research life cycle assessment environmental impact of membrane materials and structures ·...

N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E E U R O P E A N B A S E D N E T W O R K F O R T H E D E S I G N A N D R E A L I S A T I O N O F T E N S I L E S T R U C T U R E S

NEWSLETTER NR. 23SEPTEMBER 2012PUBLISHED TWICE A YEARPRICE €15 (POST INCL)www.tensinet.com

Up at The O2!GROUND BREAKING ROOF WALK PROJECT

GREENWICH, LONDON, UK

A unique PTFE coated fiberglass

TURIN UNIVERSITY, ITALY

PROJECTS

RESEARCH

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MEMBRANE MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES

© 7t

TENSINEWS NR. 23 – SEPTEMBER 2012 2

CENO Membrane Technology GmbHwww.ceno-tec.de

Dyneonwww.dyneon.com

FabricArtMembrane Structureswww.fabricart.com.tr/

Form TLwww.Form-tl.de

Messe FrankfurtTechtextilwww.techtextil.com

Mehler Texnologies www.mehler-texnologies.com

Sefar www.sefar.com

Sioen Industries www.sioen.com

Saint-Gobain www.sheerfill.com

technet GmbHwww.technet-gmbh.com

Verseidagwww.vsindutex.de

Naizil S.P.A.www.naizil.com

Hightex GmbH www.hightexworld.com

form TL

Serge Ferrari sawww.sergeferrari.com

Canobbio S.p.A.www.canobbio.com

partners2012

INFO

Buro Happoldwww.burohappold.com

PROJECTS

MISC

contents

Editorial BoardJohn Chilton, Evi Corne, Peter Gosling, Marijke Mollaert, Javier Tejera

CoordinationMarijke Mollaert, phone: +32 2 629 28 45, [email protected]

Address Vrije Uni ver siteit Brussel (VUB), Dept. of Architectural Engineering,Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brus sels, Belgium fax: +32 2 629 28 41

ISSN 1784-5688

All copyrights remain by each authorPrice €15postage & packing included

RESEARCH PA G E

12 Environmental Impact of

Membrane Materials and Structures

LCA

PA G E

4 Poland KADZIELNIA AMPHITHEATREA COMBINATION OF RETRACTABLE AND PERMANENT COVERING

5 Poland COVERING FOR THE BUS STATION

6 UK UP AT THE O2!GROUND BREAKING ROOF WALK PROJECT

8 Italy A COVERING WITH 4 LAYER ETFE CUSHIONSWINTER GARDEN

10 Poland A NEW LIGHTWEIGHT COVERING FORTHE ART NOUVEAU RAILWAY STATION

11 Germany NEW ROOF FOR RAILWAY STATION

15 Turkmenistan A COVER FORTHE STADIUM

BREAKING THE ROUTINE OF PLANAR AND

GEOMETRIC LINES

16 Switzerland A MODERN LIGHT-ROOF FORTHE RÜTLIHAUS RESTAURANT

17 Greece COVERED ATRIUM FOR THE COSMOS MALL

18 Italy ROOF AND FAÇADEA UNIQUE PTFE COATED FIBERGLASS

18 Australia HALO LOUNGE BAR CAXTON STREET NIGHTCLUB

n°23

PA G E

20 WEBSITE TO DISCOVER


Forthcoming MeetingsWG Workshop in Stuttgart, GermanyWORKSHOP "Goal & Scope" WG LCA Thursday 11 & Friday 12/10/2012Location: PE INTERNATIONAL, Stuttgart, Germ.

TensiNet Meetings in Vienna, AustriaThursday 22/11/201213:00 Working Group Meetings 17:00 Partner Meeting 18:00 Annual General Meeting 19:00 Lecture

in collaboration with Vienna University of Technology - Master Membrane Lightweight Structures

Location: OIAV, Vienna, Austria

WG Meeting in Paris, FranceCore group meeting CEN/TC250 WG5 Wednesday 5/12/2012 10:00 - 16:00Location: Groupe AFNOR,

11 Rue Francis de Pressensé, La Plaine Saint-Denis cedex, France

Forthcoming Events

MIMAR SINAN FINE-ART UNIVERSITY, ISTANBUL, TURKEY

A three-day symposium where the Plenary sessions will refer on the one hand to theTensinet Working groups with [RE]THINKING Analysis & Materials (Peter Gosling); ETFE (Rogier Houtman); PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES (Matthew Birchall) and [CLOSING THELOOP] Life Cycle Assessment for Membrane Materials and Structures (Jan Cremers). On the other hand interesting projects will be presented.Prominent experts in the membrane architecture and engineering world will introduce eachplenary session. The keynote speakers Horst Berger,Markus Balz & Christoph Paech (sbp),Matthew Birchall (Buro Happold), Shajay Bhooshan (Zaha Hadid Office), Jan Cremers(Hightex), Ken’ ichi Kawaguchi, Alar Ruutopold (Saint-Gobain) and Werner Sobek (WernerSobek Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG) have already confirmed.More information and updates on the keynote lectures & program, venue, hotels, socialevent, sponsoring, etc. on www.tensinet2013.org

Abstracts and papers will be reviewed by thescientific committee.Topics• [RE]THINKING Analysis & Materials• ETFE• PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES• [CLOSING THE LOOP] Life Cycle Assess -

ment for Membrane Materials and Structures

• RECENT PROJECTS

Upload your abstract onwww.tensinet.com

Timing - deadlines updated• abstract submission - 8th October 2012• abstract acceptance - 12th November 2012• paper submission - 21th December 2012• paper acceptance - 4th February 2013

Call for ABSTRACT Abstracts should not be longer than 300 words and should indi ca tethe topic(s). Papers should not be longer than 2500 words and 10 pages figures included.

Essener Membranbau Symposium 2012Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany www.uni-due.de/iml 28/09/2012International Textile ConferenceDresden, Germany 29 -30/11/2012www.aachen-dresden-itc.deTensiNet Symposium 2013 [RE]THINKING lightweight structures

Mimar Sinan Fine-Art University,Istanbul, Turkey

www.tensinet2013.org 8-10/05/2013Techtextil 2013Messe Frankfurt, Germany 11-13/06/2013http://techtextil.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/en/aussteller/willkommen.html2nd International Conference on Structures and Architecture ICSA 2013Guimarães, Portugal 24-26/07/2013 www.icsa2013.comTransformables 2013Seville, Spain 18-20/09/2013www.transformables2013.com 2013 IASSAnnual Symposium: Beyond the Limit of ManWroclaw, Poland 23-27/09/2013http://www.iass-structures.org Structural Membranes 2013 VI Int. Confe -rence on Textile Composites and Inflatable structuresMunich, Germany 9-11/10/2013http://congress.cimne.com/membranes2013

Edito

TensiNet SYMPOSIUM 2013, IstanbulWednesday 8, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 May

[RE]THINKING lightweight structures

One of the main TensiNet events in the near future is the TensiNet Symposium 2013 (Istanbul, May 8-10).As during the previous Symposia, the TensiNet Association brings together researchers, practicing architects, engi-neers, membrane or foil producers, manufacturers and installers of tensile surface structures. The multidisciplinaryapproach, considering the process from concept to set-up, from material design to architectural realization givesthis event an inspiring and enriching character. Abstracts can be uploaded at the website www.tensinet.com untilthe 8th of October.

Another important TensiNet event will be the kick-off workshop of the new TensiNet Working Group on Life CycleAssessment for Membranes (Stuttgart, October 11-12). An ambitious project will be launched, which is crucial forthe whole sector as we want to contribute to a ‘sustainable’ future.

Within our association we are confident that ‘structural textile’ is a fifth building material. The design and analysis ofMembrane Structures should be performed by an integrated model and hence, consistent with the respective Eu-rocodes for constructions in steel, aluminium and wood. To strengthen this opinion, we repeat the invitationlaunched in the last TensiNews FLASH: ‘Three years ago CEN TC 250 has identified the need for a new EN Eurocodefor Membrane Structures. From a recent discussion however we understood that the Commission is not consideringMembrane Structures as a priority to support the establishment of a specific Eurocode. So we ask our members towrite a letter to Mr. Vicente Leoz, Head of Unit Construction, DG Enterprise, European Commission in which the im-portance of a Eurocode for Membrane Structures is argued… We will collect all letters and send them as a packageto Mr. Vicente Leoz.’ We thank in advance all members for helping us in this action.

Looking to the broader list of upcoming events, we see a growing interest in Textile Architecture, TransformableStructures, Membrane structures and/or Structural Membranes. We are happy to be able to contribute to severalevents. A special issue of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures-journal will be devoted toMembrane Structures and will contain the best papers of TensiNet 2013, IASS 2013 and Structural Membranes2013. With this concerted action we hope to exchange valuable research results, to stimulate young engineers toapply for a research grant and to trigger new research initiatives.

TENSINEWS NR. 23 – SEPTEMBER 20124

ContextIn the historic place called Kad ziel nia,located in the Polish city Kielce, thenew amphitheatre with a mem braneroof over the audience and the stagehas been erected. The struc tureconsist of a permanent roof over thescene and a retracta ble roof over theaudience (Fig. 1 to 4).

Project The area of the retractable mem -brane roof is about 2700m² and ofthe permanent membrane roof1500m². The membrane roof overthe audience is used only in thesummer. The permanent roof overthe scene must withstand a1.8kN/m² snow load. The span of themain cable over the scene is 35m andover the audience 55m. The rigidstructure consists of two sets ofcolumns (one behind the stage andone behind the audience), and apendulum frame in the middle. The pendulum frame, with a span of35m is stabilized by main cables.

The pendulum frame is foreseen as agarage for the folded membrane,which is stored during the winter. The technical solutions of theretractable roof were inspired by theretractable roofs at Fortress Kufsteindesigned by Alfred Rein Ingenieureand by these of the FrankfurtStadium and Warsaw NationalStadium designed by SchlaichBergermann und Partner. Unique inthe Kadzielnia amphitheatrestructure is that the retractable roofis not built on a closed system. Theedge cable of the retractablemembrane deflects inwards duringthe process of folding and tensioningof the membrane. In order to enablelarge horizontal deflections of theedge cable, a special double hingerotary head, connecting the cable tothe column, was introduced (Fig. 5)

Technical aspects - driving systemThe mechanism of the rooftensioning consists of three mainassemblies: • cable winches• hydraulic system• automatic and calibration systemsThe cable winch is installed on acolumn, where the main roof cablesare installed as well. The winch frameis mounted on the rotary head of thecolumn, therefore the position of thewinch is adjusted to the changingdirection (during tensioning of theroof) of the main cable.The unit of the servomotors islocated on the winch frame and isresponsible for: tensioning the cableunfolding the membrane (1), grippingthe first membrane pulling trolley(2), final membrane tensioning (3)and locking the membrane in a final

Name of the project: Kadzielnia Amphitheatre Location addres: Kielce, PolandClient (investor): Geopark Kielce Function of building: AmphitheatreType of application of the membrane: Rain and snow protection Year of construction: 2010 Architects: IMB Asymetria, KrakówStructural engineers: k2 engineering, Andrzej KowalConsulting engineer for the membrane: k2 engineering, Andrzej KowalEngineering of the controlling mechanism: CadMech Wroclaw Main contractor: Anna-Bud from Bilczy and SportHalls, PolandContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): SportHalls Supplier of the membrane material: Mehler Texnologies, Germany Manufacture and installation: Sport Halls Wroclaw Material: retractable roof: VALMEX® FR 1400 MEHATOP F type II

permanent roof: type III Covered surface (roofed area): retractable roof: 2700m²

permanent roof: 1400m²

Kielce, Poland

A COMBINATION

OF RETRACTABLE

AND PERMANENT COVERING

Kadzielnia Amphitheatre

K2 ENGINEERING

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position (4). After the final lockingof the membrane, all mechanical,hydraulic and controlling devicesmay be set off. In this stage themembrane is finally locked andpreserved.The roof tensioning unit iscontrolled with an automaticsystem. The system is doubled andconsists of the fixed desktop,installed on a control box and amovable radio desktop, enablingthe supervision of the process fromevery section of the amphitheater.The controlling system enablespermanent supervision of allmechanical and hydraulic devicesas well as the supervision ofdevices installed individually oneach particular column. Thepossibility of permanentsupervision is very helpful duringthe membrane calibration.

The whole structure was erected ina very short period of ten months.The design process was started inAugust 2009 and the structurewas completed in June 2010. Onemonth later the first concerts tookplace.

! Andrzej Kowal: [email protected]: www.k2se.com

Figure 1. General viewFigure 2. PlanFigure 3. Permanent membrane roof over the

stageFigure 4. Retractable membrane roof over the

audienceFigure 5. Detail of the double hinge rotary

headFigure 6. Von Mises stresses in the structure


ContextIn time with the start of EM 2012the city of Warsaw wasimplementing the visitorinfrastructures. The bus loop“Dworzec Wschodni (Lubelska)” islocated in the immediate vicinity ofthe Warszawa Wschodnia railwaystation facing Lubelska street,nearly by the new NationalStadium. It enables convenienttransfers from buses into long-distance trains and commutertrains operating to Warsaw citycentre and Chopin Airport.

ProjectThe bus loop has five platformswith 12 stops, the whole area iscovered with a tensile roofstructure. Under the canopy thereis also a monitored parking spacefor bicycles. The idea of the architects was tocreate a roofing structure similar tothe National Stadium in Warsawand Stadium Miejski in Poznań,looking at innovative and multi-functional materials. Due to the given straight designlines given by the initial conceptdesign, the engineer had to providethe correct mechanical solutiontaking in account upward wind andhuge covered surface. The fivemembrane bays are been thereforedesigned on the valley cableprinciple, integrated with a smartwater collection system to avoid tothe visitors any inconvenience inwinter time. The fabric panels are clamped allaround to the supporting steel

structure and to the front and backcables by the means of doubleclamping plates and connected tothe steel with steel straps, allcovered by closing flaps. The valleycables are disposed in a Y-form onthe membrane surface, connected

at the field top area over a circularfabric opening.

! Paolo Giugliano: P.Giugliano@mehler-

texnologies.com: www.mehler-texnologies.com

Warsaw, Poland

Name of the project: Bus Station “Warszawa Wschodnia” Location address: Lubelska street, Warsaw Client (investor): City of Warsaw, ZTM Warsaw Function of building: Bus Station Type of application of the membrane: Covering of Bus Station Year of construction: 2012 Architects - Tensile Architecture concept: Massimo Maffeis

Engineering and Consulting, ItalyArchitects - Complete Design: Mott MacDonald Polska Sp.z o.o.,

k2 engineering Andrzej Kowal Structural engineers: k2 engineering Andrzej Kowal Consulting engineer for the membrane: k2 engineering Andrzej Kowal Main contractor: Strabag Sp. z o.o. Contractor for the membrane : KONTENT Ryszard Koniewicz(Tensile membrane contractor) Supplier of the membrane material: Mehler Texnologies, Germany Manufacture and installation: KONTENT Ryszard Koniewicz Material: VALMEX® FR 1400 MEHATOP F type IV Covered surface (roofed area): approx.. 3400m²Length of the membrane roof 46.70mSpan between girders 14.20mLength of main girder 49.50m

Figure 2. Connection details

MEHLER TEXNOLOGIES

COVERING FOR THE Bus Station

WARSZAWA WSCHODNIA

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Figure 1. Rendering and general view of the Bus Station


ContextThe Millennium Dome, designed byRogers Stirk Harbour + Partnerswith Buro Happold, was completedin 1999 on the Greenwich Peninsulain London. Originally commissionedto mark the beginning of the newMillennium, the landmark structurealso formed a key element in theredevelopment of the entire Green-wich Peninsula. It boasts animpressive scale with a 2.2 millioncubic metre enclosed space, acircumference of one kilometre anda maximum height of 50m.Intended to be an iconic andcelebratory structure offering anenormous and flexible space, it hassince been redeveloped andoperated by AEG, one of the leadingentertainment and sports presen-ters in the world. Now rebranded asThe O2, the structure is the world’smost popular music and enter-tainment venue. In July 2011planning permission was grantedfor the construction of a roofwalkway across the top of thestructure, designed by Rogers StirkHarbour + Partners with BuroHappold. As Matthew Birchall,Director for Structures at BuroHappold explains “As the originalconsulting engineers and co-designers for The O2 we weredelighted to be invited to designthis latest addition to the Londonskyline. The roof walk is a combi-nation of architecture, engineeringand extreme visitor experience andrepresents the only installation ofits kind anywhere in the world”. Upat The O2 is a partnership betweenAEG and O2, the UK’s leadingcommunication company.

ProposalThe climbing experience begins onthe south side of The O2 where a

staircase and glass lift connect to aplatform 7.5m high. From here thefabric walkway suspends above theexisting fabric structure to its apexwith a lanyard cable and hand railrunning the full length of the walk-way. Climbers will be provided with‘climb suits’ and harnesses enablingthem to be attached directly to thecable as they climb to the top. AtThe O2’s apex a 12m diameterviewing platform with a panoramaplate directs climbers to key Londonlandmarks. The roof walk then ex-tends to the north side whereclimbers descend to ground level(Fig. 1).

BriefMain contractor ISG was formallyappointed to deliver the project inOctober 2011 when, workingclosely with the client, they wereinstrumental in bringing togetherthe specialist team to deliver theunprecedented and complex pro-ject. With Buro Happold alreadyacting as lead consultant, BaseStructures were next to be appoin-ted by ISG to ensure the successfuland timely delivery of the scheme.Responsible for delivering the detaildesign, fabrication and constructionof the unique cable tensioned walk-way and central viewing platform,Base immediately began extensivesurveying of the site and proto-ty-ping of the proposed designprincipals.

ChallengesThe overall challenges of deliveringthis project were extensive theintegrity of the existing structurecould not be affected; no hot workscould be used on the fabric roof;and no crane in existence couldreach far enough to fully access thesite. As if the daunting challenge of

realising the architect’s vision wasnot enough, there was also a verytight and immovable deadline tocontend with - The O2 arena wasdue to be handed over for theLondon 2012 Games within amatter of months.

SolutionThe technical challenges this projectpresented were considerable. Thefirst problem to overcome was toensure it was actually physicallypossible to walk up the fabricsurface – no small feat given 30°

inclines and the inclemency of theEnglish weather. To help increasetraction, fabric manufacturerMehler created a bespoke PVCfabric for this project with a non-standard textured surface. Whilstthis improved grip it soon becameclear that more radical surfacemodifications would be needed onthe steepest slopes, especially inthe rain – the roof walk needed tobe challenging but not impossible.

Slipping and slidingA wide range of surface

Up at The O2!Greenwich, London, UK

BASE STRUCTURES LTD

GROUND BREAKING ROOF WALK PROJECT“This has been a highly demanding project – we’ve got extremely tightdeadlines, the design is one of a kind and the construction has presented allsorts of logistical and technical challenges. But these kinds of projects arewhat we do best and we’re working with some great partners.”Mark Smith, Director/Head of Projects, Base Structures

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modifications on the PVC fabricwere manufactured and set up on abespoke test rig, replicating a fullsize panel of the walkway set at theprecise angle of the steepestsection. With key people presentfrom all parties involved in theproject, testing ensued withvolunteer climbers suitablyharnessed and roped up, with ahosepipe to simulating the worstrain imaginable. After muchslipping, sliding and the occasionaltumble the results were clear; theonly successful solution emerged to

be thick ribbing, appliedperpendicularly to the length of thewalkway (Fig. 3).

Crane conundrumAlthough the design team wereconfident that it was now possibleto actually climb up and down thewalkway come rain or shine, a keylogistical challenge remained; nocrane existed with enough reach toaccess the centre of The O2. Withover 6000m2 of fabric and over7km of steel cable to transport intoplace, this left Base with a

significant problem. All possibilitieswere considered, from cutting ahole in the roof to pass materialsthrough to even using a helicopter.Eventually a completely uniquesystem was designed to manuallyconvey the 30 tonnes of tools andmaterials over the roof - pullingcustom built sledges over aprotective pvc runway laid on thesurface of the existing fabric roof,preventing any damage to thefragile surface. Duncan Baird,Installations Manager at Baseexplains “We manufactured twodifferent types of sledge, one totransport the viewing platformsteelwork and another for thewalkway fabric with the size, shapeand configuration carefullycalculated to safely spread thelargest loads. As far as we are awareno one else has used this type ofsystem before.”

Crank and slideWeight restrictions on the roofmeant that instead of using apowered winch, each sledge neededto be manually pulled up the roofusing a tirfor, a manual, mechanicalcable-pull with a long crank arm.With each crank of the lever pullingthe sledge only 50mm at a time, ittook over 2800 cranks to pull asingle sledge to the top of The O2 –and with over 200 sledge tripsneeded for the whole project it issafe to say we had the fittest riggingteam around!Once at the apex the materialswere hoisted into place usinganother innovation – a skyhook.Suspending a cable and hook

system from the yellow mastsallowed the team to easily lifteverything into place withoutcausing any strain or loading on theexisting roof (Fig. 2 and 4).

Viewing platformWith the sledge and skyhooksystems in place the first phase ofinstallation involved assembling thesteelwork for the central viewingplatform at the apex of The O2, akey milestone since this was thefirst visible part of the structure togo up. With no hot works allowedon the fabric roof the steelwork wasfabricated to simply bolt togetherlike a huge Meccano kit. Supportcables attached to the yellow maststake the weight of the steelwork,again ensuring no loads are appliedto the existing roof surface. Onlywith the viewing platformcompleted could the fabricwalkway installation now begin,from the centre of the structuredown to the ground (Fig. 5).

Walkway manufactureBack at Base HQ manufacture ofthe fabric continued in earnest with75 panels making up the wholewalkway, including the side wingpanels. The panels for the steepestsections of the walkway requiredevery single piece of additionalribbing to be positioned andwelded by hand, an enormous taskwith over 3km of ribbing in total toattach.Before going to site every panelwas fitted with cables and clampsand pre-tensioned in the factory ona special rig for quality controltests. A total of 3 kilometres ofcable runs through the edges of thewalkway fabric and nearly 4000clamps are used to attach thepanels to the supporting cables on

Figure 1. Rendering images © 7tFigure 2. Installation Figure 3. Testing different walkway surfacesFigure 4. Start of the installation Figure 5. Installation of the central viewingplatform

Project highlights

• Ground breaking roof walk project over The O2 in Greenwich, London• Survey of entire structure carried out to ensure it conformed to original design• Unique installation systems to overcome challenging logistical problems• All materials and tools manually transported to the apex of The O2• Bespoke fabric solution created• Extremely tight and immovable deadline of the London 2012 Games

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The O2. The mammoth task offitting all this hardware in thefactory meant that the riggingteam on site could simply lift eachsection into place and secure it tothe previous panel and supportcables (Fig. 6).

Best of British weatherAs a continual supply of the fabricpanels ready for install reached site,one of the biggest problems thatwas to face the rigging team soonbecame apparent – the weather.High winds make working on suchan exposed site with huge pieces offabric unsafe and this cost the teama significant number of days. Whilstit is generally only wind that causesdelays for tensile fabricinstallations, Mark Smith, Head ofProjects at Base, explains howthings got even trickier “It was

always going to be a challenge butnot one that we weren’t used to.However, we weren’t expecting thewettest ever April on record, whichmeant we had to work mostweekends throughout the project inorder to recover the lost time.”

Increasing the tensionAfter pulling out all the stops thewalkway panels were all finally inplace and the entire structure couldbe carefully tensioned out - adelicate procedure that must becoordinated perfectly to preventuneven loads being applied to themasts. It is at this stage that theside wing panels are also unfurledalong the length of the walkway.Whilst these provide an extrasafety precaution, being made ofwhite mesh means they blend intothe surface of The O2 below, so as

not to lessen the sense ofadventure. As the walkwayrevealed itself in its final completedform, and with all hands on deck tocomplete the finishing touches intime for the grand opening, itbecame clear that the race hadbeen won – just.

ResultsOn 23rd May 2012 Up at The O2was officially announced to theworld, with the first payingclimbers making the journey overThe O2 on 21st June. With theworks completed on time thevenue could now be safely handedover for the London 2012 games, tothe great relief of all involved.

! Ben Luger: [email protected]: www.basestructures.com/

projects/up-at-the-o2.html

TeamAlistair Wood,

Senior Vice President of RealEstate & Development, AEG

Eamonn Wall, Project Director, ISG

Jon Clayden, Senior Construction Manager,ISG

Tim Finlay, Senior Structural Engineer, Buro Happold

Mark Smith, Director/Head of Projects, Base Structures

Name of the project: Up at The O2Location: The O2, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DXClient (investor): AEGFunction of building: Extreme roof walk experienceType of application of the membrane: Fabric walkwayYear of construction: 2012Architects: Rogers Stirk Harbour + PartnersMulti disciplinary engineering: Buro HappoldStructural engineers: Buro HappoldConsulting engineer for the membrane: Buro HappoldEngineering of the controlling mechanism: Buro HappoldMain contractor: ISGContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Base Structures LtdSupplier of the membrane material: Mehler Texnologies, GermanyManufacture and installation: Base Structures LtdMaterial: Embossed PVC and PVC meshCovered surface (roofed area): 4200m²Span: 350mMaximum height above ground: 53m

Figure 6. Preparing the fabric panels in the factoryFigure 7. Installation of the walkwayFigure 8. The walkway in its final completed form

Verona, Italy

CANOBBIO

form TL

ContextThe new multifunctional VeronaForum Center is developed onthe “Ex Foro Boario” site. Theproject consists of 2 buildingcomplexes. One is an officebuilding, while the other containsa hotel and wellness areas. TheWintergarden project developedwith an ellipsoidal shape is partof the hotel complex sitting asideof the main building.

ProjectThe winter garden structure hasbeen designed by architect MarioBellini. It is a multipurposecovering for the Crowne PlazaHotel in Verona. The structureconsists of 7 transversal timberarches, which are connected toconcrete foundations.

The arches have a different shapeto generate the volume of a softcurved structure. At one side ofthe structure there is a cubicaltechnical building. At theopposite side there is an entrancearea, which has a vertical façade.The 7 arches are connected with11 longitudinal ribs. These curvedribs connect all arches to thetechnical building. The steelprofiles also act as bearing

Figure 1. Moke up for the simulation ofthe transparency/opacity ratio and thepattern intensity © Carol Monticelli

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profiles for the ETFE foil cushions.Together with the Politecnico ofMilano, architect Carol Monticelli ,made a study on the differentpatterns and layers in order to reachthe best results for the modulationof the shadow and the transparencyof the material.The ETFE cushions are 4 layercushions. The upper and the lowerlayer have a thickness of 250μmeach. The inner layers have 100μmthickness. The nominal pressure inthe cushion system is 300Pa. Inwinter time this will be increased to600Pa and in case of reasonablesnow fall up to 800Pa.A minimized attachment detail hasbeen developed for the ETFEcushions. Perpendicular to the

surface small steel plates are placedto which on either side the cushionis attached with a small extrusionprofile. A soft gutter is integrated inthis connection detail to guidecondensation water towards thelower ends, where it is furtherguided to the drainage system.

! Stefania Lombardi: stefania.lombardi@

canobbio.com: www.canobbio.com

! Bernd Stimpfle: [email protected]: www.form-tl.de

Winter GardenA COVERING WITH 4 LAYER ETFE CUSHIONS

Figure 1. Visualisation Figure 2. ErectionFigure 3. Detail of thearches - longitudinal ribs- ETFE cushions Figure 4. Details:cushion, cushion-cableconnection, cushion-bottom connection

Figure 3. Plan and sections

Name of the project: Winter GardenLocation address: Verona, ItalyFunction of building: Multipurpose coveringYear of construction: 2012Main Contractor: Canobbio SpA, ItalyArchitects: Mario Bellini, Milano, ItalyMultidisciplinary Engineering: Canobbio SpA, Politecnico di MilanoConsulting engineer for the membrane, timber and steel: form TL, Germany Supplier of the membrane material: PATI, ItalyManufacture and installation: Canobbio SpA, ItalyMaterial: ETFE foilsCovered surface (roofed area): 650m²

Figure 2. Scheme of the distribution of the pattern intensity asa consequence of the climate context, to optimize the indoorair quality ©Carol Monticelli

At the Politecnico di Milano (Cluster CLUStexARCHITETTURA TESSILE) and in collaborationwith Canobbio SpA the transparency/ opacityratio and the pattern inten sity of the ETFE foilcushions was studied. Physical technical requirements:- average thermal transmittance of the

cushions U value = 1,5W/m2K - average diffuse solar factor G value = 0,3

In order to satisfy the requirements and todispose of different lighting rates from thetop to the bottom of the pneumatic coveringsystem, the opacity of the cushions varieswithin a range 50÷70% (1-2 printed foils)over the whole envelope.

Research Carol Monticelli - CoordinationAlessandra Zanelli

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the Art Nouveau Railway Station

BIRDAIR, INC

Wroclaw, Poland

K2 ENGINEERING

A NEW LIGHTWEIGHT COVERING FOR

ContextThe restoration of the historic Wroclaw Railway station was completed justbefore the Euro 2012 competition. The project was performed by grupa 5architects, who won the competition organized by the city of Wroclaw in2008. The winning project connects beautifully the Neo-Gothic and ArtNouveau architecture with modern solutions.The Wroclaw (Breslau) railway station was built in the years 1855-1877 as amain railway station beside two other already existing stations. It wasdesigned in English Neo-Gothic Tudor style. In years 1899 – 1904, thestation was expanded and reconstructed. The Neo-Gothic architecture ofthe main building was preserved, but the new main hall and four platformswere designed in the Art Nouveau style. Now the main railway stationneeded a restoration and extension. The historic style of the existingbuildings was maintained and the new elements were designed in a modernmanner connecting the glorious past with contemporary architecture.Among other new elements the membrane roof was introduced to cover theopen space between the two existing roofs. The open space was originallyforeseen as a locomotives berth. The area was not roofed, to allow steam toescape. Nowadays, as the steam locomotive have disappeared the areacould be covered.

ProjectThe idea of the architects (grupa 5) was to design a light roof, which wouldnot violate the beauty of the historic Art Nouveau architecture. The new roof

was designed as a membrane structure, tensioned on steel arches, whichcovers the area of four platforms between two old sheds (Fig. 1). Thestructure of the membrane roof consists of 12 similar fields. The dimensionsof a singular field are 21x11.40m. The total dimensions of the membrane roofare 84x34.2m (Fig. 2). The main bearings elements are longitudinal,perpendicular and diagonal arches made out of tubes with a diameter of356mm. The shape of the arches refers to the original arches of the Germanarchitect Bernard Klüsch, built in the years 1899-1904. In the dome surfaceof the roof, bracing are applied. The roof is situated in a first snow zone, thustotal snow load is 1.05kN/m2. According to the requirements of the Polishlaw concerning snow removal, in the low points of the membrane on thecolumns, huge openings were introduced. The membrane is attached to themain longitudinal arches on the bottom side (Fig. 3). In this way the steelstructure (arches and bracings) is visible from the platform only on sunnydays as a shadow on the membrane. The use of the translucent membrane(Mehler Mehatop F IV) gives a lot of light to the platforms and brings afriendly and pleasant atmosphere.

! Andrzej Kowal: [email protected]: www.k2se.com

Name of the project: Main Railway Station Wroclaw Location address: Pilsudskiego 1, Wroclaw, Poland Client (investor): PKP S.A., National Polish RailwaysFunction of building: Covering the platformType of application of the membrane: Rain and snow protection Year of construction: 2012 Architects: GRUPA 5, Warszawa, PolandStructural engineers: Pracownia Projektowa NazbudConsulting engineer for the membrane: k2 engineering Andrzej KowalMain contractor: BUDIMEX S.A., PolandContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): SportHalls, PolandSupplier of the membrane material: Mehler Texnologies, Germany Manufacture and installation: Sport Halls Poland Material: VALMEX® FR 1400 MEHATOP F type IV Covered surface (roofed area): covered area 2870m²

Figure 1. The railway station during and after the installation of the membrane covering

Figure 2. Plan andsections (left)

Figure 3. Connectiondetails (below)


NEW ROOF FOR railway station KIEFER. TEXTILE ARCHITEKTUR

Figure 1. ElevationFigure 2. Assembling and cable fixation detail Figure 3. Detail PylonFigure 4. View from parkdeckFigure 5. Installation Part B 1st of June 2.30 AM

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2 3 4 5

ContextAutumn ´09 I was invited to present a design for a membrane roofstructure at the ICE railway station at Wiesloch-Walldorf, located close toHeidelberg and well known through SAP. An existing pedestrian bridge aswell as a pedestrian path along various bus stops on top of a new twostorey car park building had to be covered. This hundred Meter longwalkway connects bus station and car parking with train platforms as wellas Wiesloch with Walldorf.Our goal was to create as little impact as possible to the existingenvironment. Space for founding was limited. The pedestrian bridge wasnot designed to receive any additional forces. The railway platforms andthe car park building had to be kept free of columns. Beside our clientwished a significant sign, a strong and at the same time assortative design,in between the disorder of many structural elements like platform roofs,stairways, lifts, electrical equipment of high voltage power lines. Spring2010 our design was accepted in all political committees. A year later alltender documents were prepared. In autumn 2011 Taiyo Europe receivedthe contract.

ProjectTwo pylons located between car park building and railway station areasupport 24 cables to support the smoothly bended main steel tubes. 20 saddle-shaped white membrane elements generate the requiredappearance. Each unit is approximately 10*5m large. The supporting steelstructure consists out of a three-dimensional steel framework. The bearingsare limited to supporting steel struts at both ends and in the centre. A mayor challenge had been the installation procedure, due to the strictrules of the Deutsche Bundesbahn. Some 18 months before the lift over

the tracks took place, the exact date had to be agreed. It was from 1.00 AMto 4.00 AM at 1st June 2012. The high voltage power line had to beswitched-off and a defined security procedure had to be followed. Half past midnight the lift started. Around 4 o´clock 1st June ´12 the700tons crane could turn back. Just in time!

It was an extremely exciting exercise for everybody involved in the process.Thanks at that point to all participating persons.

! Michael Kiefer: [email protected]: www.k-ta.de

Name of the project: New roof for railway station. Location address: Wiesloch-Walldorf, GermanyClient (investor): MetropolPark Zweckverband Wiesloch-WalldorfFunction of building: Covering of walkway between bus station and railway paltformsType of application of the membrane: Saddle.shaped surface structure Year of construction: 2012Architects: Michael Kiefer, Freier Architekt (K.TA)Structural engineers: Tobias Lüdeke, Manfred Schieber (both K.TA) Consulting engineer for the membrane: Tobias LüdekeMain contractor: Taiyo EuropeContractor for steel structure: Zeman GmbHSupplier of the membrane material: VerseidagManufacture and installation: Flontex Polen/ Montagebau LenkMaterial: Verseidag PTFE/ GlasCovered surface (roofed area): ca. 1000m²Membrane assembling system: Tennect (Carl Stahl)


L C A

RESEARCH

Increasing energy efficiency in the operation of buildings is a major challenge of our time. But wealso have to focus on the energy consumption ("grey energy") and environmental impact of thematerials and structures used for our buildings - with regard to their full life cycle, from theproduction to recycling or disposal. It is important to understand that the effects of our planningdecisions extend deeply into the future. Most buildings are meant to last for decades. Our industry isproud to also offer this perspective to our clients when they embark on our materials and structures.In parallel, the planet's resources are shrinking and get more and more contested and hard-fought.Compared to other industry branches, the building sector is still lacking efficiency in the use ofmaterials and rationalisation, the overall recycling rate is very low. With regard to the membrane industry we see a Janus-faced discussion: On the one hand we applypolymers that use enormous amounts of energy for their production. They contain a high amount ofprimary energy in relation to their mass (Fig.1), and emissions from some of the materials canrepresent dangers for the environment and users. On the other hand, they have an undoubtedpotential for generating resource and energy savings through forms of construction that utilisethese materials very efficiently. Membrane material's mass per area is very low.

Figure 1. Primary energyspans of individualbuilding materialgroups, PEI in [MJ/kg]Figure 2. Developmentof primary energyconsumption forpneumatic structureswith air pressuremaintained bymechanical plantcompared with a systemwithout any air supplyFigure 3. The sequenceand phases of a lifecycle assessment (LCA)1 2 3

Environmental Impact of Membrane Materials and Structures

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)Some months ago, a new working group hasbeen founded by an initiative of the authorwhich will focus on the subject of Life CycleAssessment (LCA) in our industry. The aim ofthis group is to review the current status onmembrane materials and typical membranestructures with regard to LCA issues which canbe used as a key evaluation criterion in theobjectification of the discussion on membranematerials that our industry is based on (Fig. 2).The LCA approach aims for a transparentevaluation of the complex environmentalimpacts of products and processes involved. Itlooks at the stages of material or structure's lifesuch as obtaining the raw materials,production, processing and transport, also use,reuse and disposal if applicable. LCA measuresenvironmental impact across a range of issues

such as impact: on air quality, on water usageand water quality, on toxicity to human life andto ecosystem functioning, on impact on globalwarming as well as resource use. There are“Cradle-to-grave” assessments that investigatethe entire life cycle of a product, but also“cradle-to-gate” assessments that consideronly the life of a product up to the time itleaves the factory (Fig. 6). DIN EN ISO 14040describes the LCA method which can be splitinto four phases: definition of goal and scope,inventory analysis, impact assessment andinterpretation (Fig. 3). In a final step all resultslike reports and declarations have to bescrutinised by an independent group of expertswhich is essential if comparative statements,e.g. with respect to rival products, are to bemade or the results are to be made public.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)Drafting a product LCA is a time-consuming andexpensive process that is generally carried outfor the product manufacturer or a group ofmanufacturers by a specialist company. Theecological characteristics of a product are com -municated in the form of environmentaldecla rations. According to the ISO 14020 family,these environmental product decla rations (EPD)are classified as so called "type III" environ men -tal labels which are highly regu lated. Here, themost important environ mental impacts ofproducts are described systema tically and indetail. The starting point is a product LCA, butfurther indicators specific to the product (e.g.contamination of the interior air) are alsoincluded. In this form of declaration it is not theindividual results of measurements that arechecked by indepen dent institutes, but ratherconformity with the product category rules(PCR) drawn up to ensure an equivalent des -cription within that product category. An EPDdescribes a product throughout its entire lifecycle – it contains all relevant environmentalinfor mation. EPDs are third party verified andgua rantee reliability of the information provi ded.Cal cu la tion Rules for EPDs are defined by EPDprogram holders – for building products EN15804 is introduced as respective standard inEurope. EPDs help in early planning stage, theyshow environmental performance of a productor a product group, they are often used in poli ti -cal discussion and can be a basis for a company'sinternal benchmark and impro ve ment.

THE NEW TENSINET WORKING GROUP ON LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

FOR MEMBRANES


RESEARCH

Why we? And why now?Why it is important for our industry to pre-actively address the LCA issue now? There are anumber of drivers, for example:• Building assessment systems with country-

specific priorities for indicating the building's,like for example LEED (Leadership in Energyand Environmental Design), BREEAM(Building Research EstablishmentEnvironmental Assessment Method), DGNB(German Sustainable Building Council). Thelatter was one of the first methods toprescribe a certification system that looks atthe entire life cycle of a building and alsoincludes a type of building LCA based onEPDs of the individual construction products(Fig. 4). This puts the focus of planners, usersand investors to environmental impact of awhole building (including the LCAs ofconstruction products). "Green Building" is ahighly growing market share;

• Competitive situation by comparingmembrane materials and structures toalternatives with LCA data available;

• Defence against prejudices based on missing,insufficient, misleading or wrong LCA data;

• Customers awareness. Communication onenvironmental product performance gainsimportance for manufacturers and willstrengthen customer relationship;

• LCA data will become more and moreimportant in tendering and awardprocedures. This also applies to the use forConstruction Product Regulation;

• Existing and future legal regulations onwaste concerning the building industry.

Although the importance of the varioussustainability criteria may vary, issuesconsidered to be important include:• Energy and carbon dioxide emissions

(from building operation);• Materials and resource use

(including embodied energy);• Waste minimisation, including recycling;• Transport (in relation to the use of the

building);• Water conservation and use

(within the building);• Land use and ecology;• Minimising pollution;• Construction and building management

(including security);• Health and well-being within the building.

Material and building component selection hasa direct impact on the building design andperformance and hence affects the operationalenergy use and the health and well-being of itsoccupants. Therefore, the industry needs toquantify these benefits in order to maximise itssustainability credentials.

Some more backgroundWith the advent of the European single marketfor construction products, the EuropeanCommission became concerned that nationalEPD schemes and building level assessmentschemes would represent a barrier to tradeacross Europe. The EU therefore sought amandate from the EU Member States todevelop European standards for theassessment of the sustainability performanceof construction works and of constructionproducts. This mandate is called CEN/TC 350.From 2010 European standards began toemerge from this process and Standard BSEN15804 was published in February 2012providing core rules for construction productEPD. The Construction Products Directive of 1989was one of the first Directives from the EUCommission to create a common frameworkfor the regulations on buildings andconstruction products. It has been replaced bythe Construction Products Regulation (CPR)and is legally binding throughout the EU. TheCPR includes requirements for the sustainableuse of natural resources, the reduction ofgreenhouse gas emissions over the life cycleand the use of EPD for assessing and reportingthe impacts of construction products. If an EU

Member State wishes to regulate in these areasof sustainability it must use Europeanstandards where they exist when regulatingand must withdraw national standards. Thismeans that in the case of the CPR a MemberState must use the CEN/TC 350 suite ofstandards. An EPD provides robust and consistentinformation that can be used in building levelassessments and the guide elaborates on thevariety of ways that this can be done. Inaddition a number of building level tools areemerging aimed at improving decisions at thedesign stage by combining embodiedenvironmental impact data and whole life costdata (i.e. economic) and link them to BIM(Building Information Modelling) data.Across Europe, the various environmentalrating schemes are seeking to harmonise theways in which they assess products andbuildings. Increasingly models are emerging tolink embodied impacts with operational datathus enabling a better understanding of thetrade-off between operational and embodiedimpacts and in time benchmarks for differenttypes of buildings will emerge. All of whichcontributes greatly to the goal of a low carbon,more resource efficient, sustainable builtenvironment. [2]

Where we are and next stepsThe status reached so far is ratherheterogeneous and inconsistent for the typicalmaterials we use. There are some forerunners,for example there is a first (but only companyspecific) EPD on ETFE (Fig. 5). On the level ofstructure types, there is hardly any information

Figure 4. Sample result of DGNB assessment and interaction of criteria with EPDs


RESEARCH

available so far. The LCA Working Group willidentify and describe steps that could be takenwithin the Tensinet association to achieve acoherent data base to work with. It should alsobe as open and transparent as possible to gain amaximum of credibility.

Kick-off workshopAs a next step we will have a kick-off workshopin Stuttgart with LCA-consultancy PE International on October 11th/12th. Aiming to define goal and scope of a commonproject, our topics are:• discussion and agreement on the goals of the

LCA/EPD membrane project;• specific, average or template EPDs, value of

an EPD calculator?;• clustering of comparable products for EPDs;• definition scope of the work;• proposal for products to be included

(PTFE/glass, ETFE, PVC/PES, PTFE fabric, PTFEglass laminate, silicone glass fabrics,others?);

• agreement on producers and sites to beincluded;

• agreement on contractual and financialsolution.

The idea of having a common successfulLCA/EPD membrane project is based on someassumptions:• joint project of several producers and other

players of the membrane sector;• for each product group there is at least one

producer of final product involved and willingto contribute;

• for each product group the key producers ofraw material are involved and willing tocontribute;

• the project is managed by a neutral thirdparty (PE International) to allow forconfidentiality in data handling, producerswill supply data in agreed time schedule.

Following the workshop we intend to structurethe LCA project in the following tasks:• Development / adaption of the PCR-

Documents;• Data collection for the production of

Membranes;• Data collection for the End-of-Life Scenarios; • Provision and development of the upstream

data (supply chain data); • System modelling and calculation of the LCA

results;• Documentation of the LCA and development

of the EPDs.

So far, there are amongst others the followingmanufacturers involved: Dyneon, Verseidag-Indutex, Serge Ferrari, Saint-Gobain PP, andSefar. We hope that even more relevant andimportant players in the membrane worldunderstand the chance of this project, also withregard to economical benefits compared toindividual actions on the subject. Thanks to theTensinet Board, the kick-off workshop will befree of charge to all the participants.

If you are interested to join us for theworkshop or generally for the group, please contact the author via email

([email protected]).

about HightexHightex Group is a specialist provider of largearea architectural membranes for roofing andfaçade structures. Hightex has been involved inthe construction of a number of high profilebuildings including Cape Town Stadium andSoccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, theWimbledon Centre Court retractable roof, theroof of the Suvarnabhumi International Airportin Bangkok. Recent projects include the newstadia of Warsaw, Kiev, Vancouver, and mostrecently Porto Alegre and Maracana in Brazil.

! Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Cremers, Director Technology Hightex GmbH, D-BernauProfessor at Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart : [email protected] : [email protected]: www.hightexworld.com

REFERENCES[1] Knippers J, Cremers J, Gabler M, Lienhard J: ConstructionManual for Polymers + Membranes, Institut fur internationaleArchitektur-Dokumentation., München: DETAIL/ BIRKHÄUSER,2011, see Chapter 7 (Hartwig J, Zeumer, M), pp. 124-131 [2] Anderson, J.; Thornback, J.: A guide to understanding theembodied impacts of construction products, ConstructionProducts Association, 2012 (available online atwww.constructionproducts-sustainability.org.uk)

© PICTURES AS FOLLOWING:1-3: Hartwig J, Zeumer M: 'Environmental impact of polymers',Chapter 7 in Knippers J, Cremers J, Gabler M, Lienhard J:Construction Manual for Polymers + Membranes, Institut fürinternationale Architektur-Dokumentation., München: DETAIL/BIRKHÄUSER,20114: DGNB/ PE International5: Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V.6: taken from [2], p.5

Figure 5. Company specific Environmental ProductDeclaration for ETFE: EPD-VND-2011111-E, 10-2011

Figure 6. Life cycle of a construction product


ContextThere are many different methodsto cover the roofs. The contributionof these coverings, which are madeof conventional structural elemen ts,diminishes since they are used veryoften in the beginning of the projectand have the tendency to becomecomplex. Both with the texture ofthe material, and different thirddimension aesthetic perception, themembrane archi tec ture add theharmony of mo vement and conflictto the project. The architect, who designed astadium in Turkmenistan, decidedto use the membrane architecture

as the product of such a thought.This structure is made as an idea ofusing it for 2017 Asian OlympicGames, covering an area ofapproximately 25.000m².

Project Within the 20.000 spectatorcapacity Ashgabat stadiumcomplex steel roof is covered withan interesting membrane system.The stadium roof is solved as acantilever steel truss. The cantileversteel truss is interconnected withcross vaults which are supportingthe membrane. Arch membranesare frequently installed as ring roperoofs for stadiums, with the archbeing supported with a hinge on thecarrier cable and the warp directionof the fabric mostly running at rightangles to the arch. When severalarches are arranged next to eachother, the membrane is mostlypulled in along the arch from ropetruss to rope truss. The installation of the arch and thepulling in and tensioning of themembrane are mostly done field bypanel from scaffold hanging underthe rope trusses or by abseiling. Tostabilize the arches, temporaryropes tensioned diagonally in threedimensions can be installed duringthe erection.When pulling on the membrane in

the arch direction, it is firstanchored to the end points, in orderto mount the edges to the truss.After pulling the membrane to theopposite side, it can be successivelytensioned against the truss startingin the middle and fixed bymounting the edge elements. Thefabric, folded longitudinally, waslifted transverse to the arch trussesand unfolded on both sides over thesecondary arches.After fixing the membrane to thecorner points, the clamping plateswere installed along the edges ofthe arch trusses. The introduction ofthe pretension was done at rightangles to the arch truss by movingthe preassembled keder railsections.This was done with the help oflashing straps, with the force beingintroduced successively startingfrom the middle of the arch truss.After the edge rope, which hadalready been pulled in, had beentensioned, the edge of the surfacewas finally tensioned through thewebbing fabricated into the cornersand fixed by bolting the ropesintended to secure against winduplift to the crown of the arch.

! Mehmet YILMAZ : [email protected]: www.tensaform.com

Name of the project: Ashgabat StadiumLocation address: Ashgabat / TurkmenistanClient (investor): State of Turkmenistan Function of building: StadiumType of application of the membrane: CoveringYear of construction: 2011Architects: Design GroupMulti-disciplinary engineering: Gelişim İnşaat Proje San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.Structural engineers: Tensaform Membrane Structures Industry & Trade Inc.Consulting engineer for the membrane: Tensaform Membrane Structures Industry

& Trade Inc.Engineering of the controlling mechanism: Gelişim İnşaat Proje San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.Main contractor: Polimeks İnşaat A.Ş.Contractor for the membrane Tensaform Membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Structures Industry & Trade Inc.Supplier of the membrane material: NAIZILManufacture and installation: Tensaform Membrane Structures Industry & Trade Inc.Material: NAIZIL PLUS COVER-TYPE IIICovered surface (roofed area): 25.000m²Roof Cantilever Height: 30m / Cantilever Range: 9,5m / Total Steel Tonnage: 1268 tons

Ashgabat,Turkmenistan

TENSAFORM BREAKING THE ROUTINE OF PLANAR AND GEOMETRIC LINES

A cover for the stadium


ContextRütli is definitely much more than a meadow - it is the birthplace ofSwitzerland and a cultural monument of national importance. In the lastfew years rebuilding and new construction projects were carried out toimprove the infrastructure. At the conclusion of this work, the terrace of theRütlihaus restaurant was slightly modernized by adding a modern light-roof. This legendary 5-acremeadow on the shores of Lake Uri, a small lake connected to Lake Lucerne,can still only be reached by boat or by foot using the "Swiss Way", a hikingtrail established in 1991 that starts at the village of Seelisberg. On thismeadow was, according to legend, in 1291 the oath of Rütli sworn, whichmade the three original cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden eternalallies. This meadow now contains the Rütlihaus restaurant, a picnic area, the“Dreiländerbrunnen” and a small exhibition showing its history. Around 1million people per year, including numerous high-ranking personalities fromhome and abroad, visit and enjoy the facilities at Rütli.

Historic value and appeal preservedThe aim of the announcement of a competition by the Federal office forbuildings and logistics BBL in Bern in 2007 was for the acquisition ofadditional utility and storage areas for the many public events held at Rütli,such as the traditional “Rütlischießen”. The highest priority was placed onensuring that the new buildings would complement and blend in perfectlywith the existing infrastructure of Rütli, which was designed in 1865 as alandscape park. This stipulation was convincingly adhered to by the winningdesign from the architectural firm Aschwanden Schürer AG. The centralconcept of this design was a decentralized organization of buildings eachhaving their diverse functions. As part of this infrastructural improvement,the roof of the Rütlihaus restaurant terrace was to be replaced.

! Emin Kayacan : www.sefar.com : [email protected] www.tenarafabric.com

Rütli, the birthplace of Switzerland

A MODERN LIGHT-ROOF FOR

Name of the project: RütlihausLocation address: Rütli, Seelisberg, SwitzerlandClient: Bundesamt für Bauten und Logistik BBL, Bern, SwitzerlandFunction of building: RestaurantType of application of the membrane: RoofYear of construction: 2012Architects: Aschwanden Schürer Architekten AG, Zurich, SwitzerlandEngineer: Gabathuler AG dipl. Bauingenieure ETH, Buchs, SwitzerlandDesign and delivery of wood structure: Neue Holzbau AG, Lungern, SwitzerlandWoodwork: Gotthard Holzbau GmbH, Schattdorf, SwitzerlandContractor for the membrane: HP Gasser AG MEMBRANBAU, Lungern, SwitzerlandSupplier of the membrane material: Sefar AG, Heiden, SwitzerlandManufacture and installation: HP Gasser AG MEMBRANBAU, Lungern, Switzerland Material: SEFAR® Architecture TENARA® Fabric 4T40HFCovered surface: approx. 200m²

Figure 3. Façade androof plan

Figure 2. Aerial views on the light-roof structure

Figure 1. Views from underneath the light-roof structure

the Rütlihaus restaurant

Project - Unique roof structure In close collaboration with the Office for Historical Monuments, the newterrace roof of the Rütlihaus restaurant was constructed as a delicateand elegant low-height membrane structure, blending in perfectly withthe landscape: the slightly inclined roofs and the spruce wood make apleasant and refined combination (Fig. 1 & 2). The canopy consists of fivelinked gables (Fig. 3). Weather and UV protection is provided by atranslucent membrane SEFAR® Architecture TENARA® Fabric 4T40HF,which has a light transmission of approximately 40% and allows thetransmission of a mild and pleasant fraction of the sunlight. This makesthe roof function like an airy pergola.The project has been selected for the "Prix Lignum 2012". The PrixLignum 2012 distinguishes high-quality and innovative use of wood inbuildings, in interior design, furniture and works of art. (National Prizeaward, Zürich 27 September 2012).

SEFAR AG


ProjectA golden painted carpentrysupport the textile membranebuilt to close the roof of a mall inan original way. The cap of thistextile structure is a disk made oftransparent plexiglass makingsunrays and light passing through.The tent covers a Ø 20m circulararea. The central part is supportedby a ring located at the top of apusher pole. The base of thepusher is supported by nine rodbars connected to the top of concrete columns. The covering membrane is asingle layer type with a total negative curvature, stabilised throughprestress. Under the membrane layer cables are located to avoid snowpounding and safety cables guarantee stability of the pusher column.The structure has been calculated according to the following standards:a) C.N.R.-UNI 10011/88 “Steel constructions. Instructions for design,realisation, verification, use and maintenance.”b) Draft prEN13782 European Standard “Tents-safety”.c) UNI U50.00.299.0 “Tents, tensile structures, air-supported structures.Instructions for design, realisation, verification, use and maintenance.”The admissible tension method is used for verifications. The covering iscalculated with an elastic membrane material but with geometric non-linearity (big displacements).

Accidental loads taken into consideration were the following:snow: qs = 80 kN/m² wind: qw = 80 kN/m²

The structures are designed withthe hypothesis that the lateralsides are all closed. It will be thetent manager’s responsibility toavoid that partial openingsincrease wind action creatinginside overpressure. The loss ofpre-tension can involve vibrationsand flapping under the windaction, but even create pockets inwhich rain or snow are collected.Generally, the more sensible areasto these phenomena coincide with

the areas of lower curvature. The cables used are made of galvanised steel,protected from corrosion. In spite of that, the phenomenon of corrosioncannot be fully avoided in time, above all in presence of aggressiveenvironments, like in areas with high humidity rate, pollution and saltiness.In case of lining of cables by means of PVC or other kinds of lining, a betterprotection is guaranteed till lining is integral. If some cracking in the liningoccurs, the corrosive phenomenon can be dangerous as it cannot be seen soclearly. So, it is very important that during the inspections the liners’integrity condition is verified. Besides corrosion, cables can also be damagedby mechanical phenomena, especially where they come in contact withother elements, such as plates, saddles, clamp terminals, etc. incorrespondence of which the inspection must be particularly careful. By thisarchitectonical application also another customer’s requirement has beensatisfied, that is air conditioning of the whole premises, keeping anyway anatural light passing through this roof.

! Antonella Fedeli: [email protected]: www.plastecomilano.com

www.pmtexarch.com

Covered atrium BIRDAIR, INC

Thessaloniki, Greece

PM ENGINEERING

FOR THE COSMOS MALL

Name of the project: COSMOS MALLLocation address: THESSALONIKI GREECEClient (investor): COSMOS MALLFunction of building: ATRIUM COVERAGEYear of construction: 2006Architects: ARCH NIKOKAVOURAS, Athens GreeceConsulting engineer for the membrane: Eng. Dario Ravasi, Varese, ItalyEngineering for the controlling mechanism: Eng. Dario Ravasi, Varese, ItalyMain contractor: ARKA SYNTHESIS LTD Athens GreeceSupplier of the membrane material: PM ENGINEERING SRL Senago ItalyManufacture and installation: SERGE FERRARIMaterial: PRECONTRAINT 1302 TCovered surface (roofed area): 315m²

Figure 1. General view - Figure 2. Connection details and cable layout - Figure 3. Isometry

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A unique PTFE coated fiberglass5

ContextThe new headquarters of theFaculty of Law of the TurinUniversity is located along the riverDora on the site of the ex-Italgasarea. A synergy among firms anddesign studios has been able toreinterpret the distribution of thepavilions: connections and passageshave been added with the use ofhighly characterizing elements asthe unique PTFE roof and the wavyfaçade.

ConceptThe general concept of thearchitectural design has beendeveloped by Architect Sir NormanFoster together with a team of

architects and engineers. Simetehas taken care of the structuraldesign: the arches are connected ina system assuring the correcttension of the membrane.The roof structure is sitting on topof the concrete building coveringthe individual building parts below.The roof is placed with a distanceabove the roof slab and has onlysecondary sealing requirements.Between the building parts the steelstructure is made with expansionjoints to allow a movement, ascaused by an eventual earthquake,up to 20cm in horizontal direction.The membrane cladding is notinterrupted in these joints andneeds to compensate the

Turin University, Italy

CANOBBIO form TL ROOF AND FAÇADE

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Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

FABRITECTURE PTY LTD

CAXTON STREET NIGHTCLUB

Halo Lounge Bar

ContextIn Paddington on the West Side of Brisbane is the Caxton Street Precinct,famous for its entertainment venues and bustling nightlife. A new additionto the area is the Halo Lounge Bar. The structure designed to look like ahalo - sitting above the nightclub. The fabric structure was built to providefor better nightclub functionality by allowing for image projection onto theinternal membrane.

ProjectThe structure is free from above with the bracing struts designed to be nohigher than the top of the columns and all within the depth of theperimeter skirt which created the architectural look required, a seamlessand floating halo effect. The 498m² ‘halo’ is made from Ferrari 702 AluBlack Blockout fabric with a internal floating gutter suspended from thesteel framework above. The perimeter skirt is clad with fabric on both theoutside and inside. Not only does this hide all the framing but on the insideacts as a projection screen so images can be viewed by the four projectorssuspended from the internal structural gutter.The external hidden structural framing pushes the internal exposed gutterdown creating an oval shape inverted cone style design. The structurerequired a complex design to achieve the illusion of simplicity. The solutionoffered is striking and stands out from other buildings in the area. Theaesthetic appeal of the venue is further enhanced by the floating fabric roofwhich gives the Halo Nightclub its ‘halo’. The unique, yet simple exterior of the structure required a complex design;


In essence the design is an oval shaped inverted cone. All steelwork wasdesigned to be hidden within the depth of the perimeter skirt so no steelwas visible from above the top line of the skirt or below. Only the 4 columnscan be seen which are also either painted black to be disguised or are hiddenwithin internal walls. The internal structural steel gutter also acts as thesupport of the audio and projection equipment which disguises the actualmain use to control water catchment of the membrane above. The projectpresented some challenges due to the irregular shape of the structure butcame together to the exact specifications of both the client and thearchitect. The completed “halo” has created a prominent additional feature of notonly the club, but also the iconic location of Caxton Street in Brisbane.

! Kim McHugh: [email protected] : www.fabritecture.com

Team Jethro Jones, Design Director for Fabritecture Justin Dale, Project and Installation Manager Claudio D’Avanzo, Ted Cavallo ArchitectsFabritecture, Fabrication

6 6 7 5

movement with its elasticity.Therefore the attachment detailalong the eves is made with garlandcables linked with plates whichallow for this movement.The membrane is PTFE coatedfiberglass. In some extremelyloaded panels material with ahigher strength has been used. Thebays are saddle shaped membranes,carrying the snow load in the shortdirection and the wind load over the

long direction. The attachmentdetail is a continuous railing madeof steel tubes where the membraneis attached to with U-straps andclamping plates. To allow anunhindered smoke exhaust, the roofhas eyelike openings. Theseopenings are integrated in themembrane surface with adjustablesteel bars. The final aspect of thestructures is well harmonized withthe urban landscape of the area.

Name of Project: HALO LOUNGE BAR CAXTON STREET NIGHTCLUBLocation of Project: Caxton Street, West End, Brisbane, Queensland, AustraliaClient: Caxton Street NightclubYear of Construction: 2012Company: Fabritecture Pty LtdFabric or Trade Name: 702 Alu Black / 702 BlockoutFabric Producer/Manufacturer: Serge FerrariFabric Supplier: InnovaSurface: 498m²

Project Awards: Specialised Textiles Association - Annual Awards for Excellence 2012OVERALL AWARD WINNER - CATEGORY 7 WINNER - Tension Structures less than 500m².These awards, held at the Crown Casino in Melbourne awardedFabritecture “Overall Award Winner” for the Halo Bar Caxton StreetNightclub Project. This award is presented to the Award for Excellence Project, that has attained the highest judging score of all submitted projectsacross all 9 categories.

Figure 1. Model of the project.Figure 2. Isometry and plan view of the roofFigure 3. Side viewsFigure 4. One of the eyelike openings forsmoke exhaustFigure 5. During installation: system of archesand membraneFigure 6. The wavy façade and roof of thebuilding Figure 7. Standard detail arch connection

! Stefania Lombardi: stefania.lombardi@

canobbio.com: www.canobbio.com! Bernd Stimpfle: [email protected]: www.form-tl.de3

Name of the project: Turin UniversityLocation address: Torino, ItalyYear of construction: 2012Main Contractor: Sinergie, ItalyMulti disciplinary engineering: Maire Engineering Consulting engineer for the membrane: formTL, GermanySteel supplier: Stahlbau Pichler, ItalySupplier of the membrane material: Saint Gobain, USAManufacture and installation: Canobbio SpA, ItalyMaterial: PTFE fiberglassCovered surface (roofed area): 16.000m²


ContextThe experimental structure „cut.enoid.tower“ was realized on the basis ofthe research on minimal surfaces as elements in architecture by Günther H.Filz at the Institute of Structure and Design, University of Innsbruck. At thesame time this case study was part of research based teaching involvingstudents of architecture into the process of generation. The „cut.enoid.-tower“ was erected in Austria on 1650m above sea level consideringarchitectural and functional issues like climbing, relaxing and enjoying thestunning scenery as well as maximum wind speed of about 140km/h.

ComponentsThe unusual project title „cut.enoid.tower“ represents the main componentsthat are merged into an overall architectural structure. The distortedappearance of the two wooden plates is generated by the impact andinteraction of pin-joint compression-only members and different versions ofprestressed, tension-only catenoids. The unity of all elements and forces canbe read as deflections which were simulated, found and analyzed by meansof a series of physical and digital models. A modification of only one of theelements of the system will therefore cause a new equilibrium and variationof the whole tower-structure. 1,5km of 4mm high-performance yachtingrobes meeting in 5697 knots were tied by students in order to produce theunique shapes of the minimal surface of a “spinning” and a “branching”catenoid, which are spanning freely shaped cut-outs. Especially the“branching” catenoid turned out to be a challenging task in terms of findingthe right boundary conditions that generate a minimal surface havingminimal surface area content and equal forces in all directions at the sametime (soapfilm-analogy) as well as in terms of assembly. An innovative

lattice-like structure represents the counterpart of the catenoids. Comparedto conventional lattice structures here the pin-joint compression-onlymembers do not meet in their reference points or axes. The special numberand placement seem ingly constitutes an arbitrary irregularity. But exactlythis arrangement generates a stable structural equilibrium locking alldirections in space.

Overall Geometry and Architectural AppearanceThe workflow from design to reality was only possible by applying latestresults of basic research in this field in combination with efficient softwareto solve the complex overall geometry and to convert and process thehuge amount of 3d-data. The close collaboration with an excel lent andcourageous engineer – in this case Art Engineering, Dr.-Ing. SwitbertGreiner, Stuttgart – is another essential factor for the success of achallenging experimental structure like the „cut.enoid.tower“, which canbe under stood as a first prototype and creative sculpture with complexgeometrical and structural background.

„cut.enoid.tower“ was powered by a grant of the Tyrolean Science Fund (TWF), Gemeinde Mieders,Agrargemein schaft Mieders, Serlesbahnen Mieders, Architekturwerkstatt, E.Hager, K.Oberwalder,Radiusholz – Holzbau Unterrainer, Fa. Doka, Fa. Porr, Fa. Holzbau Schafferer, Fa. Felbermayr

! Günther H. Filz, University of Innsbruck Institute of Structure and Design: [email protected]: www.koge.at

GÜNTHER H. FILZ _ KOGE

Serge Ferrari's flexible composite materials areinstalled in sport venues around the world: fromthe most iconic structures to the every day prac-tice fields for the next generation athletes. An interesting overview:

http://architecture.sergeferrari.fr/sport-venues?langue=EN

One of the smaller sport facilities are the RoyalArtillery Barracks . Magma Studio designed three, temporary, mov-able, and recyclable barrack buildings made ofSerge Ferrari NPP* composite material which of-fers unique advantages:

- being lightweight,they are as quick andeasy to install as toremove and re-install;

- manufactured basedon Précontraint Serge Ferrari patented tech-nology, they are flexible, very strong, extremelystable dimensionally: charac teris tics that remain durable, even after several installationremoval operations;

- finally, the membranes natural translucencyprovides the natural light contribution andrecreates the variations in the sun's strength orthe clouds' conveyed shadows, conditions to bemet to ensure official approval of the perform-ance characteristics of these sporting events,which are usually held in the open air.

Inside, 14.000m² of white microaerated Soltis 92

NPP composite were tensionedto respond to a triple concern: en-hancement of thermal comfort,absorption of sound reverbera-tion and contribution to aesthet-ics by concealing the buildingframe members, while maintain-

ing maximum light transmission. Finally, 10.000m² of Stamisol FT 381 NPP open-work composite material were installed to sup-port structually the ballistic protection screens.

Architect: MAGMA Architecture SARL Fabrication/Installation: Base Structures Serge Ferrari flexible composite materials:

External enveloppe Précontraint 1002 S2 NPPMaterial area: 22.500m²Internal lining: Soltis 92 NPPMaterial area: 14.000m² Structural support: Stamisol FT 381 NPPMaterial area: 10.000m²

W E B S I T E TO D I S C OV E R

TEMPORARY SCULPTURE WITHCOMPLEX GEOMETRICAL ANDSTRUCTURAL BACKGROUND

cut.enoid.tower

Photos: G. Filz, Th. Krämer, Aria Salek