Main Department Store

Abstract

View looking north down the arcade; The trapezoidal building features an interesting combination of elements of Russian medieval architecture and a steel framework and glass roof, a similar style to the great Victorian train stations of London. Each arcade is on three levels, linked by walkways of reinforced concrete. Shukhov was the inventor of a new family of doubly-curved structural forms. These forms, based on non-Euclidean hyperbolic geometry, are known today as hyperboloids of revolution. Shukhov developed not only many varieties of light-weight hyperboloid towers and roof systems, but also the mathematics for their analysis. It is still open today, and is a popular tourist destination for those visiting Moscow. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 6/22/2009