireproofing is done. But that being said, I move on.

Aside from some of my skepticism this seems a remarkable project and I have to admit, I am surprised that they found the Downland Gridshell to be an "excellent value". Looking at the figures, it appears to be slightly better than average when compared to other typical visitor/education buildings. Given its structure, I still applaud this result as I had presumed cost would have been much higher. In the end perhaps, as I had hoped, gridshells really are a feasible enterprise in today's market.

Craft

A few thoughts on craft and its replacement with technology. What happens when computers and technology overrun all skilled labor and craft? Is it possible for these crafts to be eliminated? And if they are, how are we able to explore new ideas with these materials? It would seem a necessity to maintain the trades, artisian works at some level, otherwise we would not be able to program a machine to make these cuts in wood or stone. But perhaps this isn't necessary, as in the case of laser cutting of 3D models.

One craft, or skill that seems to have virtually vanished, is the skill of handwriting. It still exists, but in our everyday world, it seems all but gone. The writing of most people has become so horrendous that they themselves cannot even begin to decipher it. Lets say that handwriting becomes a lost art, and we rely solely on computers, is this a bad thing? Does it even matter? Maybe it is because there are no more trees or paper to write on, or that it has become so expensive that the concept doing this is ridiculous. What do you think?