Lamella Roof
A lamella roof, also known as the "Zollinger roof" (after Friedrich Zollinger), is a vaulted roof made up of simple, single prefabricated standard segments as a way to span large spaces. The individual pieces are joined together with bolts and/or plates to form a rhomboid pattern. These elements were mostly in timber but sometimes in steel. A wooden sheathing covers the structure on the outside. The lamella roof was patented in 1910 and became popular between the World Wars, especially in Germany when metal for construction was in short supply. Some of these structures are now almost 100 years old and many of them remain in very good condition. In the 1950s, this concept was adapted to the construction of large dome structures by architect Gustel Kiewitt in the U.S.
DIY
These roofs are very easy to build, inexpensive and elegant. The standard wooden segments are short and therefore easy to mass-produce. Local wood can be used. An extensive temporary scaffolding is not needed.
Old Patents
- US Patent 1483037 (1924) "MANUFACTURING SPACE-COVERING STRUCTURES SUCH AS ROOFS, FRAME WALLS, AND THE LIKE"
- US patent 1753892 (1930) "Space-covering structure, such as roofs, walls, and the like"
Links
- Wikipedia (Ger.): "Zollingerdach"
- compare to some structures built by Pier Luigi Nervi, namely aircraft hangars that followed a similar concept but were composed of concrete
- other related pages: Sawmill and Coppice