diagrid

{{Short description|Structural design which uses diagonal members instead of columns}}

{{For|the grid computing network|DiaGrid (distributed computing network)}}

Image:Swiss.re.arp.750pix.jpg, London, UK]]

File:Worlds First Diagrid Hyperboloid by Shukhov 1896.jpg in Polibino, Russia]]

Image:Myzeil-knippershelbig-02.jpg, Frankfurt, Germany]]

File:CCTV Headquarters (6349184617).jpg, Beijing, China]]

A diagrid (a portmanteau of diagonal grid) is a framework of diagonally intersecting metal, concrete, or wooden beams that is used in the construction of buildings and roofs.{{cite journal|author=Ian Volner|title=Dissecting Diagrid|journal=Architect|date=5 October 2011|url=http://www.architectmagazine.com/structure/dissecting-diagrid.aspx|publisher=American Institute of Architects|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119015948/http://www.architectmagazine.com/structure/dissecting-diagrid.aspx|archivedate=19 November 2011|url-status=dead}} It requires less structural steel than a conventional steel frame. Hearst Tower in New York City, designed by Norman Foster, uses 21 percent less steel than a standard design.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/07/nyregion/hearst-tower-echoes-trade-center-plan.html|title=Hearst Tower Echoes Trade Center Plan|author=David W. Dunlap|date=7 October 2004|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=1 December 2015}} The diagrid obviates the need for columns and can be used to make large column-free expanses of roofing.{{cite book|author=Terri Meyer Boake|title=Diagrid Structures: Systems, Connections, Details|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H67mBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|date=23 January 2014|publisher=Birkhäuser|isbn=978-3-03821-482-3|pages=13–}} Another iconic building designed by Foster, 30 St Mary Axe, in London, UK, known as "The Gherkin", also uses the diagrid system.

British architect Ian Ritchie wrote in 2012: {{quote|The origin of 'diagonal' structures is surely the Russian genius Vladimir Shukhov. He pioneered new analytical methods in many different fields, and I have been fortunate to visit some of his constructed projects more than once. Shukhov left a lasting legacy to early Soviet Russia constructivism, and as the leading engineer and mathematician during the late 19th and early 20th century he created hyperboloid, thin shell and tensile structures of extraordinary refinement and elegance.{{cite web|url=http://www.e-architect.co.uk/articles/diagonal_structures.htm|title=Diagonal Structures, Diagrid Structure|author=Ian Ritchie|publisher=e-architect|date=13 March 2012|accessdate=1 December 2015}}}}