Christopher John Kenneth Williams is a British

structural engineer Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of safety, technical, economic ...

and researcher who has specialised in the relationship between

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

and structural action. He works on a range of building types including thin-shell structures, gridshells and

tension structure A tensile structure is a construction of elements carrying only tension and no compression or bending. The term ''tensile'' should not be confused with tensegrity, which is a structural form with both tension and compression elements. Tensile ...

s, as well as bridges and towers. Williams worked for Ove Arup in the 1970s.Chilton & Tang, pp. 52–53, 66 While at Arup, he was involved with the Mannheim Multihalle ( de), a pioneering timber gridshell designed by

Frei Otto Frei Paul Otto (; 31 May 1925 – 9 March 2015) was a German architect and structural engineer noted for his use of lightweight structures, in particular tensile and membrane structures, including the roof of the Olympic Stadium in Munich for ...

(1975). He has since devoted most of his career to academia, conducting research and teaching at the University of Bath (from 1976) and at

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

(since 2016). While at Bath, in collaboration with

Deborah Greaves Deborah Mary Greaves (born March 1967) is a British engineer, Professor of Ocean Engineering and Head of the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics at the University of Plymouth. In 2020 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy ...

, he researched the effect of wind on fabric, and he continues to work on the effect of wind on flexible structures. Saville Building roof interior long

Some of Williams' most notable subsequent contributions include: *the geometrical form finding and structural analysis for the glass roof covering the

Queen Elizabeth II Great Court The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, commonly referred to simply as the Great Court, is the covered central quadrangle of the British Museum in London. It was redeveloped during the late 1990s to a design by Foster and Partners, from a 1970s ...

at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

(2000) *form finding for the cardboard gridshell of the Japan Pavilion,

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Expo 2000, Germany (2000) *form finding for the

Weald and Downland Gridshell The Weald and Downland Gridshell (2002) is a building designed by Buro Happold and Edward Cullinan Architects for the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum: it was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2002. The building is a structural wooden gri ...

(2001) *the gridshell of

Savill Building The Savill Building is a visitor centre at the entrance to The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park, Surrey, England designed by Glen Howells Architects, Buro Happold and Engineers Haskins Robinson Waters. It was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh ...

(2006)Chilton & Tang *

Gardens by the Bay The Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning in the Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden (in Marina South), Bay East Garden (in Marina East) and Ba ...

glasshouses, Singapore (2010) *the glass roof of the

Netherlands Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum ( nl, Het Scheepvaartmuseum, ) is a maritime museum in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The museum had 419,060 visitors in 2012. It ranked as 11th most visited museum in the Netherlands in 2013. The museum had 300,00 ...

(2011) *the glass roof of the Chadstone Shopping Centre (2016) He has collaborated with architects and engineers including

Foster + Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide. ...

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners RSHP is a British architecture firm, architectural firm, founded in 1977 and previously known as the Richard Rogers Partnership which became Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. in 2007. The firm rebranded from Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to si ...

, Branson Coates Architecture, Shigeru Ban Architects,

Wilkinson Eyre Architects WilkinsonEyre is an international architecture practice based in London, England. In 1983 Chris Wilkinson founded Chris Wilkinson Architects, he partnered with Jim Eyre in 1987 and the practice was renamed WilkinsonEyre in 1999. The practice ha ...

Edward Cullinan Architects Edward Horder Cullinan HonFRIAS (17 July 1931 – 11 November 2019) was an English architect. Life Born in central London to Joy, an artist mother, and Edward, a doctor, Cullinan was educated at Ampleforth College, Queens' College, Cambrid ...

, Arup,

Atelier One Atelier One is a British structural engineering company, established in 1989 with offices in London and Brighton. The company has collaborated with architects, designers and artists (including Anish Kapoor and Rachel Whiteread), and is consistently ...

and

Buro Happold Buro Happold (previously ''BuroHappold Engineering'') is a British professional services firm that provides engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management, and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure, and the environment ...

Bibliography

*S. Adriaenssens, P. Block, D. Veenendaal, and C. Williams, Eds., ''Shell Structures for Architecture: Form Finding and Optimization''. London: Taylor & Francis - Routledge, 2014. *N. Leach, D. Turnbull, C. J. K. Williams, Eds., ''Digital Tectonics''. Chichester, UK: Wiley, 2004.

References

Sources *

External links

Profile at University of BathProfile at Chalmers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Chris J. K. British structural engineers Academics of the University of Bath Academic staff of the Chalmers University of Technology Year of birth missing (living people) Living people