The Silberkuhl System (1958–1970): Exploring Form, Construction, and Structural Conception of HP-Shell by Parametric Modeling

The contribution focuses on the patents (1958–64) for modular thin vaults in reinforced concrete filed by the German engineer Wilhelm Johannes Silberkuhl (1912–1984). The thin modular vaults – shaped on narrow hyperbolic paraboloid (HP) sectors – are mainly applied for the roof of industrial buildings and were widely used in Germany and abroad in the 1960s and 1970s. Mainly known as Silberkuhl System, the vaults are entirely prefabricated and prestressed on-site. The study explores the relation between form, construction process, and structural conception of the Silberkuhl modular HP-shells, with the aid of a powered visualization framework based on parametric 3D modeling. The use of a computational modeling environment provides insight into the geometry and the structural behavior of the vaults. The application of the vaults for the Magazzino Merci Rinascente in Rome (1962), still existing, is presented as a paradigmatic case study for the spreading of the system in Italy.