Glossary · H
Hyperbolic paraboloid
Also called hypar, hypars, hyperbolic paraboloids
A doubly curved saddle surface containing two families of straight lines; any four points not in one plane can be joined by one. Favoured for concrete shells because it can be formed with straight boards.
Rules that use the word
The hyperbolic paraboloid is made of straight lines. A saddle surface in which two opposite corners are raised and two lowered is a hyperbolic paraboloid; it contains two families of straight lines, so it can be formed with straight boards and yet has double curvature.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters Frame and Skin, The Contemporary.
Nearby in the glossary
Hip · Hood mould · Horseshoe arch · Hortus conclusus · Hypocaust · Hypostyle · Iconostasis · Imperial staircase