Zaha Hadid Concrete Shell
Mexico City, Mexico
2011
Design Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group
Fabricator: Kreysler and Associates Digital Fabrication
Structural Engineer:
Nathaniel M. Stanton SE
CRAFT | Engineering Studio
Design:
The Zaha Hadid concrete shell structure is part of a larger pavilion complex erected in Mexico City by Zaha Hadid Architects Computation and Design Group in conjunction with Kreysler and Associates Digital Fabrication. The structural shell is comprised of conventionally reinforced concrete less than 2” in thickness, following in the tradition of the work of the Spanish architect Felix Candela. The form of the shell is a structural confluence of a folded plate and a doubly curved conic. Craft provided structural consulting for the shell structure as well as a historical perspective into the fabrication and reinforcing techniques of influential shell engineers and architects such as Candela, Torroja, Nervi and Isler.
