BELTS IN TEXTILE ARCHITECTURE

BENDING-ACTIVE MEMBRANE STRUCTURE

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. 22APRIL 2012PUBLISHED TWICE A YEARPRICE €15 (POST INCL)www.tensinet.com

BC Place StadiumAN ICONIC LANDMARK

ART meets HIGHTECH"LEVIATHAN" FOR MONUMENTA 2011

PROJECTS

RESEARCH

© Hightex GmbH

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 20122

Ceno Tecwww.ceno-tec.de

Dyneonwww.dyneon.com

FabricArtMembrane Structureswww.fabricart.com.tr/

Form TLwww.Form-tl.de

Messe FrankfurtTechtextilwww.techtextil.de

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, marijke.mollaert@vub.ac.be

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

ARTICLE

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9 Bending-active

12 Belts

17 EPD

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4 Canada BC PLACE STADIUM AN ICONIC LANDMARK

5 Canada REPLACEMENT OF THE SAILS

6 France INFLATABLE EVENT SPACE FOR A MUSEUM

8 Canada TALISMAN CENTRE TensothermTM

10 Luxemburg PATINOIRE DE BEAUFORT

11 Germany FLOATING LIGHT WINGS RAILWAY STATION

14 Germany SAVING HAND DISTINCTIVE HELIPORT PLATFORM

14 Spain FOUR FABRIC HYPAR SURFACES AN ICONIC LANDMARK

16 France ART MEETS HIGHTECH Anish Kapoor's "Leviathan" for MONUMENTA 2011

18 Germany GASOMETER AIR-INFLATED STRUCTURE

22 UK CAMDEN MARKETS WALKWAY A new canopy

23 Italy NEW JUVENTUS STADIUM Covering membrane

n°22

REPORT

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6 LAVA DISASTER STRIKES

22 LITERATURE

24 TENSINET SYMPOSIUM Istanbul

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20 STRUCTURAL MEMBRANES 2011

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 3

Edito

Forthcoming MeetingsTensiNet meetings in Bath, UKWednesday 27/06/201209:00 - 10:00 Partner Meeting (1/2012)10:00 - 12:00 Working Group Meetings

Pneumatic Structures - Matthew Birchall Analysis & Materials - Peter Gosling Life Cycle Assessment - Jan CremersSpecifications EUROCODE - Marijke Mollaert

12:00 - 12:30 Tour of Offices12:30 Transport to Bath University icff 2012

Location: Buro Happold Ltd , Camden Mill, 230 Lower Bristol Road, Bath

Following an initiative of Prof. Jan Cremers fromHightex, a new working group has beenfounded which will focus on the subject of LifeCycle Assessment (LCA). The aim of this groupis to review the current status on materials andtypical membrane structures with regard toLCA issues. As building certification becomesmore and more standard this subject will alsotouch our part of the building sector. The statusreached so far is very heterogeneous andinconsistent for the typical materials we use.On the level of structure types, there is hardlyany information available so far. The LCAWorking Group will identify and describe stepsthat could be taken within the TensiNetassociation to achieve a coherent data base towork with. It should also be as open and

transparent as possible to gain a maximum ofcredibility. The idea is to present a kind of roadmap how to proceed at the next meeting.During the setup in Barcelona (November2011) and afterwards, there was great interest

to cooperate in this working group fromdifferent sides. But of course we still inviteothers to join us. If you are interested, pleasesend an email to Jan Cremers from Hightex:jan.cremers@hightexworld.com.

Looking forward to future TensiNet activities we are happy to launch the nextTensiNet Symposium 2013 which will be held in Istanbul (TR) from Wednesday the 8th till Friday the 10th of May 2013. The Symposium with the title [RE]THINKING lightweight structures will cover different topics such as Recent Projects; [RE]Thinking Analysis and Materials; ETFE Applications; Pneumatic Structures and [Closing the Loop] Life Cycle Assessment for Membrane Materials and Structures. The keynote speakers Werner Sobek(DE), Alar Ruutopold (USA) and Jan Cremers (DE) have already confirmed to give a lecture atthe event. The call for abstracts will be distributed soon.

The next TensiNet Partner meeting will be organised at Buro Happold on Wednesday 27th ofJune just before the start of the 2nd International Conference on Flexible Formwork(www.icff2012.co.uk) in Bath (UK). Matthew Birchall (WG Pneumatic Structures) and JanCremer (WG Life Cycle Assessment) will have their first Working Group meeting, while PeterGosling (WG Analysis and Materials) and Marijke Mollaert (WG Specifications Eurocode) will report about the recent progress in their WG discussions. With the Working Group activities we try to establish state of the art documents and hence disseminate progress inmaterial development, technology and calculation methods.

In the current TensiNews issue the mentioned projects range from small canopies or inflatable event covers up to the large sport facilities. The renewal of the membrane to extend the lifespan of a construction has been done in several cases, while the application ofinflatable membrane structures is growing. In the academic institutions interesting research was done. At the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (University of Stuttgart, DE) a new type of bending-activemembrane structure was developed and realized in collaboration with students from theHochschule für Technik in Stuttgart. At the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE) a researchon "Belts in textile architecture" was finalised. The TensiNet Association is establishing anoverview of recently or currently conducted research in the domain of Fabric Architectureperformed in Europe, which could be a basis for more active networking in research activities.

The number of members of the TensiNet Association is only slightly varying. We welcome Sefar AG, who is taking over the technical textiles activities from Gore, as a TensiNet Partner!The fact that workshops like Textile Roofs in Berlin (www.textile-roofs.com) and masterclasses like the Master of Engineering in Membrane Structures in Dessau (www.membranestructures.de), the Postgraduate MEng program Membrane LightweightStructures in Vienna (cec.tuwien.ac.at/engineering_school/membrane_lightweight_structures) and the first Tensile Architecture Master in Madrid (www.structuralia.com/artx)gain success confirms the increasing interest from architects and engineers in Tensile SurfaceStructures. Still building on a lightweight future.

Forthcoming EventsTextile Roofs 2012 TU Berlin, Germany 14-16/05/2012http://textile-roofs.com/ ● 2012 IASS Annual Symposium: IASS-APCS 2012 Seoul, Korea 21-24/05/2012 http://iass2012.org/ ●

ROOF INDIA 2012 Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India 25-27/05/2012 http://www.roofindia.com/ ● 2nd International

Conference on Flexible Formwork icff 2012 Bath, UK 27- 29/06/2012http://people.bath. ac.uk/jjo20/icff/ICFF2012/ Homepage.html● International Textile Conference Dresden, Germany 29-30/11/2012 www.aachen-dresden-itc.de ● TensiNetSymposium 2013 Istanbul, Turkey 8-10/05/2013 ●

2nd International Conference on Structures and Architecture ICSA 2013Guimarães, Portugal 24-26/07/2013 http://www.icsa2013.arquitectura.uminho.pt ● Annual Symposium: Beyond the Limit of Man

2013 IASS Wroclaw, Poland 23-27/09/2013

CALL for participants for TensiNet Working Group

on Life Cycle Assessment

Context"BC Place" in Vancouver Canada was first opened in 1983 as part of theWorld Expo 1986. The original roof was one of the largest air inflateddomes and has become one of Vancouver landmarks. However, after asignificant tear in the fabric skin and consequential deflation early January2007, it became apparent the roof system has approached the end of itslife cycle. At this stage it was decided to initiate a major rejuvenationproject, which included beside major renovation of all stadium facilitiesalso a new roof and a highly translucent facade.

ProjectIn contrary to most other stadium facilities BC Place hosts throughout theyear not only sporting events but also trade fairs and concerts. Thereforethe use is predominately a closed facility. One of the design criteria for theroof was that it must be able to carry all the snow loads.The structural principal of the new roof system was introduced by SchlaichBergermann and Partners from Stuttgart in Germany and is based on thespoke wheel system. At the perimeter 36 steel masts are placed onto theexisting concrete structure. An upper steel compression ring and asecondary lower tension ring of a bundle of endless cables stabilize 36 cable trusses that run into the centre node (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). About two third of the roof is a fixed fabric roof of PTFE/Glass membranewith 36 bays spanning between the cable trusses and rest on concentricseries of 9 arches. The fixed roof also has a lower mesh fabric membrane. The centre third of the roof is a retractable fabric roof of 36 inflatablecushions made of PTFE fabric. The cushion design became necessary for theretra c table portion of the roof of BC Place to take on the wind and snowloads. At fair weather, the roof can be opened up to 7.500m² of sky.

To retract the roof, large deflation units installed in the centre node extractthe air from the cushions. The deflated membrane quilt of 36 cushions,attached to 9 sliding carriages each running along the 36 lower radial cables,is pulled towards the centre. The folded membrane is then parked inside avertical moving garage. The centre node is 60m above the playing field (Fig.4 and 5).To deploy the retractable roof, the membrane quilt is pulled over theglazing skirt at the transition to the fixed roof. The inflation of the cushionsto 500Pa then stabilizes the whole roof structure. An additional inflatedclosure ring at the perimeter of the retractable roof presses against theglazing skirt to seal the fabric roof structure against wind and rain. 72 loadsensors on the hanger cables track the snow load on the roof and, at higherloads, trigger increased air pressures of 1000Pa and 2000Pa.At the perimeter of the stadium between the existing concrete structureand the steel compression ring, a single layered ETFE facade was installed.4 horizontal frames, each about 20m long and 2m high with 13 verticalarches span between the 36 steel masts. These facade elements arespanned with fritted ETFE foil. All facade elements are fitted with LED lightelements between the arches, which can be electronically controlled to thewhole spectrum of colours, so the whole facade can be illuminated withastounding light effects.BC Place Stadium with its prominent steel columns, the retractable roof,and illuminated facade is in many ways the first and very unique of its kind.Since the opening ceremony in September 2011 it has become an iconiclandmark for Vancouver and British Columbia.

! Seethaler Markus: markus.seethaler@hightexworld.com! Gregor Grunwald: gregor.grunwald@hightexworld.com: www.hightexworld.com

© Pictures: Hightex GmbH

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 20124

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BC Place Stadium AN ICONIC LANDMARK

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Name of the project: BC Place StadiumLocation: Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaYear of construction: 2011Client: Pavillion CorporationArchitect: Stantec Architecture Ltd.Design concept for membrane roof: Schlaich Bergermann und PartnerEngineer of Record: Geiger EngineersMembrane Analysis: TensysDetailed design: Tony Hogg DesignGeneral Contractor: PCL Contractors WestcoastContractor for the retractable roof membrane and facade: Hightex Tensile Structures Ltd.Contractor for the fixed roof: FabricTec Structures Inc.Membrane material: Sefar TenaraCovered area of retractable roof: 7500m² (double layer)Membrane material for the fixed roof: Saint Gobain Sheerfill IFaçade: Saint Gobain ETFEArea: 5750m² (single layer)

HIGHTEX

Figure 1-2. BC Place at night © Grant MatticeFigure 3. Façade and roof structure© Grant MatticeFigure 4. Stadium center node Figure 5. Retractable roofFigure 6-9. Installation work © Hightex GmbH

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 5

ProjectDesigned by Canadian architectEberhard Zeidler, Canada Place isone of the country’s most recog ni -zed architectural landmarks. After25 years of exemplary service, thefamed fabric roof at Canada Place inVancouver was updated with a newtensile roofing system from Birdair,Inc. Birdair also served as roofingsubcontractor for the originalCanada Place fabric sail installationin 1985. The structure’s current roofwas retrofitted with 8.474m² ofTiO2-coated PTFE fiberglass fabric membrane that matches theori ginal five-sail design (Fig. 1 and 2).

PropertiesPTFE, or polytetrafluoroethylene,makes up the membrane, whilenon-toxic and flame-resistant TiO2(titanium dioxide) provides self-cleaning capabilities thatsignificantly reduce the need for itsmaintenance. The material is alsohighly durable, weather and fire resistant, and has a projected lifeexpectancy exceeding 20 years.

ReplacementLocated on the Burrard Inletwaterfront of Vancouver, theconstruction team had to replacethe roof while keeping the struc -ture closed at all times to protect itfrom high winds. The new roof waserected underneath the old roof asa “tent within a tent.” Rope access

technicians installed one new sailat a time and, upon completion,carefully removed the old roof. Thefinal survey showed that the newsails, once tensioned, were nearlyidentical to the original (Fig. 3).

RecyclingAt the end of the project, Birdairdonated unused and slightly usedconstruction materials, includingaccess platforms, hoisting ballastsand temp brackets, to the BritishColumbia Institute of Technologyfor use in their skilled trade pro -grams. To repurpose the old roof,Canada Place has partnered withArchitecture For Humanity Van -couver to recycle the sails, whichwill be used for humani tarianpurposes at home and abroad.

ContextThe $21-million project wasfinanced through the InfrastructureStimulus Fund, a key component ofCanada’s Economic Action Plan,which is aimed at creating jobs andsupporting industry, whilecontributing to the economichealth of the country. Constructionon the retrofit project began in July 2010 and was completed inMarch 2011.

! Michele Roth: mroth@birdair.com: http://www.birdair.com

Name of the project: Canada PlaceLocation address: 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC, CanadaClient (investor): Canada Place Corporation of Vancouver, BC, CanadaFunction of building: Cruise ship terminal, hotel and convention centerType of application of the membrane: RoofYear of construction: 2010Architects: Eberhard ZeidlerMulti disciplinary engineering: Geiger Engineers of Suffern, NYEngineers: Geiger Engineers of Suffern, NYConsulting engineer for the membrane: Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYMain contractor: Ledcor Construction of Vancouver, BC, CanadaContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYSupplier of the membrane material: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics,

Merrimack, NHManufacture and installation: Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYMaterial: TiO2-coated PTFESurface (roofed area): 8.474m² Figure 3. Erection of the new roof

Replacement of the sails BIRDAIR, INC

Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

BIRDAIR, INC.

WITH UPDATED TiO2-COATED PTFE FABRIC MEMBRANE

Figure 2. Canada Place view from the waterfront

Figure 1. Connection detail

ContextThis project is a temporaryinflatable pavilion, designed anderected at the Lille MétropoleMusée d'Art Moderne, d’ArtContemporain et d’Art Brut (LaM).The structure was commissionedfor the reopening ceremonies of theLaM in September 2010, after 5years of public closure to refurbishand extend the museum. Thiscustom inflatable structure wasdesigned by 2hD Architects, incollaboration with Inflate, who alsocarried out the fabrication andinstallation (Fig. 1).

Project The client’s challenging brief had avery practical, an experiential, aswell as a symbolic dimension.On a pragmatic level, the pavilionneeded to be very easily andquickly erected, to accommodate350 people, and adapt itself topublic ceremonies, dining,conference and theatre/cinemauses with minimal adaptationcosts. The design achieves thiswhilst also allowing for breakoutspace, or for combinations of theabove functions. Within the first 2opening days, the pavilion was usedin succession for all the functionsmentioned.Experientially, the design needed tofit within the park grounds, to sitwell amongst the illustriousoutdoor sculptures, to have adiaphanous, enticing appearanceand to offer a unique spatialexperience, as well as guidingvisitors towards the museum’sentrance. At the same time, thepavilion should respect a clearvisual hierarchy with the existingmuseum building and its newly

built extension.Symbolically, the structure wasalso to become an iconic projectionof the museum's image to thepublic and, as such, should beunique and recognisable.A number of locations in the parkwere considered, but wereeventually narrowed down to one,close to the main park entrance, tofit with landscaping constraints.The pavilion site lies next to thesubtle original brick buildings of themuseum, within its extensivesculpture gardens, and overlooksthe surrounding country park.

DesignThe form of the structure wasdesigned to respond to the varioususe situations discussed with theclient. Key to this flexibility was thevisual division of the large unifiedinternal space into two sub-spaces,a large one defining the focal pointof the pavilion and a smaller onethat could operate as a breakoutspace and articulate the flow ofpublic into the pavilion (Fig. 2).

The structural form quickly evolvedtowards two main air beamsspanning across the footprint,visually defining sub-spaces insidethe large enclosure and echoing thetwo large glazed doors openingtowards the sculpture park and thecanal (Fig. 3).

These air beams reinforce apressurised double-layertranslucent skin that encloses thespace. The structure is pressurisedbetween these two textile layers,meaning that the structure did notrequire an airlock. This approach aschosen to maximise the visualconnection with the surroundings

and ease the flow of public in andout of the pavilion. The structurewas pressurised by 15 centrifugalfans (12 active plus 3 backups), of1.5 kW power each, equipped withnoise silencers and wired to apressure-sensitive alarm system (tomonitor the inflation level).The translucent skin is made of twolayers of white Rip-Stop nylon andthe spanning and peripheral airbeams were fabricated from whitePVC coated polyester membrane(Fig. 4).Due to the tight deadlines andbudget, the manufacturer, Inflate,was involved at a very early stageof the design process, during 2hD'sfeasibility study in May 2010. Theproposed structure was the largestcustom-designed structure everfabricated by the manufacturer, butthis close collaboration was key incontrolling costs and fabrication

time, integrating a number ofstandardised construction detailsand components developed byInflate on previous projects.

Installation and useThe structure was fabricated inChina from June 2010 and wasdelivered to site packed in a smalltrailer in September 2010.

Although the actual inflation of thestructure only took 10 minutes, thepreparation work on site tookseveral days (Fig. 5). Landscapingwork had not been completed ontime and instead of a smooth lawnon the designated installation site,the structure had to be installed onuneven ground with poor drainage,recently damaged by earthworkvehicles. This was complicated bystaffing issues, requiring theinstallation work to be carried out

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 20126

Inflatable event spaceLille, France2hD Architects

FOR A MUSEUM

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TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 7

by the small team working aroundthe clock.

The pavilion was nonethelesscompleted on time for theceremonies during which it wasused for press conferences, a VIPlunch, a vernissage reception,visitor orientation and cinemaprojections.

The quality of the space and thedramatic light created by theenclosure, vibrant inside duringdaytime, and acting as a glowingbeacon in the park at night,attracted much praise from thevisitors and the client (Fig. 6 and 7).This pavilion received an Award forArchitecture by the Royal Instituteof British Architects East Midlandsand was shortlisted for the WorldArchitectural festival Awards 2011.

! Thibaut Devulder : thibaut@2hd.co.uk! Alina Hughes: alina@2hd.co.uk: www.2hD.co.uk

Awards: RIBA East Midlands award(Winner of *out of region* category) World Architecture Festival Awards 2011(shortlisted in Display category)

Figure 1. Panorama of pavilion in front ofthe museum, at night © Yves Morfouace

Figure 2. Alternative configurations tohost various types of events (reception,opening ceremony, theatre, seateddinner) © 2hD

Figure 3. Sketch elevation and plan of thestructure © 2hD

Figure 4. Inflatable pavilion during theopening lunch © 2hD

Figure 5. Event space, a few minutes afterinflation © 2hD

Figure 6. Interior view, during a pressconference © 2hD

Figure 7. Exterior view at night from themuseum © Yves Morfouace

Location: Villeneuve d'Ascq, FranceClient: Lille Métropole Musée d'Art Moderne, Art Contemporain et Art Brut (LaM)Architects: 2hD Architects (http: //2hd.co.uk)Fabrication and installation: Inflate (http: //inflate.co.uk)Budget: 136.000€Completion: September 2010Usable internal area: 360m²Overall footprint: 400m²Max dimensions: 40m (length), 15m (width), 19m (overall width), 8m (height)Ground anchors: 500mm deep Terra-bolt screws every 2m of perimeter Inflation system: 15 centrifugal fans (12 active plus 3 backups), 1.5kW power each,

equipped with noise silencers. All fan units wired to pressure-sensitive alarm system.Main surface materials: Rip-Stop nylon, white translucentAir beams materials: PVC coated polyester, whiteDoors: Polycarbonate doors on custom-made welded steel framesLighting: centrally controlled fluorescent tube enclosed in peripheral air beamsFlooring: modular polypropylene flooring panels (ROLA-TRAC™)

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LAVA’s DigitalOrigami EmergencyShelter is a conceptfor an inhabitedmolecule. The designis based on a water-molecule,referencing theJapanese Metabolistmovement`s idea ofprefabricatedcapsules as livingspace. The basemolecule can be

shipped as a flat pack, cut out of local plywood, or dropped off by ahelicopter. The interior can then be carved out of wood, cardboard,newspapers or other locally available materials. The project plays withideas of prefabrication and personalised inhabitation, as well asstacking of multiple units, while giving an opportunity for individualexpression. Each unit contains a sleeping space for two adults and onechild as well as a little space for eating and reading. Battery or solaroperated LED light brings the shelter to life, turning it into a lantern, a sign of hope. The Emergency Shelter exhibition featured shelters bylocal and international architects and was on display on the CustomsHouse forecourt Sydney, Australia from 1-3 September 2011. The exhibition highlighted the need for emergency shelters in disasterzones and the role of the design and construction industry in theaftermath of natural disasters. The Emergency Shelter Exhibition hopesto raise awareness and aid for the thousands of people who have beendisplaced by Japan’s natural disasters.

For the exhibition LAVA created a scalemodel, made from CNC cut plywoodsheets. In a real situation the flat packwould be folded into an origami moleculeand filled with locally available material.LAVA worked with builder Keystone ProjectGroup and Staging Rentals.

! Jane Silversmith : jane_silversmith@mac.com: www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/digital-

origami-emergency-shelter www.emergencyshelteraustralia.com

Disaster strikes

Emergency shelter exhibition,Sydney, Australia

LAVA

How can architects help quickly, efficiently, sustainably and sensitively?

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 20128

ProjectBirdair, Inc. has completed theretrofit of the tensile roofingsystem for the Talisman Centre forSport and Wellness in Calgary.Birdair served as the roofing sub-contractor for the full-serviceathletic facility, replacing thestructure’s original 15.050m²tensile roof with an updatedTensothermTM with LumiraTM

aerogel, formerly Nanogel® aerogel roofing system.The original roof was installed in1983 and the new Tensotherm roofmaintains the facility’s external appearance while improvingdaylighting, insulation, energy efficiency and temperature control.Until recently, it was consideredimpossible to insulate a PTFE roofeffectively without sacrificing itsdaylighting capability. Technological advances led to thedevelopment of Tensotherm by Birdair with others.

PropertiesThe Tensotherm roofing compositeconsists of a Lumira aerogel layer, aCradle to CradleSM Silver CertifiedCM

insulating material by Cabot Corporation. Tensotherm iscomprised of the Lumira aerogelsandwiched between two PTFE fiberglass membranes. The resulting composite material is lessthan two inches thick (40mm), yetdelivers an insulation value of R-12(U=0,47W/m²K) and natural lighttransmission value of 2.5 percent(Fig. 3). By maintaining translucency, Tensotherm meets the facility’sneed for increased natural lighting.This results in glare-free daylightingand contributes to a high level ofenergy efficiency by reducing theneed for artificial lighting. Theadvanced system also offersmaximum moisture control andsuperior sound attenuation.As the first facility in Canada to

feature a Tensotherm roof,Talisman Centre will benefit fromthe material’s higher performancevalues. The aquatic facility's humidinterior atmosphere combined withCalgary’s extreme wintersimpacted the original fiberglassinsulation system which was stateof the art at the time of instal lation.Today, Tensotherm provides apermanent composite insulationsystem that is not adverselyaffected by moisture and gravity.The new Tensotherm roof isextremely durable, fade-resistantand will retain its brilliance overtime. The roof is also waterrepellent, as the insulative materialis hydro-phobic and doubles as ahigh-tech moisture managementmaterial that sheds water andprevents mold, mildew and rotting.With its minimal maintenancerequirements, superior durability and longevity, Tensotherm’s capabilities will notdeteriorate over time. Tensothermwill contribute to cost savings in regards to the facility’s electrical,HVAC and operational require -ments. Tensotherm™ is a patentpending product of Birdair, Inc.

ContextTalisman Centre is one of the mostheavily-visited multi-use sports facilities in North America. Firstopened in 1983, 1.800 people usethe facility each day. Current dailyfacility users range from Olympiccaliber athletes to communitymembers. A renewed Talisman Centre will help provide sport andwellness services to the 40.000-plus new residents and60.000-plus additional day commuters estimated to be livingand working in downtown Calgarybetween now and 2035.

Replacement & RecyclingRetrofit roofing construction on Talisman Centre began in January2010 and was completed in March2011 (Fig. 4 and 5). The facility’sprevious roof was recycled and willbe used by the City of Calgary Parks& Recreation to construct parkingshelters for their equipment.

! Michele Roth: mroth@birdair.com: http://www.birdair.com

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

BIRDAIR, INC.

Talisman CentreTensothermTM with

LumiraTM Aerogel Roofing System

Figure 1-2. External and internal view ofTalisman Centre

Figure 3. Tensotherm roofing compositeFigure 4-5. Erection of the new roof

Name of the project: Talisman CentreLocation address: 2225 Macleod Trail South, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 5B6Client (investor): Owned by The City of Calgary and operated

by the Lindsay Park Sports SocietyFunction of building: Multi-sport complexType of application of the membrane: RoofYear of construction: January 2010-May 2011Architects: Neil Jaud Architect INC, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaMulti disciplinary engineering: AD Williams Engineering, Inc, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaStructural Engineers: Geiger Engineering, Suffern, NYConsulting engineer for the membrane: Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYMain contractor: Dominion Construction Management, Calgary, Alberta, CanadaContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYSupplier of the membrane material: Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYManufacture and installation: Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, NYMaterial: Tensotherm™ with LumiraTM aerogelCovered surface (roofed area): 15.050m²

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RESEARCH

At the Institute of Building Structures andStructural Design (University of Stuttgart,Germany) a new type of membranestructure was de vel opedand rea li zed in colla bo -ra tion with studentsfrom the HFTStuttgart under the supervision of Prof. F. Buchmann (Fig. 1-2). The structure features7,5m long glass fibre rods that pre-stress themembrane by means of elastic bending. Witha span of 11x12m this is one of the first largescale membrane structures that uses such atechnique.

The use of elastically bent beam elements asintricate support system in membranesurfaces offers a great potential for newshapes and structurally highly efficientsystems in mechanically pre-stressedmembranes. While common camping tentshave used this technique for a long time, veryfew membrane structures are known that usebending active support systems in largerscale. The term “bending-active” was intro -duced by the author to describe curved beamor surface structures that base their geometry

on the elastic deformation of initiallystraight or planar elements [1]. Highlyefficient structures can be realized withthe use of elastic bending [2].Incorporating elastic beams (sail battens)in a membrane surface enables free corners tobe created which are stabilised solely by thebeam which in turn is restrained by thesurface. Owing to its elasticity, the beampartially adapts to the curvature of thesurface, but can carry compressive forcesbecause it is restrained against buckling by themembrane. As a result tension forces in thecorners can be short cut by the beam, whichleads to a significant reduction in anchoringforces of the entire membrane structure.

It was found that offsetting the beamelements to the membrane surface with thehelp of tailored pockets increases thestructural stability. In the project shown herethe pockets had a maximum offset of 12cm tothe membrane surface which graduallydiminished towards the corner points in orderto tangentially reach the cable edge (Fig. 3).One of the biggest challenges was the pre-stressing of the membrane; a special pullingdevice was built in order to connect the cornerplates to the end of the glass fibre rods (Fig. 4). PTFE spray was used to reduce frictionbetween the glass fibre rods and membranepocked in this process.

The form-finding was realized with the finiteelement Software SOFISTIK which enabled asimultaneous form-finding of the pre-stressedmembrane and elastically bent beams into aninterdependent equilibrium system (Fig. 5).Special coupling elements where used in orderto simulate the offset connection of the beamelements to the membrane surface withtangential slip.After the successful test setup in Stuttgart (Fig. 2) the structure was mounted bystudents from HFTStuttgart and the ENAMorocco as a court yard shading for anarchitecture school in Marrakech in March2012 (Fig. 1).

! Julian Lienhard : j.lienhard@itke.uni-stuttgart.de

Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Reference[1] Knippers J, Cremers J, Gabler M, Lienhard J: Construction

Manual for Polymers + Membranes, Institut fürinternationale Architektur-Dokumentation. München:Edition Detail, 2010. pp. 134

[2] Simon Schleicher, Julian Lienhard, Moritz Fleischmann:Forschungspavillon ICD/ITKE - Sommer 2010, Detailonline: http://www.detail.de/artikel_forchungspavillon-universitaet-stuttgart_26600_De.htm

Bending-active membrane structure

Figure 1. Court yard shading for an architecture school in MarrakechFigure 2. General view of the bending-active membrane structure , test setup in StuttgartFigure 3. Detail of the corner points Figure 4. Detail of the connection corner plates and end of glass fibre rodsFigure 5. Form-finding with the finite element Software SOFISTIK

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ContextBeaufort is located in the“Mullerthal Region, Luxemburg’sLittle Switzerland” in the east ofLuxemburg bordering Germany.Main attractions are the old castle,the open-air swimming pool andthe artificial skating rink. In 2008the idea was defined to cover theskating rink to save energy, toincrease the attractiveness, to geta weather independent skatingfacility and furthermore a year-round place for any kind of events.The attendance decreasedgradually, so that the “Syndicatd’Initiative et du Tourisme” asoperator started a research and aninternal idea competition betweenits members. Based on first roughideas the client met with thearchitect Michael Kiefer, expert inthe field of textile architecturalprojects. Kiefer and his teamprovided a variety of differentpossibilities. The head team of theSyndicat decided to go with themost ambitious and creativesolution which has the potential tocreate a landmark on the site.

Kiefer finalized the design study inorder to receive the approval bythe municipality and by the twoco-financing ministries. During2010 the funding was confirmed.Kiefer´s team restarted by thenwith detail design, final structuralanalysis and preparation of thetender documents. In March 2011all contracts had been signed, workon side started punctually in April2011 and was finished preciselyend of October 2011. Enough timefor the preparation of ice and theopening ceremony, which tookplace on the 11-11-11 in thepresence of three Ministers. “Withthe roof, a dream came true”proudly said by Françoise Bonert,president of the Syndicat in heropening speech.

ProjectThree cones added along thelongitudinal axis give thesculptural look of the 2.600m²large roof structure. The whiteshining surface welcomes theguests from far. Appropriate forwinter time the appearance give

associations like snow, hillylandscape, freshness. Each cone-ring is carried by one pylon. Cablesare holding them backwards,running over a pair of smallerpylons into the foundation body.All pylons base at one centre point.Their inclined position remind on acrane system. The counterpart ofthe tie back cables consist in thehuge membrane cones, which arefixed at their edges either punctualat perimeter struts or continuouslyalong a smoothly bended threetruss girder.The concept reacts onto theexisting circumstances. The sitewith surrounding buildings allowedvery limited anchoring space inSouth, East and West direction.Only in the North, vertical to thelength of the ice-rink, exists a freearea with ideal foundationconditions. Ground samples weretaken at all anchoring points withexceeding tension or pressureforces. The foundation conceptvaried from tension anchoring andconcrete foundation bodies,executed with high quality facing

concrete. Pylons, three trussgirders are joined by site welding.Transport of the large elements ledto a logistic challenge due to thesmall and winding roads aroundBeaufort. After installation of allstructural steel elements, the threemembrane elements were spreadout onto prepared ice rink ground,jointed and fixed to the cone rings.A smart concept of lifting toolsallowed lifting the rings simulta -neously towards their fixationpoints. Many spectators joint thatbig lift. The complete roof acts asenormous lampshade, whichilluminates indirectly the ice rink.The membrane surface appears asan attractive sign in the landscapeand generates a spectacularinterior space by day and night.

! Françoise BonertPresident of Syndicat d’Initiativeet du Tourisme

: www.patinoire.luwww.beaufort.lu

! Michael KieferKiefer. Textile Architektur

: mk@k-ta.de: www.k-ta.de

Figure 1 and 2. External and interior night view Figure 3. Aerial view Figure 4 - 5. Connection detail TennectFigure 6. Cone rink lift during installation© Françoise Bonert, Michael KieferFigure 7. Drawing - façade

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Name of the project: Patinoire de Beaufort Location address: Beaufort, LuxembourgClient (investor): Syndicat d´Intitiative et du TourismeFunction of building: Cover of ice rinkType of application of the membrane: Cone Shape Year of construction: 2011Architects: Michael Kiefer, Sebastian Fey, Anjana Pereira (K.TA)Structural engineers: Tobias Lüdeke, Manfred Schieber (K.TA) / Elmar Rohrer

Consulting engineer for the membrane: Tobias Lüdeke (K.TA)Main contractor: Prebeck, Weiland BauContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Koch MembranenSupplier of the membrane material: MehlerManufacture and installation: Koch Membranen/ Wilfling MontagebauMaterial: Mehler, PVC/ PES Type 5Covered surface (roofed area): ca. 2600m²Membrane assembling system: Tennect (Carl Stahl)

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Patinoire de Beaufort

KIEFER. TEXTILE ARCHITECTURE

The railway station in Hamburg-Barmbek is with its 60.000passengers on working days one ofthe major transport hubs of theHanseatic city. Currently a new busstation is built. Together with thearchitects the engineers of formTLgmbh, Radolfzell designed thestructure of the V-shaped light rooffor the bus platforms. It nearly seemsto float – on slender columns, withilluminated, inflated foil cushions.End of 2011 the first of two phases ofconstruction was finished.

ContextThe ravages of time and themultitude of passengers have lefttheir marks on the railway station inHamburg-Barmbek. An urbandevelopment and an architecturalreplanning of the railway stationarea became necessary. In 2004 thecity of Hamburg and theHamburger Hochbahn AG haveinvited to a competition which waswon by a design team managed bythe architect's office ap plan moryosterwalder vielmo stuttgart/berlinwith a vision of a new architecturaland urban quality in Barmbek'scomplex of station buildings and itssurroundings. The concept includesdelicate, organisational of valueinterventions in the station's basicbody and in the station's wall. Thewest and east counter areas getnew entrance buildings and becomean urban link between the northernand southern districts. One part ofthe new construction with a clinkerbrick wall on the south side of thestation, is designed like its historicalarchetype on the north side, so theentrances are connectedarchitecturally. So a homogeneousappearance of the building arises. Atboth sides of the station platformroofs with integrated illuminationare built. The new infrastructuresystem optimizes the linking

between the carriers train and busas well as taxi and bicycle stations -a station of short ways will result.

Sky like foil cushionsNew stretched roofs over thetransfer areas allow the passengersto reach the busses of Hamburg'sÖPNV relaxed – weather protectedand on illuminated ways, during thenight too. The roof installed inheight is made of steel and foilcompletely. They consist of Y-shaped columns at intervals of 15mwhich support wings withintegrated cushions. The Y-columns are made of thick-walled tubes, the Y-shaped castnodes and the two cantilever armsare made of conic tubes. They arefounded rigidly with special basepoints on concrete piles. The 15mlong and 8,5m wide wings consist ofa central beam, two border beamsas well as in between welded wing

girders at intervals of 2,5m whichform a sub-grid. The bays betweenthe wing beams which are inclineddifferently are filled with ETFE-foilcushions. With Ethylen-Tetrafluor -ethylen (ETFE) formTL relies on aextremely durable plastic foil

without flexibilisers, with a weightof only 600 g/m². Even as a whitefoil the translucent high-techmaterial transmits 40% of thevisible spectrum and give a kindlyshadow during the day. The neontubes which are integrated invisiblyin the border beams provide agentle luminance along the busstops during the night. This gives afeeling of security during the night.The neon tube can be reacheddirectly or through openings formthe outside. The conduction is madeof stainless steel and goes invisiblyinside the structure. Until end of 2011 a 55m long roofelement as well as one of 115mlength have been realised at thesouth side of the railway station. Inspring 2012 the constructions onthe North side of the railwaystation will start, where another265m of steel-foil-roof will beinstalled. Latest by then the railwaystation with its floating illuminatedwings will be an unique urban signof that district.

! Bernd Stimpfle: bernd.stimpfle@form-tl.de

info@form-tl.deform TL ingenieure für tragwerkund leichtbau gmbh

: www.form-tl.de

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 11

FORM-TL

RAILWAY STATION

Floating light wingsHamburg-Barmbek, Germany

Name of the project: new construction railway station Barmbek Owner: Hamburger Hochbahn AGArchitects redesign/ ap plan mory osterwalder vielmo gmbh new construction railway station Barmbek: Berlin/Stuttgart Design team competition: ap plan mory osterwalder vielmo gmbh /

formTL ingenieure für tragwerk und leichtbau gmbh / Weidinger Landschaftsarchitekten / traffic planning Hans-Peter Henes

Structural design roof structure bus station: formTL ingenieure für tragwerk und leichtbau gmbh

Figure 1. View of the railway station with the roof over the transfer area © HAMBURGER HOCHBAHNFigure 2. Cross section with detail of theintegrated illumination © ap plan gmbh.Figure 3-4. Connection details

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IntroductionTextile belts are well known and improved infield of lifting and safety technology. Belts areused uncoated, are coated considering abrasionand mechanical wear or are protected byjackets. Available on the market are belts whichare coated after weaving with PVC or PUR andare applied to the tarpaulins of trucks. Therequirements to these belts are different tobelts applied in textile architecture. Thestrength is lower, the elastic stiffness is nearlyirrelevant, varying stresses under tension, creep,relaxation are low and UV-protection is lesscompared to the term durability of buildingcovers which should last at least 30 years.Scientific and technical work is still missing totransfer the requirements of buildingtechnology to belts for applications in textilearchitecture. The mechanical properties of thebelts are not well known, the influence of theweaving to the stiffness and the material lawsare unknown. The length of anchoring theforces in the belts is based on experience. Beltshave no specific properties for their use inmembranes for building covers and the designmethods are less developed.Normally steel cables are used in membranestructures to carry high forces. Edge detailsmade by belts are limited to small span coversto approximately 8m span depending on theexternal loads. These belts are normally sewedin textile pockets which are again sewed orwelded onto the fabric of the cover. The yarnsneed to be UV and abrasion resistant as well asweatherproof in case of sewing the belts ontothe fabric. The most critical point of sewing isthe precise strain of the seam. The seam has towithstand the strain for pretensioning the wholestructure without rupture. The stitching has tobe carried out while tensioning the membraneand the belt by hand. This causes an unevenstrain along the seams depending on theexperience of the person using the sewingmachine.

The disadvantages of sewed details are the factthat the seam is not watertight, the destroyingof yarns and the seam getting dirty over theyears. Dirt is collected along the yarns of theseams. If tightness and appearance areimportant the seams are either protected by anadditional tape or coated with liquid coatingcompound (Fig. 1).The most common use of belts in the corners isto collect the tangential forces along curvedboundaries additional to the boundary cables.The tangential forces are less compared to thestresses in the cables. The function of thesetangential belts is to prevent sliding of themembrane along the cables which requires aseparate anchoring of both load carryingelements. The belts are added in an additionaland costly work procedure; in most cases beltsare missing or the membranes are clamped tosteel plates in the edges. Belts are often used in retractable roofs and areimproved in several structures in the last twodecades. Steel cables are easily to roll up buthardly to fold and are limiting the folding of themembrane in the storing position. Mostretractable roofs are for shading and rainprotection, they are closed in case of high windloads or snow loads. The requirementsconsidering load carrying behaviour are less,the forces along the boundaries are lower andbelts are suitable in this case.

New developmentThe weaving technique of belts allows themanufacturing of belts with specific propertiesrelated to the different requirements. The warpcan be produced with nearly straight yarns andleads to nearly constant stress and strainbehaviour with less influence of the change inthe geometry of the yarns. Another possibilityis the weaving with a stress dependentbehaviour and provides advantages for the useof belts in membrane covers. If the stiffness ofthe belt is increasing in relation to the tensionforce the belts are flexible during the

pretensioning of the membrane and are gettingtheir stiffness if the required tension force isreached. The yarns of the belts can behardened to increase the stiffness byelongation under thermal treatment. Thedensity of the yarns in weft direction isimportant for in plane bending of the belts. Thebelts are more flexible and less bending stiff ifthe distance of the yarns is higher caused byincreasing the shear deformation of the yarnsagainst each other. In the same way the beltscan be produced with a given in planecurvature helping to adjust the belts to curvedboundaries of the membranes.The disadvantages of belts such as theextensive sewing, the protection against UVradiation and the fact that belts are notwatertight at the stitches are reduced if theyarns themselves are coated providing UVprotection and the belts can be welded ontothe membrane. The coating of yarns is a wellknown method to protect yarns againstenvironmental impacts. In a research anddevelopment project with two university, oneresearch institution and two industrial partnersthese method is developed further for appli -cations in textile architecture. The basic idea ofthe project is the coating of high strength yarns,for example made of polyester or polyethylene,the weaving of belts with the coated fabrics andthe welding of the yarns directly to themembranes (Fig. 2). The advantages areobvious, the yarns are fully protected againstenvironmental impacts such as humidity, UV-radiation, pollution etc. The coating can betreated to become flame retar dant or can bemade of not burnable flour polymers. if thiscoating has the same or similar chemicalcompounds as the coating of the membrane,then welding is easily possible. In case of PVC orTHV coatings the belts can be applied by HFwelding on the membranes. Furthermore theconnection is tight against humidity and waterand the strain behaviour can be better definedcompared to a sewed connection.

RESEARCH

BELTSin textile Architecture

Presented are applications of new technologies in the textileindustries to the design of textile architecture. The process is

described in which yarns are coated, the coated yarns are woven tobelts, the belts are welded onto coated fabric and the fabric with the

belts is used in a demonstration building. The belts have adjustableproperties and can be used along boundaries, edges,

high or low points in the membrane building.

Figure 1. Edge detail with a belt in a sewedpocket Figure 3. Belt of coated yarns (Weaver: Güth & Wolf, Gütersloh, Germany)Figure 4. Stress and strain behaviour and Seam strength in an uniaxial tension test (KIT, Labor Bautechnologie)Figure 5. Demonstration building (manu-factured by Walter Krause GmbH, Walheim)

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The breaking strength and the elastic stiffnessare determined by the material of the yarns, thetexture and the width of the belts. The loadtransfer between membrane and belts isdetermined by the stiffness, strength andadhesion of the coating and defines the lengthof anchoring the belts. The tasks needed to be solved within the projectare derived from the presented idea ofproducing belts of already coated yarns andwelding these belts onto coated fabric. Themost important points are:• Selection of the yarns• Selection of the coating• Coating of the yarns• Weaving of belts with the coated yarns• Determination of the ultimate strength of the

belts• Stress- and strain behaviour of the belts• Load transfer between belt and fabric• Wealdability of the belts• End terminals of the belts• Design and construction of a demonstrator

The list of requirements for the yarns is largeand some of them are strength, sensitivityagainst lateral pressure, foldability, flameretardant, adhesion, compatibility of thecoating, handling, ecological and economicalaspects. To ensure the success of the project a polyesteryarn PES 2200 dtex is chosen. The parameters for the coating are goodbehaviour for the application onto the yarns,good adhesion, resistance against lateralpressure, UV resistance, flame retardant and longterm durability. A PUR coating is a commonmethod for protecting yarns in the outdoorfurniture industry and is used for further steps.The produced belts have 120 yarns in warpdirection and a width of 6cm (Fig. 3).The belts are tested in uniaxial tension test to getthe stress and strain relation, the breakingstrength and elongation. For the manufacturedbelts the maximum force is approximately 7kN.

Up to a force of 400N the belts are very soft andbetween 400N and 5kN tension force the stressand strain relation is relative constant. At a forceof 5kN the belts get softer till they break.The design force is given by the ultimate forcereduced by the safety factor for the material,which is 6 to 7 for belts in the lifting or safetyindustry. This means the design force of thedeveloped belt is 1kN which is very low. Thesafety factor is 3 to 4 for the membrane itself.Further investigations are necessary to developa design method which allows a higher loadcarrying capacity of the belts and ensuresenough safety against failure.In the next step the welding of the belts isexamined. Different samples are tested withrespect to the size and the arrangement of theconnection between belt and fabric. The resultsshow a very good adhesion between belt andmembrane. In all test the membrane failedbefore the connection of belt and fabric loststrength. The adhesion between the twocoatings is strong enough as well as theadhesion of the coatings to the yarns of thebelts and the fabric (Fig. 4).The critical point of the load transfer from a twodirectional fabric to a unidirectional belt is thefabric at the end of the belt. The low shearstiffness of the coating of the membraneintroduces high stresses in the fabric and causescracks in the membrane at the end of the belt.This application requires an additionalreinforcement of the membrane to ensure abetter load transfer into the membrane.The handling and different solutions for weldingthe belts onto the membrane is verified in asmall membrane cover which is designed andbuilt up. The cover has a size of 10m in length,3,3m in width and is spanned into a given steelframe. The cover is made of several parts testingand demonstrating the feasibility of the belts.The cover has a low point as well as a valleyboth are made by the belts welded onto themembrane or between two membranes alongthe seam of the valley. The boundaries are made

RESEARCH

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Figure 2. Principle diagram of the manufacturing process

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in different ways; the belt is welded onto thefabric, welded and fol ded underneath orguided in a pocket (Fig. 5).The following gives the field of applications ofthe developed belts are in the textilearchitecture:• Concentrating of high forces in membranes

along geometrical and mechanicaldiscontinuities such as high points, lowpoints, valleys, edges, changes in surfacegeometry or change in the orientation ofwarp and weft

• Belts help to reduce deformations underexternal loads and to avoid pounding ofwater and snow

• The manufacturing can be simplifiedbecause no additional pockets are neededto assemble for the boundary cables

• To simplify the construction on site becausethe whole membrane with all boundaryelements can be brought on site.

• To increase the safety of the membranes, incase of a failure belts along the seams canbe used for stabilizing the primary structure.

• To widen the range of possible shapes,introducing belts in the surface the shapecan be changed.

Belts made out of coated yarns are also ofinterest in other industrial fields, in whichbelts are sewed on membranes such as trucktarpaulins, flexible bags, sails etc. The marketfor the developed product is not limited tothe textile architecture and can be moresuccessful if the applications are much wider.

AcknowledgementThe presented work is the summary of theresearch project “belts in textileArchitecture”, founded by the GermanMinistry of Education and Research with inthe programme FHprofUnt in 2007 – 2009.The partners are the University of Appliedscience Munich, KIT department buildingtechnology, ITV Denkendorf, Güth Wolf asmanufacturer of the belts and Walter KrauseGmbH as manufacturer of the textilestructures.

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) Institutfür Entwerfen und Bautechnik! Rosemarie Wagner: Rosemarie.Wagner@kit.edu: http://fgb.ieb.kit.edu

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 201214

The designcorresponds to a roof

for a multifunctional sport courtwith a disposable area of 46x24m².It was decided to cover this areawith a textile fabric geometricallydefined by four hypar surfacessquared into a steel structure. Theparticular of this design is that thefour supports are placed in themiddle of the edges and not in thecorners as it is habitual, so thestructure has a four wing roof with23m of cantilever in the larger and12m in the shorter direction.Precedents of this solution,obtained from other applicationsare introduced.The composition of hypars fortextile roofs has the merit tooptimize the structural behaviorlike shell hypars do. The challengewas to design a structure to solve agreat size commitment.

Between several geometricalpossibilities the composition withfour similar forms connected waschosen (Fig. 1). The perimeter beam was sub stituted by a steel framestabilized with cables (Fig. 2). This 20x20m² solution is useful forinstance to roof two paddle courts.For a rectangular shape a 30x20m²area was proposed which coverstwo tennis courts and agrandstands, like shown in Figure 3where supports have beenreinforced by adding a new branch.These two proposals had neverbeen built but were useful topropose a cover over a new playingground for multifunction purposes

for a 40x20m² area. Because thereal dimension would be 46x24m²it was necessary to extend the roofby reinforcing the steel frame.Moreover it was necessary to addnew elements like a sliding fabricwall and to consider the possibilityof drainage directly to the sink.Finally a new version was adoptedfor the same proposal, in which thedimension was 46x24m² and werethe steel structure wasbeen reinforced.

After a few considerations thestructure was completed with thefollowing additional improvements(Fig. 4):- Stabilizing cables into the lateral

frames;- Sliding curtain wall to close and

open the lateral enclosure;- Ventilation system on the crown

of the roof.The structure consists in pipes ofØ323.8 for the main pieces andØ120.5 for the secondary ones.

ARQUIRED

IntroductionFive precious minutes which can often be decisive. In order to providepatients faster transport to the accident and emergency unit, the AachenUniversity Clinic built a heliport with a surface area of some 1.150m² and15m above the top edge of the site. In the future, emergency patients canbe transported directly from the heliport into the accident and emergencyunit with an inclined lift within one minute.

ProjectThe free-standing landing platform was built directly in an exposed positionon the well frequented clinic forecourt. The winning architectural design by

Saving handCENO TEC

Distinctive heliport platform

RWTH Aachen University Clinic, Germany

ROOFING A MULTIFUNCTIONAL OUTDOOR COURT WITH

four fabric hypar surfacesSeville, Spain

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All pieces are prepared in thefactory and transported to the siteto be assembled by welding (Fig. 5).This dimensioning needs to providetransversal stiffeners crossing overthe roof to resist lateral tension ofthe fabric, three pieces for eachwing and a corner diagonalstiffener (Fig. 6). The analysis has been carried outwith a membrane analysis for thetensioned fabric and by means ofthe SAP2000 software for the steelstructures and by substituting themembrane by its forces on thesteel structure (Fig. 7). After thesteel structure was completelyfinished the fabric was raised infour pieces (Fig. 8).In Figure 9 the constructive detailof the corners is shown with thesolution to connection the roof and

the two lateral pieces and totension the whole assemblytogether. Once the main works had beenfinished the lateral sliding curtainwalls (Fig. 10 and 11) and electricalsupplies have been installed. The focus is on projecting the lightto the roof and not to the groundbecause this provides a moreuniform level of light.

REFERENCES:ESCRIG,F. SÁNCHEZ, J. “Textile river overparticipants´ street. Expo Zaragoza 2008”Tensinews Newsletter nº 16 April 2009 pp20-22. ISSN 1784-5688.FOSTER, B., MOLLAERT M. “European DesignGuide for tensile surface structures”. Tensinet2004 Brussels. ISBN 90 8086 871x

! Félix Escrig: performance@arquired.es! José Sanchez

the Aachen architects' office OX2architekten presents the outer slim form as a "saving hand", juxtaposed to the existing clinic building. Two inclinedsteel girders support the platform's vertical main load. Due to the non-homogeneous subsoil, the loads are diverted into the subsoil via piles. The complete steel substructure is encased by an approx. ca. 32m wideand 96m long membrane of white glass / PTFE fabric. Due to the changing

radii of curvature, the total was split into 5 membrane fields. Their edgesare attached by piping rails to a secondary subassembly which isindependent of the actual girders. The membranes were cut according tolocal measurement following assembly of the secondary construction. The steel supporting structure disappears in full under a formativemembrane facade. The development building is faced in a multi-coloured,scaled sheet metal facade.

! Bosse Anne: Anne.Bosse@

ceno-tec.de: www.ceno-tec.de

Name of the project: heliport platform, RWTH Aachen University ClinicBuilding owner: University Clinic Aachenfor the University Clinic Aachen: Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW

[Building and real estate management NRW] Aachen subsidiaryArchitect: OX2architekten, Aachen, GermanySupporting framework planner: stahl + verbundbau gmbh, Dreieich, GermanyMembrane construction: Ceno Tec GmbH Textile Constructions, Greven, Germany

Name of the project: Roof over an uncovered sport multifunctional fieldin the Cartuja of Seville.

Location address: SevilleClient (investor): Junta de AndaluciaFunction of building: to shadowing a sport fieldType of application of the membrane: Roofs and CanopiesYear of construction: 2010Architects: Felix Escrig and José SánchezMulti disciplinary engineering: Performance S.L.Structural engineers: Performance S.L.Consulting engineer for the membrane: Performance S.L.Engineering of the controlling mechanism: Performance S.L.Main contractor: SANROCON S.A.Contractor, manufacture and installation membrane: ARQUITECTURA TXTIL S.L.Material: Roof: Naizil Type III,

Wall: VALMEX TF 400 MEHELERCovered surface: 1104m²

Fig. 1. Four hypar geometriccomposition in two differentcompositionsFig. 2. Proposal to cover twopaddle tracks with a can ti leverfour wings roof with a height of6 to 10m (square plan)Fig. 3. Proposal to cover twopaddle tracks with a cantileverfour wings roof stands includedwith a height of 6 to 10m(rectangular plan)

Fig. 4. Particular of singularpieces:a) The main support in the

larger borderb) Solution of the cornerc) The main support at the

shorter borderd) The crown where the main

girders are crossingFig. 5. Manufacturing thestructural parts at the factory

Fig. 6. Mounting the structurewith pieces necessary toachieve complete rigidityFig. 7. SAP model for thestructural analysisFig. 8. Erection of the fabricroofFig. 9. Corner connectiondetailFig. 10 and 11. Air view andinterior view of the buildingincluded the lateral curtainwalls

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Anish Kapoor's "Leviathan" is aspectacular masterpiece of artwhich shows textile material'spotential for sculptural expression.The artist has been familiar withmembrane materials for decades,his enigmatic 'Marsyas' for the TateModern in London of 2002 just tomention one highlight. Thistemporary sculpture of 155m inlength was comprised of three steelrings joined together by a singlespan of PVC membrane. Like otherKapoor projects this was alsoconstructed by Hightex.His sculpture 'Leviathan' for lastyear's MONUMENTA exhibition inParis' Grand Palais was a huge darkblood red structure where themembrane skin was only stabilisedby internal air pressure. The visitorswere not only able to view theouter skin but also to experiencethe inner space by entering thesculpture through an airlock. Theinside perception was a sensationalspace experience with enormousheight dominated by the dark redlight transmission through the skin.

Depending on the weatherconditions, the shadows of theiconic iron/glass structure of theGrand Palais which has been builtfor the World Expo in 1900 wasmade visible on the inside. In thesunlight, very sharp and preciseshadows of the structure were cast

on the curvy surface, but themoment the sunlight wasinterrupted by a cloud passing by,the atmosphere changedcompletely to an indifferent spacewhere the visitor easily lost anysense of distance to the thengloomy red skin (Fig 1 and 2). Thematerial which appears Aubergine-like in top view has a surprisinglydifferent dark red colour intransmission.

Hightex was responsible for theengineering, production anderection of the artwork. The entiresurface of the sculpture is made ofa single piece of PVC-coatedpolyester membrane with a surfacearea of approximately 12.100m².The “walk-in” sculpture isapproximately 100m long, 34mhigh and weighs approximately 11 tons. It is an inflatable sculpture,clamped to the ground andentrance arch and in a Bordeaux-red colour specially chosen by theartist. The membrane wasprefabricated in 4 separate pieceswhich were then welded togetheron-site in the Grand Palais. Theseams are between 60 and 80mmin width. The air supply system hada capacity of 20.000 m3/h for eachblower (main and reserve). Thesculpture took less than 2 hours tofully inflate. Hightex installed thesculpture in only 8 days.

Each year MONUMENTA invites aninternationally-renowned artist toturn his vision to the vast Nave ofParis’ Grand Palais and to create anew artwork especially for thisspace. MONUMENTA is an artisticcreation on an unparalleled scale,filling a space with an area of13.500m2 and a height of 35m.Anish Kapoor’s ambition for theGrand Palais was to create anaesthetic and physical shock, acolourful experience that is poetic,meditative and stunning,measuring itself against the heightand light of the Nave, an interiorthat seems somehow greater thanthe exterior.

about HightexHightex Group is a specialistprovider of large area architecturalmembranes for roofing and façadestructures. Hightex has beeninvolved in the construction of anumber of high profile buildingsincluding Cape Town Stadium andSoccer City Stadium inJohannesburg, the WimbledonCentre Court retractable roof, theroof of the SuvarnabhumiInternational Airport in Bangkok.Recent projects include the newstadia of Warsaw, Kiev andVancouver.

HIGHTEX

Anish Kapoor's "Leviathan" for MONUMENTA 2011Grand Palais Paris, France

Name of the project: Anish Kapoor's "Leviathan", Monumenta 2011Location address: Grand Palais Paris, FranceClient (investor): White Dark Limited, London, UK,

and Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris, FranceFunction of building: ArtworkType of application of the membrane: air-supported walk-in sculptureYear of construction: 2011Artist: Anish KapoorMulti disciplinary engineering: Hightex GmbHStructural engineers: Aerotrope Ltd, Tensys LtdMembrane Engineering: Hightex GmbHContractor for the membrane (Tensile membrane contractor): Hightex GmbHSupplier of the membrane material: Serge Ferrari S.A.S.Manufacture and installation: Hightex GmbHMaterial: PVC-coated polyester fabricCovered surface (roofed area): 12.073m²/73.000m3

ART meets HIGHTECH

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! Jan Cremers, Director Technology

: jan.cremers@hightexworld.com

! Mark Nolan, Project Manager

: mark.nolan@hightexworld.com: www.hightexworld.com

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 17

Figure 1 - 2. Clouds, no shadows cast onmembrane and sunshine, shadows caston membrane© Jan Cremers/ Hightex

Figure 3 - 5. Installing of the sculptureLeviathan© Hightex GmbH

Figure 6 - 7. External view Leviathan © Jan Cremers/ Hightex

Figure 8. View inside Leviathan © Jan Cremers/ Hightex

Figure 9. D-Seam-Layout

Red Lines are Seams to be welded onsite © Tensys

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ARTICLE

ETFE Fluorothermoplastics are polymerized sincemore than 30 years by Dyneon. 3M™ Dyneon™Fluoroplastic ET 6235 raw materials have been thefirst in the market to be used for films andcushions in architectural applications like roofingsor facades of i.e. sports stadiums, shopping malls,greenhouses and leisure areas. In a next pioneeringstep, Dyneon, together with its partners NowofolKunststoffprodukte and Vector Foiltec, initiallygenerated an Environmental Product Declaration(EPD) for architectural ETFE membrane cushionsmade from Nowoflon ET® 6235 Z film out of 3M™ Dyneon™ ETFE resins.Presented at the International Congress forSustainable Construction 2011 in Stuttgart, theEPD verifies the environmental performance ofTexlon® ETFE cladding systems against quantifiedenvironmental data based on the ISO 14040 seriesof standards.Constructions based on Nowoflon ET® 6235 Z filmout of Dyneon ETFE as “eco-economic” alternativeto glass offer improved eco-efficiency standardsand energy consumption at a fraction of the costs.With increasing demand for scientifically verifiedenvironmental performance statistics, EPD´s are a

fundamental resource for global markets towardssustainable design and construction for futuregenerations. Texlon® ETFE is so far the only ETFEsystem in the world with an EPD affordingsimplification of sustainable energy credits inaccordance with building certification systems likeBREEAM, DNGB and LEED. In close cooperationwith external experts for sustainability (PEInternational) a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been successfully created as part of the pre-condition for the EPD, too.One of the most popular applications for ETFEmembrane cushions is the Eden Project inCornwall, UK. It is the world’s largest botanicalbiome with thousands of tropical plants growingunder perfect conditions.The EPD document with the declaration numberEPD-VND-2011111-D can be downloaded in English or German at www.bau-umwelt.com, the website of the “Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V.”.

! Helmut Frisch: hfrisch@mmm.com: www.dyneon.eu

Worldwide first ETFE Environmental Product

Declaration (EPD)Towards sustainable design

and construction

ContextIn May 2011, Textil Bau GmbHreceived an order to provide roofingfor the Gasometer in Schoeneberg,Berlin for the “Guenther Jauch”ARD television programme. At veryshort notice, an experienced teamcapable of handling this demandingproject had to be put together. The11th September 2011 was thedeadline for Guenther Jauch’s firstlive broadcast from the BerlinGasometer. The roof had to beattached to the existingSchoeneberger Gasometer givingconsideration to aspects ofhistorical heritage preservation.For this reason, a pneumaticallyfitted construction in the form ofan air-inflated structure wasdesigned which is inflated by theinner pressure of the gasometeralone.

ProjectThe purpose of the roofing is tocover the entire interior of thegasometer with a diameter of 60mto provide a second roof over theexisting fabric roof of the former“Bundestagsarena” in the centre ofthe gasometer. The former roof wasnot suitable for the demands of atelevision studio. In particular rainand the adjacent railway linecaused a great deal of noise andinterference within the interior. The existing steel structure waserected at the beginning of the lastcentury according to the principlesof a telescopic gas container.Originally, a large steel domeformed the top of the gasometer.This dome and the telescopiccontainer were removed later afterthe plant was decommissioned.

Until then, the dome was not onlyfunctionally but also artistically atypical element of the gasometerensemble. The ensemble wasplaced under historical heritagepreservation in 1994 (Fig. 1 and 2).The actual challenge for the newroof consisted of designing afunctional roof within a tightbudget and considering historicalheritage preservation demands,getting permits and installing itwithin a very short time span ofonly 4 months. For this reason, inclose consultation with theinspecting structural engineers andthe Berlin Senate, procedures forapproval were, in this particularcase, processed in record time.

Before the presentation of planningthat was ready for approval, varioussolutions for a new roof wereconsidered. Firstly, variations wereexamined that attempted todistribute wind and snow loads inthe existing structure of thegasometer above the lower steelboiler. These considerations had tobe abandoned as the requiredreinforcement of the existing steelstructure would have been tooextensive and not feasible withinthe time limit. The loads of a newsuspended construction were notcompatible with the original loadbearing concept of the gasometer.

The original concept of a gascontainer was then reconsideredand a variation with an airsupported roof as employed forconventional air-inflated structuressuch as tennis halls was pursued.Apart from the advantages of alarge support-free span, there wasthe structural advantage that in anair-inflated condition, only hoopstress appeared at the lower edgeof the roof which could relativelyeasily be inserted into the existingsteel ring of the gasometer at aheight of approximately 16m. Withdeformation of the roof caused bywind and snow, stress only occursin this area which was consideredmanageable with the result that itbecame the main argument infavour of employing the air-inflatedstructure.

To keep the intervention on theexisting steel structure to aminimum, only a steel clampingsection was attached to the innercircumference of the gasometerwhere the roof of the air-inflatedstructure was hermetically sealedand connected. This section canlater be removed again so that theintervention on the existing stock isminimal. This work was undertakenby a Berlin company, “WilkingMetallbau”, after the parallelrenovation work on the gasometer

had advanced to the stage wherethe clamping section could beinstalled.

Before the installation started, aredundant support air compressorsystem for the air-inflated structurewas developed in consultation withthe companies “Elnic” and“Nolting” which was installed bythe client as were door locks andappropriate air ducts. The aircompressor is supplied by a biogasoperated block heating powerstation.

The custom-made roof membranerequired a great amount ofexperience and reliability and wasundertaken by the company“Karsten Daedler” in Trittau. Theyundertook the challenge ofcustom-making a 3.500m² roof inone piece. The main arguments infavour of this method were the costand time saving incurred bydispensing with installation joints.A system was developed with theplanners and the installation teamwhereby the large membrane couldbe custom-made in one pieceinside the hall by joining withseams as straight as possible andwith the minimum amount oflifting and moving. The materialchosen is “Duraskin B4915 PVC-coated polyester fabric” by“Verseidag” that manifests therequired resistances and theamount was available at shortnotice in one batch.

Before production, the entirecircumference of the gasometer ofapproximately 200m had to bemeasured. According to these data,

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 201218

TEXTILBAU

AIR-INFLATED STRUCTURE

GasometerSchoeneberg, Berlin, Germany

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TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 19

the actual system for the air-inflated structure was establishedby the Berlin Engineering Office “ib-Zapf” as well as the associatedstatics of the roof membrane withall the connection details. Afterdetermination and approval ofthese documents and the cuttinglayouts, the cutting was done. Asthe circumference of thegasometer is not perfectly roundwhich was discovered aftermeasuring, it was extremelyimportant to provide the individualpattern pieces with explicitalignment and labelling in order tobe able to correctly produce andinstall the membrane. To beprecise, the circumference isactually a polygon with 48 sides.The individual panels were cut andsimultaneously labelled andnumbered very quickly using a fullyautomatic CAD supported cuttingmachine. The production wascompleted within 3 weeks. It wasimperative to have a large hall,modern HF machines and a keenteam of experienced membraneproducers who ensured that theplanned installation timetablecould be met.

For loading, the membrane wasfolded, according to a pre-determined folding plan, in themiddle of the hall measuring3.500m² required a lot ofmanpower as the total weight ofthe membrane was almost 6 tons.

Before folding, diverse fittings hadto be mounted for lifting themembrane and for later connectionof accident ropes. Then the packagein the hall was loaded onto a truckand driven directly to thegasometer in Berlin.

The particular challenge of theinstallation in the gasometer wasto lift the membrane above theexisting 25m dome withouttouching it to avoid damage toboth the dome and the new roofmembrane.

To ensure this, the company“3dtex” from Berlin commissionedwith the installation, planned andoptimised the installation processin advance virtually and CADsupported as well as using a scaleof 1:100 functional model. It provedadvantageous that the physicalmodel enabled the installationteam of 10 installers and industrialclimbers to become well-preparedfor the task.

The permissible lifting load persuspension point on the membranewas severely limited. For thisreason, a rope system had to bedeveloped which equallydistributed the membrane’s weightof almost 6 tons between 12suspension points. This wasachieved using several bypasssystems with rope pulleys – upperlashing on individual suspensionpoints was avoided in this manner.The rope system was operated bytwo electric rope winches that wereattached to the gasometer at aheight of approximately 70m.

As the lack of space in thegasometer did not allow themembrane to be spread out on site,it was lifted directly from the truckwhich was driven into thegasometer, at first vertically up to aheight of approximately 50m andsubsequently pulled into thehorizontal by means of manualwinches over the existing dome.Simultaneously, the rope systemopened out the membrane so thatwhen it was subsequently loweredabove the dome, the membrane

could also be lead to thecircumference of the gasometerand attached by clamps (Fig. 3).

Only after the redundant aircompressor was put into operationdid the industrial climbers installfirstly the emergency ropesrequired in case of accidents andsubsequently 27 dome lights fornatural smoke ventilation andtested it all.

Thanks to close communicationand target oriented cooperation ofall the parties involved, the projectwas able to be successfully carriedout from the idea up to punctualcompletion so that the first TVprogramme could be transmittedlive from the gasometer inSchoeneberg Berlin and everySunday evening since (Fig. 4 and 5).

! Matthias Gühne: M.Guehne@Textilbau.de: www.textilbau.de

Name of project: Air-inflated Structure Gasometer Schoeneberg BerlinLocation address: Torgauer Str. 12 – 15, 10829 BerlinClient (investor): 360 degrees cupola GmbHProject Management: Textil Bau GmbHFunction of building: Event hallType of membrane application: Single layer air supported roof membraneYear of construction: 2011Architects: REM+tecStructural engineers: Ingenieurbüro Zapf – BerlinConsulting engineer for the membrane: SKZ – WürzburgSupplier of the membrane material: Verseidag-Indudex GmbHManufacture: K. Daedler e.K.Installation: 3dtex GmbHMaterial: Duraskin B4915 PVC-coated polyester fabricRoofed area: 2.800m²

Figure 1 - 2. Top view of the original steel domeand painting of the GasometerFigure 3. Installation of the membraneFigure 4 - 5. Inside viewFigure 6 - 7. Street and top view

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TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 201220

REPORT

MAIN LECTURESThe main lectures in the plenary sessions were devoted to inflatable structures for space vehicles,zoomorphism and bio-architecture, Tensairity structures, the Expo Axis in Shanghai, parachutes,membrane moulds, shape optimization and tubular inflatable structures (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).

Figure 1 and 2. A tubular inflatable structures sheltered the coffee breaks (J. Marcipar and E. Oñate)

Fifth International Conference on Textile Composites and Inflatable Structures

STRUCTURAL MEMBRANESBarcelona

2011

CONCLUSIONIn keeping with its objectives, StructuralMembranes 2011 collected and disseminatedstate-of-the-art research and technology for thedesign, analysis, construction and maintenanceof textile and inflatable structures. A significant part of the conference presentedadvances in new textile composites formembrane structure applications, as well as ininnovative design, construction andmaintenance procedures.

The next international Structural Membranesconference will be held at the TechnicalUniversity of Munich (TUM) in 2013. Further information will be made available inthe Conferences section at http://its.cimne. com/cdl1.

: http://congress.cimne.com/membranes2011/frontal/default.asp

! Josep I. de Llorens, Dr.Architect, ETSAB/UPC : ignasi.llorens@upc.edu

The “Fifth International Conference on TextileComposites and Inflatable Structures” was heldin Barcelona in October 2011. It was organizedby the International Centre for Numerical Me tho ds in Engineering (CIMNE) and chairedby E.Oñate (UPC) and K.U.Bletzinger (TUM). It was the fifth of a series of symposiums thatbegan in Barcelona in 2003 and will continue in Munich in 2013.

At the three-day conference, 8 lectures and 85presentations in 15 technical sessions weregiven to 118 participants from 25 countries and3 continents. The main topics were textilecomposites and inflatable structures, whichhave become increasingly popular for a varietyof applications in civil engineering, architecture,aerospace engineering and other fields. Typical

examples include membrane roofs and covers,sails, inflatable buildings and pavilions, airships,inflatable furniture and airspace structures.The ability to provide numerical solutions forincreasingly complex membrane and inflatablestructures is advancing rapidly as a result ofremarkable advances in the development ofcomputer hardware and the increasing maturityof computational procedures for nonlinearstructural systems. Significant progress has been made in theformulation of finite element methods for staticand dynamic problems, complex constitutivematerial behaviour and coupled aero-elasticanalysis. Structural Membranes 2011 addressedboth the theoretical bases for structural analysisand the numerical algorithms necessary forefficient and robust computer implementation.

Launch of first Tensile Architecture Master in Spanish3 different modulesonline formation in Spanish

Structuralia web platform andUniversidad Politécnica de Madrid(UPM)

Professors: Juan Monjo, Félix Escrig,Ramón Sastre, José Ignacio deLlorens Duran, Javier Tejera Parra

Lightweight design is becomingincreasingly necessary, both for ease oftransport and assembly, as the volumereduction in the use of materials, whichmakes it more sustainable.

On the other hand, tensile structuresare more efficient than compression orbending structures, due to better use ofthe mechanical properties of materials.In this sense, textile roofs made withtensioned membranes meet theserequirements, are lighter, moresustainable and have better mechanicalperformance.

New technology of this type of solutionrequires a specific preparation, with theknowledge of techniques and materials,and appropriate processes of design andcalculation.

www.structuralia.com/artx

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 21

Figure 3. Minimal and non-minimal conoids using the naturalforce density method (R. Pauletti)

Figure 4. Form finding ofTanzbrunnen Koln (M.Miki andK. Kawaguchi)

Figure 5. Natural forms of a handkerchief under gravity (M. Miki and K. Kawaguchi)

Figure 6. “Cube of clouds”, an experimental soft space (G. Filz)

Figure 7. Bi-axial tension test (W. Chen, L. Zhang, D. Zhang and G. Shi)

Figure 8. Photo and infrared image of a bicolour fabric. Whitestripes are much cooler (H. Pöppinghaus)

Figure 9. Lightweight photovoltaics for the AMW carport’snew roof, Munich (T. Ferwagner)

Figure 10. Pillow with holes (R. Maffei, R. Luchsinger and A. Zanelli)

Figure 11. Typical layout of modular inflated shell (R.Tarczewski and W. Bober)

Figure 12. Laboratory test of water-filled flood protection tube (B. Koppe and B. Brinkmann)

Figure 13. Fabric formwork follows the parabolic distributionof the bending moment (R. Pedreschi)

Figure 14. Different stages of the parachute inflation process (R. Flores, E. Ortega and E. Oñate)

Figure 15. Deployment sequence of a foldable truss in aTensairity beam. (L. de Laet, M. Mollaert, J. Roekens and R. Luchsinger)

Figure 16. Baseball stadium, Barquisimeto (J. León and C. Hernández)

Figure 17. Lantern design for the roof of the Palacio de Minería,Mexico City (J. Salinas and E. Valdez).

TECHNICAL SESSIONS

The specialized technical sessions were organized by guest experts and focused on design (Fig. 3 to Fig. 6), test methods (Fig. 7), thermal properties and photovoltaics (Fig. 8 and Fig. 9),inflatable structures (Fig. 10 and Fig. 11), applications (Fig. 12 to Fig. 15) and realizations (Fig. 16 and Fig. 17).

REPORT

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 201222

Construction Manual for Polymers + Membranes. MATERIALS. SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCTS. FORM-FINDING. DESIGN

Author: J.Knippers, J.Cremers, M.Gabler & J.LienhardLanguage: English (also available in German and Italian)Size: 280 pages Editor: Birkhäuser Architecture, Edition DETAIL,

Munich (2011)ISBN-10: 3034607261 (paperback);

3034607334 (hardcover)ISBN-13: 978-3034607261 (paperback);

978-3034607339 (hardcover)Edition DETAIL publishes a series of “Construction Manuals” devoted to materialsused in architecture, including load-bearing structures, building envelopes andinterior fitting-out. So far they have dealt with the main innovative aspects ofbuilding technology, such as glazing, interiors, timber, construction materials, roofs,façades, energy, steel, concrete, masonry, refurbishment, components, systems,acoustics, sound insulation and more. Now, it is the turn of polymers andmembranes, a new class of modern synthetic materials that are widely used ineveryday life and in buildings. These materials can be found in technicalapplications in seals, insulation, pipes, cables, paints, adhesives, coatings andpaving, and more visible uses such as façades and roofs. To introduce polymers inarchitecture, a historical overview considers the dream of the polymer house andthe development of tensile surface structures and translucent envelopes, includingtheir potential, the challenges they involve and current trends. The basic materials(polymers, fibres, adhesives, coatings and natural fibre-reinforced polymers) aredescribed, together with their production system and processes. Whereas most ofthe literature deals with these materials separately, here they are all covered in thesame volume. Following this review of basic materials, some semi-finishedproducts are examined. They comprise reinforced and unreinforced polymers, foils,and coated and uncoated textiles. Physical properties of buildings (includingthermal insulation, light and heat radiation, moisture, sound and acoustics, fire,soiling behaviour and durability) are explored in detail. The controversialenvironmental issues are also introduced and the contributions of these materialsto ecologically efficient building design are highlighted, despite the obviousdisadvantages such as high energy consumption during production, extensive useof fossil fuels and unsatisfactory recycling. The most educational section of themanual relates load-bearing structures to forms in both tensile membrane andrigid polymer designs, drawing attention to the formation of active or funicularstructures with reference to calculations, testing, quality control and industrialsafety. For practitioners, the section “Building with polymers and membranes” is avaluable complement of M. Seidel’s Tensile Surface Structures. A Practical Guide toCable and Membrane Construction, because it considers building with semi-finished polymer products, free-form polymers, foils, textile membranes andcomplex building envelopes, including design solutions for roofs, envelopes anddetails. Finally, a selection of examples is presented, including the applications thatcontribute significantly to appearance and form. Although previously published inthe Detail magazine, these examples are now presented together, illustratingaspects of building technology, the influence of polymers in construction and thefuture of polymers in architecture.! Josep I. de Llorens : ignasi.llorens@upc.edu

SEFAR AG

Name of the project: Camden Markets Walkway, UKLocation address: Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London, UKClient: Stanley Sidings Ltd, London, UKFunction of building: WalkwayType of application of the membrane: Covering of WalkwayYear of construction: 2010Architects: ESA, London, UKMulti disciplinary engineering: Base Structures Ltd, Bristol, UKStructural engineers: Tony Hogg Design, Bristol, UKConsulting engineer for the membrane: Tony Hogg Design, Bristol, UKMain contractor: Stanley Sidings Ltd, London, UKContractor for the membrane: Base Structures Ltd, Bristol, UKSupplier of the membrane material: Sefar AG, Heiden, SwitzerlandManufacture and installation: Base Structures Ltd, Bristol ,UKMaterial: SEFAR® Architecture TENARA® fabric 4T40HFCovered surface: approx. 200m²

LITERATURE

TECTÓNICA 36 arquitectura textilMONOGRAFÍAS DEARQUITECTURA,TECNOLOGÍA YCONSTRUCCIÓNAuthor - Construir con membranas: Javier Tejera Parra Language: Spanish

Spring 2012Launch new magazine

espaZioSPECIALIZEDMAGAZINE ON TEXTILEARCHITECTURE,TENTS AND LIGHTSTRUCTURES

Bilingual Spanish and Englishwww.editorialespazio.com

London, UK

Camden MarketsWalkwayA new canopy

ContextCamden Markets carnival atmosphere famously attracts peoplefrom all walks of life and is popular with Goths and Punks who liveand work alongside the more traditional antiques and clothingtraders. Up to 150.000 visitors are attracted to this ancient andhistoric market area which is situated just away from the centre ofLondon and is now home to many new nightclubs and restaurants.Due to increased visitor numbers the area has attracted sub stantialdevelopment funding and a sympathetic facelift is taking place. In anarea where the unusual and bizarre is common place, it takessomething visually striking to attract the passersby’s attention. Thisnew canopy signposts the entrance to one of the newer restaurantswhich has opened up in a recently refurbished building.

Concept & DesignThe virtue bestowed upon this unique SEFAR® ArchitectureTENARA® fabric material through its construction is the hightranslucency, up to 40%, and a blemish free consistency whichensures that under both natural and commercial ambient lightingconditions, the light striking the smooth curves of the fabric isdiffused evenly lifting the whole structure and making it appear tofluoresce.

ConstructionThe twisted, eccentric steel frame work which carries the fabric ispieced together from many irre gular and compound curves makingthe geometry of each protruding frame unique. Needless to say thepat ter ning of the fabric was a monumen - tal task, and yet what hasbeen achieved fits so comfor ta bly. The installation, set as it is againsta backdrop of muted colour ed glass curtain walling set in steel greyframes promotes the fabric so that it appears to shine like a pearlun earth ed in this most unlikely of habitats. ! Emin Kayacan : emin.kayacan@sefar.ch: www.sefar.com www.tenarafabric.com

“The engineering solution of this cover – underlines Prof. Francesco Ossola – is unique and appears of great lightweight: it is suspended at the 4 corners

with tensioned steel cables joined to high masts measuring more than 90m. The model was tested in a wind tunnel; its profile is similar to that of an airplane

wing to avoid wind turbulence and consequently built with the use of amaterial very light in weight."

A structure made of partially opaqueand partially transparent membraneshas been utilized to create a beautifulview of the field, both day and night,allowing at the same time, the sunlightto reach the grass. The fabrics used areFerrari Precontraint 1302 T2 of light graycolor and a single layer of ETFE foil tocover the arches. The membrane isdivided into sections and each primaryarch is fixed and tensioned to theperimeter aluminum profiles.The stadium was built on the site ofJuventus F.C. and. Torino F.C. former home ground - Stadio delle Alpi - and isthe first in Italy fully owned by a football club. It was inaugurated at thebeginning of the 2011–12 season. It can accommodate 41.000 sittingspectators who enjoy an unobstructed view of the pitch: no barriers dividethe public from the turf. The access to the stands from the outside is madepossible by 16 suspended bridges. 7.5m is the distance of the stand’s bottomstep from the pitch whereas the top one is at 49m.Right from the beginning, the guidelines passed on to the designers were thatthe stadium was to be “for football only”. Facilities for the fans to enjoy theirpreferred sport and, thanks to the new structure, experience the thrill ofbeing almost “on the field”. The families benefit from a peaceful and safeenvironment and dedicated services for their children. An opportunity, aswell, for those who wish to combine pleasure with business.

The innovative “black and white”structure as well as enhancing thedisplay of football also introducesa new concept: not a stadium thattakes life on the days of the matchonly, but throughout the week. A sort of agora, an open placespacious and full of services: frombars to restaurants, from stores tobaby parking.At a later stage the east side of thestadium will accommodate, theJuventus Museum, the Company's

registered office and a number of sport fields for Juventus Football Schools inaddition to some green spots. The new Juventus stadium does not answer tourban criteria and football requirements only: the project is eco-friendly,respectful of the environment. The entire architectural plan was developedto guarantee a low impact on the city surroundings by dismantling theStadio Delle Alpi and re-utilizing the materials thereof.

! Stefania Lombardi : stefania.lombardi@canobbio.com : www.canobbio.com

TENSINEWS NR. 22 – APRIL 2012 23

CANOBBIO

New Juventus Stadium Torino, Italy

covering membrane

Client: ConsferCompletion: 2011Architectural design: Arch. Zavanella (Studio Gau), Arch. Suarez (Studio Shesa)Engineering: Prof. M. Majowiecki, Prof. F. OssolaDesign: Giugiaro, PininfarinaMembrane and detail design: Canobbio SpA Membrane and foil engineering: formTL gmbhMaterial: Ferrari PES/PVC with PVDF protection and ETFE film stripesCovered area: 22.000m²

The roof structure is composed bya suspended main structure andsecondary reticular trusses. Thesuspended main structure isillustrated in the Figure 1. At thefour intersection joints a system of4 stay cables (105mm, about 93mlength) suspend the mainstructure at the heads of two maincolumns. Each head is thenanchored to ground by a system of6 stay cables (105mm, about128m length). To ensure thestability of the main structure with

respect to uplifting and draggingwind action the 4 main nodes areanchored to the ground and to themain grand stands with a verticalrestraint stay and a sub-horizontalstay respectively. A pretensionfield is put into the stay systems toensure the necessary stiffness andthe bi-lateral functionality, inorder to reach this goal each cablehas at least one adjustableterminal. Secondary trusses atabout 11m distance are placedbetween the inner roof edge

(formed by the maintrusses) and the outer edge(formed by the top of the grandstand frames). Each truss has aspan of about 40m and has onestraight bottom chord and twocurved top chords. The internalheight at mid span is about 2.60m(Fig. 2). Each couple of secondarytrusses is connected at mid spanby a reticular trans verse to ensurelateral stability. The steel sheetingwith an alter nating empty-fullpattern is placed between thetrusses (Fig. 3). Finally, a coveringcomposite membrane is placedover the discontinuous sheetinglayer (Fig. 4).!Massimo Majowiecki:massimo.majowiecki@

majowiecki.comIUAV University Venice

Figure 1.Suspended mainstructureFigure 2.Secondary rooftrusses Figure 3. Steelsheetingbetween thetrussesFigure 4.Membranecover

© Canobbio

The suspended structural system of the roof

1

2

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

[RE]THINKING lightweight structuresA three-day symposium where the Plenary sessions will refer on the one hand to the Tensinet Working groups with

[RE]THINKING Analysis & Materials (Peter Gosling); ETFE (Rogier Houtman); PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES (Matthew Birchall)and [CLOSING THE LOOP] 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 each plenary session.

Werner Sobek - Recent work. The work of Werner Sobek is definedby premium design on the basis ofhigh-class engineering combinedwith sophisticated greentechnologies. His studio works on alltypes of buildings and materials.Special emphasis lies on lightweightload-bearing structures, high-risebuildings and transparent facadesystems.

Jan Cremers - Life Cycle Assesmentfor Membrane Materials andStructures - Status Quo and FutureChallenges.Jan Cremers is Director Technology ofHightex GmbH in Bernau, Germany, aleading systems engineeringcompany, which designs, fabricatesand installs large area, cablesupported, lightweight membraneroofs and façades worldwide. He isalso teaching Building Technology atthe Hochschule für Technik inStuttgart.

Scientific Committee• Gorun Arun - YTU, Yildiz Technical University, TR• Matthew Birchall - Buro Happold, UK• Andrew Borgart - TUDelft, NL• Markus Balz - SBP, DE• Heidrun Boegner-Balz - Labor Blum, DE• John Chilton - University of Nottingham (UoN), UK • Jan Cremers - HfT Stuttgart, DE • Fevzi Dansik - Mimar Sinan Fine-Art University, TR • Peter Gosling - Newcastle University, UK • Rogier Houtman - Tentech, NL • Rolf Luchsinger - Empa, CH • Marijke Mollaert - Vrije Universiteit Brussel, BE • Juan Monjo-Carrió - Technical University of Madrid, ES • Meltem Sahin - Mimar Sinan Fine-Art University, TR• Sinan Mert Sener - Istanbul Technical University, TR• Filiz Piroglu - Istanbul Technical University, TR• Werner Sobek - Werner Sobek Stuttgart GmbH & Co. KG, DE• Bernd Stimpfle - form TL, DE• Patrick Teuffel - TU Delft, NL• Jean-Christophe Thomas - Univercity of Nantes, FR• Erdogan Uzgider - Istanbul Technical University, TR• Rosemarie Wagner - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE • Alessandra Zanelli - Politecnico di Milano, IT

Organizing Committee• Fevzi Dansik - fabricArt Membrane Structures• Meltem Sahin - fabricArt Membrane Structures• Emre Pusat - Verseidag-indutex GmbH

CallAbstracts should not be longer than 300 words and should indicate thetopic(s). Papers should not be longer than 2500 words and 10 pagesfigures included. Abstracts and papers will be reviewed by the scientificcommittee.• [RE]THINKING Analysis & Materials• ETFE• PNEUMATIC STRUCTURES • [CLOSING THE LOOP] Life Cycle Assessment for Membrane

Materials and Structures• RECENT PROJECTS

Timing - deadlines• abstract submission - Monday 3th September 2012• abstract acceptance - Monday 29th October 2012 • paper submission - Monday 10th December 2012• paper acceptance - Monday 4th February 2013

© IL

EK, S

tutt

gart

Alar Ruutopold from Saint-Gobain as well as the office Zaha Hadid Architects are interested to give a keynote lecture. The keynote lectures will be followed by the presentation of related papers.