Downland gridshell—an innovation in timber design

Innovations in timber construction are relatively rare these days. However, a modest utility building at an open-air museum in Sussex has attracted worldwide attention for the novel features of its double-layer timber gridshell roof. Apart from being the first such structure in Britain, it was the first built with ‘optimised’ green oak, the first designed in accordance with the new timber Eurocode and the first to use a new patented node joint system. It sets a new benchmark for lightweight, sustainable, cost-effective construction.