Design and Construction of the Downland Gridshell

As with any new building technology, construction of a gridshell structure has to be looked at as a major undertaking. Currently every structure is an original, requiring new techniques for design, structural analysis, construction, etc. So what is the role of these structures?
I think that these structures can show us a new model of the direction that architecture/design/construction should move in. These structures are very efficient from a material usage point of view, while also using a large amount of human capital(if you believe the article they are also efficient from a cost point of view). I realize that this may seem like heresy to a capitalist, but I really can't think of a better way to design and build. Look at it in two different ways. First sustainability: the structures use a minimum amount of material, and whatever that material may be(be it cardboard tubes or oak lath) they can usually be produced from either recycled materials or lower grade materials that would be demanded by traditional construction, also the materials can almost always be found locally. Second point: the design and construction employs a lot of people. I realize that the developers of the world might not like that fact, but I think that its a good thing.
Of all the things learned from the reading the thing that impressed me most was the willingness of all parties involved with the downland gridshell to take a healthy risk. There were no easy answers to the questions they faced, but all involved seemed willing and able to tackle the task. I would imagine that for this fact its tough to get bank financing for a gridshell.

Abstracting Craft

A few things struck me about the McCullough reading. First was a quote from Polanyi - "If a pianist shifts his attention from the piece he is playing to the observation of what he is doing with his fingers while playing it, he gets confused and may have to stop." What does this say about the nature of knowledge. Where does it lay, is it in the hands or the head, or a combination of both. In the case of craft what is the difference between thinking and doing? As with all things it seems that at some point it is impossible to differentiate between the act of doing and true knowledge of how to do. So how does this fit into the realm of digital design. If in the case of craft thinking and doing are one, how do you interface with a computer to enable this type of connection?

Spring Studio - assignment 1 - case study - Thomas Herzogs Expodach