Title: Do Concrete Shells Deserve Another Look?

Author(s): Christian Meyer and Michael Sheer

Publication: Concrete International

Volume: 27

Issue: 10

Appears on pages(s): 43-50

Keywords: thin concrete shell; dome; modular formwork; air-inflated forms; aesthetics

DOI:

Date: 10/1/2005

Abstract:
After the golden age of concrete shell construction between the 1920s and early 1960s, concrete shells began to receive less attention. What are the reasons for the decline of interest in this exciting structural form? This question was posed to a number of engineers, architects, and other building professionals to determine what, in their opinion, the reasons were and whether or not the advantages of concrete shells still exist. This article summarizes the responses to this and other questions pertaining to the apparent decline of interest in thin concrete shells.