The buckling behavior of metal grid shells stiffened with tension braces is complex. During pre-buckling deformation, the braces are compressed and do not contribute to the stiffness of the shell. However, when the shell is about to buckle, some braces restrain the buckling deformation by changing the state from compression to tension. Thus, the buckling does not occur immediately, and the buckling load increases. In this paper, elastic buckling analysis and elasto-plastic buckling analysis are performed on the metal grid shells stiffened by the tension braces, and the buckling behavior subject to initial shape imperfections and load imperfections are investigated. The applicability of the estimation method of the elasto-plastic buckling load described in the "AIJ Recommendation for Design of Latticed Shell Roof Structures" to the grid shells is also investigated. The results show that the grid shells stiffened with tension braces are insensitive to initial imperfections and the estimation method of the elasto-plastic buckling load is applicable to the shells.
