Rumoer 64: Materialisation| BouT | TU Delft by RuMoer

periodical for the Building Technologist

PRAKTIJKVERENIGING

BOUT

student association for building technology

64. Materialization

www.octatube.nl

On the 6th of June 2017 we want to invite you to the second company-case day for the building technologist: the Debut. event! On this day you get the chance to work on your future career as we will bring you in close contact with prominent companies from the field of Building Technology.You will be challenged to work on real cases, show your potential and convince the companies to hire you after your graduation! This is the perfect opportunity to work on your professional network. The company-case day is organized for the Building Technology, Architectural Engineering, Building Engineering and Structural Design (TU/E) students. Make sure not to miss this Building Technology career day and register on time! Registration will open at the end of March. Stay updated about the event through our website or follow us on Facebook. 6-2-17 | Orange Hall, faculty of Architecture | More info soon

Rising sea levels, extremes of weather, the birth of deserts, rampant famine and a thousand refugee crises. These are the consequences of a man-made product, over two hundred years in the making, yet just a snapshot in the history of the earth. Climate change is here now, but Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Not Too Late. BouT will proudly present INTL, a symposium on the architectural responses to climate change, on the 24th February in Orange Hall. Nine lecturers from esteemed universities around Europe will explore the topic via urban interventions, flows of energy and materials, innovative solar technologies and the nature of sustainable pursuit. Prageeth Jayathissa of ETH Zurich will be presenting the application of soft robotics on adaptive photovoltaic facades, whilst Maria Mandalaki of Crete University will discuss the contradictory nature of energy-saving shading devices. Toby Blackman of Nottingham University follows the Cradle2Cradle story of porcelain in three cities in the world, whilst Habert Guillaume follows the characterization of buildings simultaneously as the made and capable of making. Yeonsook Heo of Cambridge University examines the gulf between promise and reality in the business of environmental redemption. Andy Dobbelsteen of TU Delft questions the adaptability of our built creations in a post-climate change world. Remember: Its Not Too Late.

BOUT CONNECTS!

Cabinet 02.West.090 Faculty of Architecture Julianalaan 134 2628BL Delft The Netherlands PRAKTIJKVERENIGING

PRAKTIJKVERENIGING BOUT

BOUT

student association for building technology

Your logo here? Contact info@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

+31 (0)15 278 1292 www.praktijkverenigingbout.nl rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

RUMOER #64

Materialization CIRCULATION:

1rst Quarter 2017 23rd year of publication Praktijkvereniging BouT Room 02.West.090 Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft Julianalaan 134 2628 BL Delft The Netherlands tel: +31 (0)15 278 1292 fax: +31 (0)15 278 4178 www.PraktijkverenigingBouT.nl rumoer@PraktijkverenigingBouT.nl

The RUMOER appears 3 times a year, with more that 100 printed copies circulation and digital copies made available to members through online distribution.

MEMBERSHIP

Amounts per academic year (subject to change): € 10,Students € 30,PhD Students and alumni € 30,Academic Staff

SINGLE COPIES: Available at Bouw Shop (BK) for 5€.

PRINTING

Drukkerij Teeuwen, Capelle aan den IJssel ISSN number 1567-7699

CREDITS

Edited by:

Popi Papangelopoulou

Article editing:

Popi Papangelopoulou Allard Huitema Antigoni Lampadiari-Matsa

Cover design:

Popi Papangelopoulou

Cover image:

GC Prostho Museum Research Center / Kengo Kuma & Associates

RUMOER is a periodical of Praktijkvereniging BouT, student and practice association for Building Technology (AE+T), at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft (Delft University of Technology). This magazine is spread among members and relations.

SPONSORS

Praktijkvereniging BouT is looking for (main) sponsors. Sponsors make activities possible such as study trips, symposia, case studies, advertisements on Rumoer, lectures and much more. For more infos contact BouT: chairman@praktijkverenigingbout.nl If you are interested in Bout’s sponsor packages sent mail to: secretary@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

COPY

Files for publication can be delivered to BouT in .docx or .indd, pictures are preferred in .png or .jpg format.

DISCLAIMER

The editors do not take any responsibility for the photos and texts that are displayed in the magazine. Images may not be used in other media without permission of the original owner. The editors reserve the right to shorten or refuse publication without prior notification.

INTERESTED TO JOIN? The Rumoer Committee is open to all students. Are you a creative student that wants to learn first about the latest achievments of TU Delft and Building Technology industry? Come join us on our weekly meeting or email us @ rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

RuMoer #64

Materialization

CONTENT >Interview about the Tiny Houses <

_General 4

Bout study trip

Events overview

_Engineering Articles

>> No1 Bio-Based Composite pedestrian bridge <<

(Octatube)Concealed

Complexity -Joeri Bijster & Peter van de Rotten

(TU Delft)Bio-Based

Composite pedestrian bridge-Rafail Gkaidatzis

(Walden Studio) Tiny House movement

(IHC)Steel Geometries

(TU Delft) Mohawk stage-Ate Snijder

-Vincent Hรถfte

-Carlijn van der Werf

_Graduation Projects

Glass folded plate facade -Eleftherios Siamopoulos

Thin glass-Carlyn Simoen

praktijkvereniging Bout

Materialization

RuMoer #64

EDITORIAL Just in the rise of the new Bout board we publishRumoer64.Materialization.AsIhad promisedonthepreviousissuemanychanges were to come on this issue as well. After our illustrationboost,meandmycommitteealso aimedandsucceededtoupgradeRumoer's context as well.

Onthisissueyouwillfindavarietyofprojects that were realized managing to overcome materialization challenges. Furthermore, projectsofdifferentmaterialswereselected in order to present a broader spectrum of engineering challenges.

Thequestionthatweattemptedtoansweron this issue is:

To come to a close, I am leaving my position forthenewchiefeditorhavingsucceededmy goaltoofferyou-ourreaders-anup-to-date and state-of-the-art student magazine.

What are the obstacles when concept is turned into reality?

I hope you will enjoy this issue! Popi Papangelopoulou RuMoer editor 2016-2017 7

RuMoer #64

Materialization

BOUT study trip

in MUNICH

The 16th till the 20th of November 2016 a small BouT delegation went on a study trip to Munich to explore the local architecture and engineering and to enjoy some German culture. The program involved a wide variety of different projects and companies. The goal of the trip was to get an overall insight in producing and building with translucent materials and wood. We also visited several completed projects to see final results and listen to the experiences of the users.

Seele & Sedak Written by Joris Burger and Jerry Pollux

First we headed towards the outskirts of Munich into the small city of Augsburg, where we visited the two companies Seele & Sedak, masters in (glass) engineering and construction. First stop of the visit was Seele, an engineering company with over one thousand employees. They are most known for their glass constructions for Apple, such as the 5th avenue store and other flagship stores. These constructions push the limit of glass engineering, with glass panels of maximum dimensions, achieving maximum transparency. However their expertise is not just limited to glass, they also realize gridshells, such as Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cross station in London, or lightweight constructions, such as the ETFE-cushion faĂ§ade of the Allianz Arena in Munich. Second stop was Sedak, the glass-processing sister company of Seele, located just a few hundred meters away. The tour started with a briefing about the secrecy involved with visiting the factory and the core business of Sedak: glass processing. This includes processing, tempering, bending, lamination, printing, coating and insulating.

praktijkvereniging Bout

Materialization

RuMoer #64

BMW WELT

Written by Laura Solarino

Next stop was the BMW Welt building (BMW world), a massive car showroom and exhibition centre where a special architecture tour was waiting for us. As soon as we stepped out of the subway station, the impressive building made its appearance in front of us: a double curved glass cone shaped as a tornado. The inside was just as interesting: thousands of unique room perspectives where some of the best designed cars are exposed, creating a very suggestive atmosphere.

ALLIANZ ARENA - HERZOG & DE MEURON Written by Tan yee Ann

From the tour we could really experience how the building performs in terms of acoustics and insulation. The dialogue between the building performance and the aesthetic design is well illustrated, which is key in every good architectural design.

OLYMPIA

PARK Written by Tarik Alboustani

The summer Olympic stadium in Munch was designed by the architect GĂźnther Behnisch and the father of tent structures Frei Otto . It was a revolutionary projetc at the time and many scaled models were made in order to study the structure that consisted of thousands of nodes. The transparency and the fluidity show the post war face of democratic Germany. The most exciting part of the journey was the instruction to wear a climbing belt so as to walk over the huge roof of steel and transparent plexi-glass that covers over 80,000 seats. After climbing the roof, we visited the Olympic swimming pool, a huge tensile structure that is covered with an opaque white roof and a glazed wall. All the other parts of the park constitute similar structures, but with differences in shape and harmony.

RuMoer #64

Materialization

CONCEALED

COMPLEXITY by Joeri Bijster & Peter van de Rotten

Figure 1. Apple Store Zorlu Center (© Foster + Partners)

Some two years ago the Apple Store at the Zorlu Center in Turkey took the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence. The judge praised Foster + Partners and Eckersley O’Callaghan for the simplicity and purity of their project that was only limited by material fabrication. Indeed the projects only consists of five siliconized components: four glass units of ten by three meters and one composite roof element of ten by ten meters square. But, the fact that there are only five elements actually conceals the complexity of the steps in engineering, production and installation. At Octatube we see the same trend in architecture of even larger (glass) building components and hiding away complex interface details. Design concepts often challenge our engineers to develop bespoke building skins that give the

impression of simplicity. In fact, many complex technologies are employed in different phases during a single project. In the engineering phase it can be a certain script in Grasshopper, an ingenious secondary roof drainage system or a smart structural scheme. In the fabrication processes it can be the quality control of unique glass elements with a superposition of specifications, the development of a new kind of fixing or a novel use of a particular material. On site it often happens that temporary installation devices are invoked, while keeping in mind rigid construction programmes, a tight building site and stringent safety procedures. While the building industry is known for its conservatism, innovations are effectively implemented bottom-up in individual projects on a small scale.

Industry’s Article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

This article will expose some intricate façade technologies and specialist construction craftsmanship ‘hidden’ in three of our projects.

Cable Net Façades Market Hall With a structural weight of only 7 kg/m2, including the glass nodes, the façades of the Market Hall are one of the lightest facade designs conceivable. This high degree of slenderness is only possible when the façade is far more flexible than conventional, with a frame that is a lot more stiff than traditional. Deflection is necessary to activate the structural system. For the span of 35 meters a deflection of 700 mm is allowed, which is 5 times more than a ‘traditional system’. Consequently, each of the 31,3 mm steel cables needs to be pre-stressed with loads up to 300 kN. This requires early coordination with the building’s main structure. The framework in which the cables are stretched - in this case a concrete wall - needs to be very strong and stiff. To introduce the cable forces in the vertical concrete slab and to make pre-stressing of the cable net feasible, the ‘birdcages’ along the perimeter of the façade are minutely elaborated. This was necessary in order to cope with: the height of the pre-stress forces, the high degree of precision, the limited space and the possibility of prestressing the cables with hydraulics. This implied that the cables were pre-stressed several times and cut off under the desired preload of 300 kN by 20 degrees Celsius. As a result, the cables were 100-140 mm too short when arriving on site. But with the corresponding Young’s Modulus they were elongated in the right length perfectly after tensioning

Figure 2. Façade of the Market Hall (© Ossip van Duivenbode)

Figure 3. The cable grid (© Ossip van Duivenbode)

RuMoer #64

Materialization

of the cables. This hydraulic pre-stress-process was developed during the design phase. With the input of the test set-up, the installation procedure was translated into a surprisingly simple ‘portable’ system. In order to minimize future maintenance, the cables were overstressed to compensate the expected tension losses during the life time of the façade due to shrink, creep and settlement of the subsoil. The complexities of these very transparent and seemingly simple cable net façades, arised from the structural system, production and materials. The complexities were hidden in the details along the perimeter, behind the largest art work in the Netherlands on the inner façade cladding.

Glass Entrance Museum

Building

Van

Figure 4. Pre-stressing the cables (© Octatube)

Gogh

The concept of the Van Gogh Museum’s Glass Entrance Building was to continue the shape of the existing Kurokawa wing and create a transparent structure as a contrast. The entrance has turned out as an abstract glass building volume but it is defined by a complex 3D geometry depending upon state-of-the-art technologies and refined detailing. In addition, the architects had a strong wish to minimize the amount of metal components as much as possible, without the ‘all-glass budgets’ of the Apple stores. The roof is a double curved shell composed of insulated glass units supported by 30 unique glass fins. In line with the pursuit of transparency, steel trusses and wind

Figure 5. The Van Gogh Museum’s glass façade (© Ronald Tilleman)

Industry’s Article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

bracings were eliminated. This was not only realised by the interconnections of the tubular steel structure, but also by a rectangular hollow section bonded to the slanted glass beams to transfer compression forces. This profile is not visible from below. The tilted parallel glass fins help to stiffen the roof while spanning up to 12 meters. The largest fin is 700 millimeters in height which makes it the largest structural glass fin in the Netherlands (and perhaps in Europe). It was produced in China under severe quality control and carefully transported to Delft. The double glass units in the outer perimeter of the roof are cold twisted on site to fit in between the roof’s curved surface and the façade perimeter.

Figure 5. The glass roof seen from below (© Michael van Oosten)

The façade itself is elliptical curved and consists of cold bent double glass units that are connected to glass mullions. The engineering team of Octatube opted for this installation procedure because of the major cost benefits in comparison with hot bent glazing. The elliptical shape with a varying curvature was approximated by several arcs and resulted in a bending radius varying from 11,5 meters to 42,5 meters. A specially built robotic bending machine could bend the double glass units in the air very precisely. Because of the large glass panel size of 3,6 x 1,8 meters and the glass fin supporting structure, the façade offers an unobstructed view. Never before was glass cold bent onto a glass fin supporting structure on such a scale. Also here, steel bracing was avoided, for example through inplane stiffness of some of the façade’s glass panes. Figure 6. Cold bending of the double glass (© Octatube)

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Glass Elevator Shaft Mauritshuis The Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis is a small 17th century palace building refurbished and extended by Hans van Heeswijk Architects. The new main entrance is in the basement level. At the front of the Mauritshuis the ground floor pavement has been opened to give an entrance access to the basement with a stair and an elevator. The elevator was conceptualized by the architect as a glass straw, minimizing the impact on the neighbouring historic government buildings. This straw was engineered by Octatube as a nine meters high glass cylinder of which the elevator shaft is structurally self-supporting and cantilevering free upwards from the bottom connections on the concrete foundation, only supported halfway horizontally by the concrete ground floor. The cylinder is made of laminated heat strengthened hot bent 8 mm glass, connected by horizontal stainless steel hoops. For the small curvature (diameter 2500mm) the production limits were pushed to get good visual quality low iron glass. Vertical stabilization is ensured by three 9 meters high glass fins connected on the top by a transom fin. The position of these glass fins is semi-inside the cylinder to create an abstract tubular appearance of the glass shaft being supported by bended glass units, and to increase the overall stability. Two of the three vertical glass fins act as the conducting rails of the glass elevator cage. The extremely high technical requirements of side tolerances of the elevator cage have been met. A comprehensive study was done into the secondary load path in case of breakage of one of the glass elements. In addition, the horizontal roof top panel of the glass shaft has a valve built in the circular glass panel to ventilate the overpressure in

summer. In winter, warm air from the building is introduced at the bottom of the shaft to prevent condensation. When museum visitors descend via the glass elevator they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to notice all this glass technology.

Figure 8. The glass elevator shaft of the Mauritshuis (ÂŠ Luuk Kramer)

Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

Conclusion The transparency and minimal amount of materials of the large cable net facades of the Market Hall, the complex geometry, glass structure and cold bending technique of the Van Gogh Museum’s Glass Entrance Building and the employment of glass as a conducting rails for an allglass elevator shaft all show the importance of building engineering. Building technology can be instrumental to challenging architecture and help to realize strong building and façade concepts, even if it needs to make itself invisible.

Figure 9. Inside the shaft (© Jacqueline Knudsen - ArchitectuurNL)

Joeri Bijster graduated as an architect in 2011 at the Delft University of Technology within the chair of Heritage & Architecture (RMIT). Since then he is working for Octatube, where he is involved in the acquisition of new projects as a sales engineer. He is also responsible for the company’s public relations and marketing activities. Peter van de Rotten graduated as a structural engineer in 2006 at the Delft University of Technology, Civil Engineering, at the Structural Design Lab. After two years of part time research on free form composite sandwich Shell structures at the faculty of Architecture he started full time working for Octatube in 2008, as structural engineer and project manager on projects around Europe.

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Bio-Based

Composite

Pedestrian Bridge By Rafail Gkaidatzis

The Bio-based composite bridge is a 4TU Lighthouse research and design project which aims to design and realize a 14m span pedestrian bridge made from fiberreinforced polymers, that have a high percentage of biobased content. The outcome of the project is a bio-based composite bridge, which is installed over the river Domel, in the city of Eindhoven (the Netherlands). The project investigates the design potentials and structural challenges of bio-based fiber-reinforced polymers used in loadbearing applications. Bio-based resins, natural fibers and core materials as well as bio-based coatings are researched, while different material combinations are tested in order to understand their mechanical behavior and durability (tension, compression, bending and moisture absorption). The goal of the project initiators is to prove and show that bio-based composites are a sustainable alternative for environmentally harmful construction materials. Recent development and research has shown that the use of bio-based materials, such as bio-based resins and natural plant fibers in conventional composites, is a promising approach into reducing the environmental impact of these strong and durable materials and provide a recyclable alternative. Until now fully bio-based composites have not been used into load-bearing elements while their application in the building industry is limited to experiments with facade components. As a result of the lack of built examples, clients are generally hesitant to absorb these new technologies into practice without a proof of the concept.

Therefore, taking a big step forward with the realization of this pedestrian bridge, the project aims to contribute in the gradual establishment of the bio-based composites in structural applications and the development of recyclable design solutions for footbridges.

DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION

The design approach is oriented towards the development of an optimized geometry in terms of structural efficiency and aesthetical quality. Challenges and restrictions regarding the molding production process were influential in the design process as well. Aim of the design was to promote a structure that through the plasticity and uniformity of its form it reveals the fact that it is produced by molding techniques. Concerning the structural efficiency of the structure, one of the notions that influenced the design evolution is the predominant strength and stiffness of bio-based materials in tension rather than compression. The chosen geometry is a beam element which develops from a thin rectangular section at the abutments, into a nearly triangular section at the middle of the span. In that way, the geometry is characterized by larger compression areas and thinner tensile zones.

Academic article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

As a railing solution, vertical elements consisting of the same bio-composite material have been designed. In order to express the bio-based content of the structure on the overall design, the shape of the railing was chosen to resemble to an organic form or grass blades.

MATERIALS AND TESTING

Figure 1. Railing

Different combinations of resins and fibers have been researched and considered for this project. The choice of fibers however was narrowed down to Flax and Hemp because of the aim to use as much locally produced and locally (commercial) available fibers as possible. Flax and Hemp are both grown and harvested in the Netherlands. The selection of the resin was determined by a number of different criteria as well, such as the maximum bio-based content, commercial availability in smaller quantities and compatibility with the chosen production method. Properties such as viscosity, gel-time, hardening temperature and exothermal peak temperature are critical for the molding process. Additionally, the section of the bridge internally consists of bio-based PLA foam, also known as polylactide. This is an aliphatic thermoplastic polyester produced by renewable resources and is compostable when freely exposed to the environment. Production tests prior to construction of the final product revealed the necessity of insulating cork boards between the PLA foam and the composite layers in order to keep temperature in the PLA sufficiently low during production.

Figure 2. Section in the middle of the span

To obtain more insight in the structural material properties a number of tests have been performed on different fiber configurations. Samples of various thicknesses have been tested for their mechanical properties and

RuMoer #64

Materialization

durability. Early results proved that protection of the composite material from water is required as increased moisture content affects significantly the mechanical performance of the fibers.

PRODUCTION

Fig. 3

Fig. 4 Figure 3&4. Manufacturing process of the bridge

The core of the bridge is built up out of thin segments of lightweight PLA-foam, which integrates inserts out of timber, applied for mounting the railing elements. The PLA foam core and the inserts are covered by a thin layer of cork core material and subsequently the entire geometry is wrapped by the dry fibers. Areas that require the highest strength and stiffness, woven Flax (linen) is applied while on the lower loaded surfaces non-woven flax and hemp mats are used. This whole element is vacuum injected with a bio-based epoxy resin that has the highest levels of bio-based content currently available in the market. The railing of the bridge is injected separately and shaped into organic shapes by laser cutting laminate parts of the composite. Finally the product is coated in order to prevent moisture from getting into the structure. According to the results of the project, it proved to be feasible to produce the14 m bio-based composite pedestrian bridge and feasible to meet the structural requirements in terms of material strength and stiffness. However, the behavior of the bridge over time will reveal important evidence regarding the durability of the bio-based composite material and degradation mechanisms in relation to its mechanical properties. Therefore, monitoring systems have been installed within the structure of the bridge, measuring and providing information regarding deflection, temperature and moisture content during the service life of the structure.

Academic article

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Figure 5&6. The bio-based composite bridge on location

COLLABORATION

The partners were TU/e, TU Delft (Joris Smits & Rafail Gkaidatzis), composite company NPSP and the Center of Expertise Biobased Economy, which is a collaboration between Avans Hogeschool and HZ University of Applied Sciences.

Rafail is an architect specialized in structural design. He completed his MSc. in Building Technology at Delfts University of Technology and his undergraduate studies in Architecture in Greece. Currently being employed by TU Delft, his research field is in the area of structural and specially bridge design, in combination with the use of bio-based innovative materials.

Rafail Gkaidatzis Architect Delft University of Technology Delft, The Netherlands R.Gkaidatzis@tudelft.nlA

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Ti ny

House

movement

Interview with Vincent Höfte (Walden Studio) By Popi Papangelopoulou

On the 9th of November 2016 we had the opportunity of having a very interesting interview with Vincent Höfte, master student of Building technology of TU Delft, who as co-founder of Walden Studio, designed a Tiny House.

1. How did the whole idea of Tiny houses start? The Tiny house movement has been presented in America since the 1990s. Due to the economical crisis it got more attention again the last years. Since 2008, more and more people want to live “small” because it saves them money and also their interest towards sustainability has risen. In the Netherlands the movement is active as well. The one thing that was missing, though, was a platform that concentrated all the required information concerning Tiny houses. Therefore, Laurens and Lena van der Wal decided to start a blog that was called “Tiny house Nederland”. After some time, there were a lot of requests from people saying “You are architecture students and you know a lot about Tiny houses, can you design one for us?”. That’s the part where I came in and so we decided to go for it. Therefore, we decided to start a design studio for

Figure 1. Design team: brother and sister Laurens, Lena van der Wal and partner Vincent Höfte

Location: built in Bemmel and placed in Alkmaar, the Netherlands Collaborators: Dimka Wentzel (contractor), Marjolein Jonker (client) Area: excluding the loft 17 sqm, including it’s 23 sqm Completion: June 2016 Photo credits: Walden Studio

Interview

Materialization

small, self-sufficient architecture. In that sense the blog was the beginning of our design studio. We started with one single project the “Tiny house for Marjolein Jonker”, which is already finished. Within a month after our start, we started several other projects as well.

2. Does the concept of sustainability influence the tiny house movement? Yes it does. People have three main reasons to live small: Firstly, it is economically viable, secondly it is a lot more sustainable, in the sense that much less materials are used, less energy is consumed, as the spaces that need heating are much smaller and finally you have much less belongings. This constitutes an important aspect of the movement: to get rid of what is not really necessary. And in that sense the third reason is the fact that people want to live simpler, to get rid of the crowdyness of the every

RuMoer #64

day, to own less. To just get down to the essence of life. This sums up the sustainability aspect of the Tiny houses movements, which is: less material, less energy, less objects.

3. Do you think that the “Tiny house” concept is something that only suitable for the Dutch culture and mentality or is it something that could broaden to other cultures as well? It’s a good question. I think it can be developed in several cultures, as it didn’t originated from the Netherlands in the first place. It started in the USA. I believe that if it is possible in the Netherlands, then it is possible in other countries as well. Here Dutch people usually want to live big, luxuriously and are very materialistic. I think that this movement has a critical attitude towards that. The goal

Figure 2. View of the interior space

RuMoer #64

Materialization

is to make people aware and make them ask themselves whether it really makes sense to be so materialistic.

4. Did your BT knowledge helped you for this project or the knowledge needed was more Architec ture -based? In fact I was the one person in our company who was in charge of the technical part. So besides me being mainly the head of all structural communications and all the “rational” decisions, I was also the technical designer of the house. So, in the “Tiny house of Marjolein” it was really useful to know how to create a nice indoor climate, or what kind of materials should be used according to used needs or what kind of façade section, for example, is needed to ensure that mold is kept outside of the house. So, I was even triggered to do a lot more research about building technology topics than I used to do in my studies, simply because the project was actually going to be built instead of being just another design course.

5. Would you say that the knowledge you had obtained from school helped you more, or the methodology? I think it was both. The knowledge absolutely helped because even though we don’t get a lot of education on sustainability, the school helps us gain some sort of perception about things that are important, so you know Figure 3. Skylight

“People want to live simpler, to get rid of the crowdyness of the day, to have less stuff and less space, to just get down to the essence of life.” 22

Interview

Materialization

what to look after, what kind of things are important. So, that helped, yes. I also, definitely think that the knowledge I got from the university was useful for building a house. I mean we were three students and we designed a house. You cannot do that without any preliminary knowledge.

6. You already said that you were approached through the blog. How did this happen, and how was your collaboration with the clients? The client of this project is Marjolein Jonker, she is one of the persons that also helped setting up the blog and so she was one of the first to be busy with the Tiny house movement in the Netherlands. She just had the idea “I want to live in a Tiny house” and that was her vision without any further knowledge about what it would bring to her. She said “I want to live in a house like that” and we said “We want to design a house like that”. So, we had a deal! It was funny because it was our first project and we didn’t

RuMoer #64

have any portfolio to show, so Marjolein had no idea about what kind of style or architectural way of thinking we had. Eventually, we found out that her view for design was totally different from ours, because she has this typical idea of a tiny house that is cozy with all these small fancy things and ornaments. We, on the other hand, had a more minimalistic approach. Sometimes we really conflicted with each other, but the nice thing was that all of us had this vision and ambition of building the best Tiny houses in the Netherlands. So this was our common ground rule that really helped us get through the conflicts, as sometimes the design discussions were very intensive. However, they turned out to be very useful. That’s our relation with Marjolein and in the end she was very happy with our design, although it was a pretty minimal design rather than a cozy, decorative design. The reason for this was that in a Tiny house the available space is so small that any decoration or small ornament disrupts the whole idea. We are still good friends with Marjolein and the interesting thing is that she keeps a blog about the design process Solar installlation

Thermally modified pine wood facade

Sleep loft with closet Multifunctional seating corner

Composting toilet and bath

Figure 4. Isometric view

RuMoer #64

Materialization

throughout the whole period, so she sort of documented everything. She had a lot of followers of her blog, so we gained a lot of attention from the media and possible clients.

7. Could you explain shortly how the design of the building is like? First of all, our Tiny house can be tranferted and be relocated! Not all Tiny houses are mobile, but this one is, which means that it is based on a trailer with four wheels. We wanted the house to have such a size that could be transported over the road without any special equipment. That results in certain demands and criteria for the house. For example, it has to weigh less than 3500kg. Also, the maximum width should be 2.52m and the maximum length 9m, but we ended up with a length of 7.2 m, also due to the weight, as 3.5 tons is a really low weight for a complete building. Therefore, these are the dimensions of the house: 2.5x7.2m, it is on a trailer so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mobile and it weighs exactly 3.5 tons! Of course, the sustainability aspect was very important in the project. First of all, we looked into the materials and we aimed to use only ecological and proved materials. For example, the faĂ§ade is made out of Plato wood that is thermally modified wood, which means that no chemicals are used to impregnate it, but it can survive for many years. We used sheep wool as insulation material, eco-board panels, which are some sort of plywood bonded with natural glue. We used a lot more materials like these and thus almost everything, also the cork floor for instance, is ecologically based to have a very low ecological footprint. Then, the interior space, like I already mentioned, is very minimal, as we tried to have a very strict and minimal design. We also tried to combine several functions, since the space is very limited. For instance, the sitting corner is combined with some chairs that if you slide them out of each other a table is revealed underneath that you can set up. When the table is not used anymore it can be folded up and put back in the chairs. Also, the stairs consist a

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Fig. 9 Figure 5-9. Seating corner: unfolding of the table that is situated inside the chairs

Figure 10. Stairs / storage space

Interview

Materialization

nice storage space.

8. Could you tell us about the integration of the rainwater and the elec tr icit y system? Marjolein really wanted to be off grid, so we tried to achieve this goal through multiple ways. Firstly, we tried to collect all the rainwater of the roof via rainwater drainage that goes through a constructed wetland (Dutch: Helofytenfilter) and is finally stored in a water storage tank outside the house. This water is used in the house, for showering for example. Furthermore, this water is being filtered again by the helified filter so it can be reused again and again, to a certain extent of course. Unfortunately, filtering is not perfect so drinking it is not possible. It could be possible but it’s not cost-efficient for only one building as it is rather expensive. So Marjolein buys drinking water in bottles. The toilet that usually uses a lot of water is a compost toilet, which means that it doesn’t use in fact any water. This saves a lot of water. As for electricity, we wanted to be off grid as well. Therefore, besides that it is a very efficient house with LED lights and a very efficient refrigerator, three solar panels are proved to be sufficient to provide almost all the electricity required for one year. Being critical to myself, in that sense it is not totally efficient to be off grid because for Figure 11. Battery station

Figure 12. Façade / window detail

RuMoer #64

example in the summer there is a lot of energy surplus that is not used and there is a shortage of energy some winter days, as it is not enough to provide the entire house. Also, as far as heating is concerned, which usually uses a lot of energy, there is a little stove burning wood to heat up the house. Again it’s very efficient to have this very small house because not much heat is needed to heat it up.

9. Is there also an energy storage option in the house? Yes, the solar panels are connected to a battery pack of two batteries integrated into the house that stores all the energy. Speaking about integration, an interesting and funny thing at the same time is a closet outside the house, which is fully integrated inside the building envelope. So it looks like a house that it is sort of interior but there is a small corner, an outside closet where you can store your dirty boots and also the gas containers that need to be stored outside. We didn’t want to have some sort of extra building that’s why we integrated it into the house and made it invisible.

10. How is the company and the movement at the moment? Does Marjolein still live in the house? To answer the second question first, Marjolein started living there since May, which means half a year already and she is very happy with it. The only thing that is hard is that the house gets dirty pretty fast, for she has two cats that are responsible for that too. Also, some things don’t work properly, this mostly has to do with innovating, as she is the first one to have this kind of house in the Netherlands, so there will always be some stuff that doesn’t work temporarily. However, most of it has been repaired by now. As for the movement, it is growing in the Netherlands and we have a Facebook page now called “Tiny House

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Nederland”, which has more and more followers every day. People are interested either to live in such a house or to design one or build one or just to talk about the ideas. This is rather important as in the end not every Dutch person will live in a tiny house, but it makes people think about the size of the house they really need. For example, thinking “I have a certain amount of money, do I really need to buy such a big house or can I just buy a smaller one?”. I am very happy that the movement is growing although not everybody will ever live in a tiny house. There are several projects, though, and also municipalities that are stimulating this idea. For example, Almere, a city in the Netherlands, had a Tiny house competition for an area of one square kilometer and the idea was what it can be done in such a limited space. The Tiny Houses movement is getting bigger in other countries as well and more and more people are interested in that.

is dealing with all kinds of projects that are small and self-sufficient, so we don’t only stick to the Tiny house movement. I stopped with it already, I am finishing my studies now, I got a taste from entrepreneurship and I like it so far. Maybe after my studies I will do it again.

Thank you for this interview and good luck!

11. A last small comment from myself. It seems ironic that a tiny movement is getting bigger. Yes it is ironic but it’s very good.(Laughs...) One more thing about living in this house. As I had the opportunity to spend two nights in there, I think it works! I was there for two days and I got almost all the comforts I needed. It is very interesting to be in a house surrounded by nature and have so little objects around you. It makes you feel comfortable. Also, one last remark about Walden, we started with the Tiny house but we are also interested in all kinds of innovations. So, we have another ongoing project, which is a sustainable extension of a house this time in Utrecht. It consists of an old dike house and the sustainable extension would provide all the required energy and is responsible for the indoor quality of the house. So it’s the new part that operates the old house in a small self-sufficient way. We also designed a microdisco. We got this request from the innovation festival of TU Delft to design something cool. So we designed a very small discothèque of 2 m2. To sum up, Walden Figure 13. Bedroom’s skylight

Interview

Materialization

RuMoer #64

Walden Studio is a design agency for small, self-sufficient architecture with an adventurous touch, founded by three Architecture students from Delft University of Technology; brother and sister Laurens and Lena van der Wal and partner Vincent Hรถfte. They operate according to a simple philosophy; creating compact but adventurous architecture, to decrease our ecological footprint and increase happiness at the same time. See www.waldenstudio.nl for more information. For this house they cooperated with carpenter Dimka Wentzel, who started a company specifically to build tiny houses, www.tiny-house.nl.

Figure 14. General external view

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Steel

Geometries

by Carlijn van der Werf In recent years, Royal IHC architecture has carried out a number of special projects in the building industry. By the use of ship-building methods, IHC makes it possible to realize double-curved structures in steel for both architectural as artistic purposes. This article elaborates on three projects from IHC architecture, including Desert Bloom Shading Structures in Las Vegas, NV, USA; the canopy of Hogeschool Saxion in Enschede, The Netherlands; and the recently built tower in Weusthag Park in Hengelo, The Netherlands. In January 2017, IHC started with the construction of the double curved corten steel cladding of the entrance building for the Dutch Open Air Museum in Arnhem, designed by Mecanoo Architects.

The Park Bloom - Las Vegas, NV, USA In November 2015, the project Desert Bloom Shading Structures was built as part of The Park. This new park on the Strip in Las Vegas, an initiative of MGM, has been open to the public since April 4, 2016. It was designed by the design agency !melk, based in New York, from the Dutch architect Jerry van Eyck. Between Hotel New York and Monte Carlo, the steel trees mark a route through the park. They also provide the visitor with a cooling shade and a place to stay in the local desert climate. The sixteen trees are clustered in four (different groups and vary in height, between 16 and 23 meters. The architectural department of the Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC was asked to develop the double curved structure of 25 mm thick, perforated steel plates. An additional requirement was that the entire structure should be earthquake resistant. The structural calculations were performed by Barker Drotter Associates.

Figure 1. Desert Bloom Shading Structures

Construction Each tree consists of double-curved, perforated steel sheets. The model was, in consultation with the architect, cut by IHC Architecture into a number of elements. This was necessary for the production, transport and installation. After the derivation of plate sizes from the model, they were cut at the shipyard in Kinderdijk. This process is shown in figure 2. A total of 205 plates, each with a unique perforation, were cold rolled by experts of IHC (see figure 3). In a warehouse on the yard, a trial set-up was made (see figure 4), where installation methods and proper fitting could be tested. Later, a first group of trees were completely built up on the quay as proof of concept. After approval of the American architect and client, it was dismantled. In the Netherlands, all the separate elements were coated and then transported by container to Las Vegas. In October 2015, the construction started and in November 2015, the last clump was finished.

Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

Figure 2. Cutting the steel

Figure 4. Trial set-up in the warehouse

Figure 3. Pressing the steel into shape

Figure 5. The resemblance of the structure with the bow of a ship.

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Architectural concept The design from !melk is based on cactus flowers, typical for the desert vegetation in Nevada. In consultation with the architect, IHC helped, with experience in forming and assembling steel plates, to determine the unique perforation patterns, the shape of each blade and the course of the open seams. Eventually, the cold forming of perforated plates was opted. At the construction site, connecting loops were welded to the blades, to be coupled with bolts on the inside. This resulted in a simpler mounting, where the plates could be hoisted into position and bolts were fixed. Constructional details The design of the hand-shaped blades with varying perforations give a playful shadow effect on the path of the visitor. The varying patterns, however, brought constructive complications for the tensile forces within the plate. With attention the patterns were revised. It was decided to keep a certain distance between the pattern and the outer edges of each plate. This resulted in an improved dimensional stability of the plate. The created edges also offered the possibility of welding the connecting loops on the blades without them being visible through the perforated pattern. The bolt connections made it easy to assemble the whole structure on site in a short period of time (see figure 6).

For this reason, the plates were checked for correct dimensions with each step of the manufacturing process. Any deviations which emerged during the perforating and cold rolling, was handled by IHC with a high degree of craftsmanship.

Figure 6. A close-up of the connection between the elements

Particularities It was important that the construction was carried out and remained earthquake-proof. In order to make this possible, BDA helped with the structural calculations of the design. With a simulation of occurring forces the welded bolt loops proved to be sufficiently strong to hold the structures upright. The stem of the design was aggravated and built on concrete for stability.

Figure 7. On-site construction

Performance For the realization of an open seam with uniform course over the length of the blade, it was important that the plates met exact dimensions before and after the cold forming. The complex geometric form left little place for adjustment space. The pressing with the hand of a double-curved steel sheet, could easily go wrong.

Figure 8. Birds-eye view

Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

Canopy Saxion - Enschede, Netherlands Saxion Hogeschool Enschede opened its new City Campus on the former site of the Natural History Museum on September 2, 2015. The new building is equipped with a steel canopy. The self-supporting canopy serves as a sunscreen for the FabLab and the departments of Lightweight Constructions and Robotics / Megatronica. For this reason, they are supposed to be closed for irradiation with a specific angle, while the structure as seen from the bottom is completely open. ABT examined the structural development in close cooperation with IHC Architecture. The canopy consists of a concatenation of 1252 steel pipes with varying diameters, which together form a gold-colored flower pattern. The inspiration for the floral pattern was found by architect Marko Matic from IAA Architects in the name of the surrounding neighborhood: Horstlanden-Stadsweide. Construction Matic wanted an autonomous element that would carry itself constructively. The architect achieved this by a special connection methodology for the steel pipes. Their stiffness turns the steel hollow components into segments suitable for a self-supporting structure. The canopy consists of 1252 steel tubes with different diameters and is made up of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pixelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with a fixed module size of one square meter. The canopy is divided into dilated sections of 7 meters that are completely galvanized. For each section, all the tubes are completely welded together, as can be seen in figure 11 on the next page. The whole is working together in this way as a flat floor slab. With mathematical models, the strength and stiffness of the tube configuration were tested (see figures 11 & 13, also on the next page). The tube sections have wall thicknesses of 5.6 mm to locally 16 mm on the corners. A structural analysis revealed that it was possible to create a free overhang up to three meters from hollow sections with 300 mm height. The canopy is equipped with a slight elevation, so it hangs flat in the final situation. The front side with the highest solar load required an overhang of three meters.

To that end, the 300 mm high hollow sections are welded with a revolt of 35 mm. On the other facades, the cantilever spans up to one meter.

Figure 9. The canopy of the Saxion Hogeschool

Figure 10. View from beneath the canopy

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Figure 11. Welding

Figure 13. Detail

Figure 12. Deflection

Figure 14. Vertical displacement (Uz)

Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Article

Materialization Performance Remarkable are the mutually connected tubes that function as a plate. These are incised to mid-height, making them fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The slots have been carried out at an angle of 45 degrees in order to make sufficient space for welding the joints. With advanced FEM-calculation models, it was then determined that sufficient welding over only the upper and lower 100 mm would suffice. This made the production much easier and faster. For each section, all the tubes were completely welded together. This allowed each section to be easily attached separately and assembled to one plate. The sections are mounted on steel brackets that are attached to the main structure. By providing these consoles of a head plate, it was easy to connect the canopy with simple bolt connections.

RuMoer #64

Figure 15. Placement of the elements

Watchtower Weusthag Park - Hengelo, Netherlands The cup-shaped tower of corten steel in the Weusthag Park along the A1 motorway at Hengelo was completed in July 2016. On this spot, the new tower is to establish a link between the northern and southern part of the park and form a landmark along the highway. Commissioned by the Vereninging Vrienden van het Weusthag, the object was built as a common design submission by Marko Matic from IAA Architects, Hans de Klerk from Royal IHC and Ronald Wenting and Kars Haarhuis from ABT.

Project description

The assignment had to meet certain criteria: the tower had to be at least 20 meters high and would have to allow a view to all sides. The design of the tower reflects the theme of water and its significance for the park. Because of the placement in a groundwater protection area, a deep foundation was not allowed. The round tower is composed of a limited number of prefabricated elements: a spiral staircase with platforms attached to a cup-shaped tube of corten steel.

Figure 16. Watchtower Weusthag Park

RuMoer #64

Materialization

The tower has a diameter of 4 meters at the start of the stairs, narrows up to 3 meters at a higher level and widens up to 6 meters at the height of the platform. A carved leaf pattern in the outer shell allows light and air into the tower and gives a continuous view on the surrounding landscape for the climbing visitor. Every 4 meters a platform is included in the spiral staircase with a larger hole in the outer shell, for a rest with a view during the climb. The platform with panoramic view is measured at 21 meters height from ground level. Architectural concept In Weusthag Park water is present in many places: above ground in streams, in former clay holes and underground in the form of drinking water. All this water is vital for the flora and fauna in the park. But the water also plays a major role in the recreation of the visitors from Hengelo and surroundings. The design of the tower refers to water as a source of life and for all the vivacity in the park: the shape was chosen to represent a tree of life that symbolizes the fertility of the site and also a chalice that expresses friendship and solidarity. The round shape allows the tower from all angles to express the same identity. The choice of Corten steel is an iconic reference to Hengelo as the metal city of eastern Netherlands.

Figure 17. Exterior detail of the tower

Figure 18. The tower in its surroundings

Construction The tower on the Torenlaan consists of three parts: the foundation, the stairs to the viewing platform and the cup-shaped outer skin. The foundation is designed as a concrete fanned root structure at ground level, so that drilling of the soil layers would not be necessary. These "roots" are 1 meter high and the intermediate space is filled with sand into a mound. The spiral staircase with 95 steps, landings and railings are made of galvanized steel and are connected with bolts to the foundation and outer skin. The exterior of the tower consists of sixteen 3D-shaped, maintenance-free, Corten steel plates, manufactured by the Royal shipbuilder IHC in Kinderdijk. In the steel sheet are cut out patterns that show a spiralshaped image on the towerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skin after assembly of the plates (see figure 20).

Figure 19. Construction of the tower

Industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Article

Materialization Special facts For manufacturing and assembly of the tower, Royal IHC took responsibility and supervision in a partnership with the regional school for practical teaching, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;het Twentse regionale praktijkonderwijsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The pupils were involved in all aspects of the manufacturing process from welding to erecting the tower. Total construction time was three weeks, two weeks were needed for laying the concrete foundation. In one week time, the tower was assembled. Because of the choice of maintenance-free materials no budget had to be reserved for maintenance, and could therefore be spent on the realization of the tower.

RuMoer #64

Entrance building Dutch Open Air Museum - Arnhem, Netherlands The Delft-based architectural firm Mecanoo has designed a new entrance building for Dutch Open Air Museum in Arnhem. In 2016, the design was developed by Mecanoo in consultation with ABT and Royal IHC architecture. IHC realized the Corten steel facade sections in the shipyards of Kinderdijk and Krimpen aan den IJssel. In January 2017, the assembly of the cladding will start (started?) in Arnhem. Three students participated in this project. All were from the Master of Science Building Technology of the Delft University of Technology, including Bart-Jan van der Gaag (Mecanoo), Bas van Nieuwenhuijsen (IHC) and Carlijn van der Werf (IHC).

Figure 20. Interior detail of the tower

About Royal IHC architecture Royal IHC was originally known as the Dutch shipbuilder for equipment and vessels for the offshore, dredging and mining industries. IHC has grown into an organization with more than 3,000 employees at 36 different locations in the world. In 2013, Hans de K lerk, with over 20 years of experience in construction, took the initiative to establish a new branch within the shipbuilding company Royal IHC for making architecture. IHC architecture makes use of shipbuilding methods for the development of double curved structures for both architecture and art. Two students of the Master track Building Technology, Bas van Nieuwenhuijsen and Carlijn van der Werf, are currently employed at Royal IHC architecture.

RuMoer #64

Materialization

a w h k o

e g a t s

By Ate Snijder

the birth of a transformer â&#x20AC;&#x153;Transformers are a species of sentient, living robotic beings (mostly) originating from the distant machine world of Cybertron. The stories of their lives, their histories, and most especially their wars have been chronicled across many different continuities in the vast multiverse.â&#x20AC;? vision This is the story of the design, engineering and constructing of a transformer stage-tent. It was conceived as a mobile performance venue, with a character and a soul. Neatly disguised as a trailer when dormant; a booming stage when fully deployed.

Figure 1. The transformers comic introductory blurb

Figure 2. Folded and deployed stage

Academic article

Materialization Three years ago the guys from Konvooi Exceptioneel (www.konvooi.com) and I started designing. This is the brief we had formulated:

spectacular: unique appearance; character and soul efficient: Setup in half a day by five people autonomous: no forklifts or extra ballast required compact: fitting into a single trailer (l x b x h 13.4 x 2.55

RuMoer #64

When unfolded it becomes the stage floor. Cables are used to stiffen the supporting frame so it becomes one stiff base connected with the weight of the ballast in its centre. The superstructure is lightweight, consisting of aluminium trusses and PVC fabric. The four arched square trusses have 450 mm c.c. alu pipe Ø50 x 4 mm main tubes and Ø30 x 3 mm braces. They are transversely connected by square trusses with a 300 mm c.c. alu pipe Ø50x4mm main tubes and Ø25x3mm for the braces.

x 2.7 m)

The solution was a transformer: The trailer itself folds open to become the base (the foundation) for the superstructure. The trailer also holds the ballast (12,000 kg) needed to prevent lifting, toppling or sliding. The supporting frame and legs for the stage floor are steel, respectively UNP80 profiles and square pipe 50*50*3.0 mm. This relatively heavy structure is hinged to the trailer and functions as the sides of the trailer when folded up.

The superstructure is assembled on ground level segment by segment. Each segment, when finished, is lifted up with cables. During the lift the arches hinge around two big axles on either end of the trailer. This is repeated for each of the three segments until the superstructure is in place. Once in place, the structure can withstand wind speeds of up to 80 km/h (7 bft) before preventive measures need to be taken.

Figure 3. Concert in Groningen

RuMoer #64

Materialization

design process The design process started around the same time the 3D printing hype was taking off at the faculty. Four different prototypes were printed to investigate the transformation procedure from trailer to stage tent. The 3D printer proved to be invaluable since the models included complex hinges and connections at tricky angles, which would not be possible to produce by hand or even by laser cutting.

The digital model was made using Grasshopper and Rhino. Since we had not yet purchased the trailer itself, all the dimensions of the stage and superstructure were still variable. Only when the trailer was bought a year ago did these parameters get fixed. The more complex hinges between the trusses (which can rotate in 3 planes) were modelled in Solid Works.

Figure 4. 3D printed prototype #1

Figure 5. 3D printed prototype #4

Figure 6. Exploring setup procedure, prototype #3

Academic article

Materialization

RuMoer #64

transformation Two electric winches with masts, cables and pulleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are used for the unfolding of the stage floor and the hoisting of the superstructure. The winch guides the unfolding of the stage floors, and then lifts up the segments of the superstructure. No lifting is done manually.

Figure 8. Lifting of superstructure

Figure 7. Unfolding of stage floor

Below is a step by step explanation of the transformation. The method of representation being inspired, like the design itself, by comic books.

Figure 7. Trailer contains all components

Figure 8. Side trusses are let down and secured

Figure 9. Corners are braced and lowered using winch

RuMoer #64

Materialization

Figure 10. Other side similarly shored and lowered

Figure 11. Mast is erected and shored

Figure 13. Legs fold out from floor and land on feet

Figure14. Legs are secured with cables

Figure 16. Smallest arch is assembled

Figure 12. Unwinding winch further to lower floors to final position

Academic article

Figure 15. Same process for second half

Materialization

RuMoer #64

At this point the lifting of the superstructure starts. The hoisting cables are detached from the floor and attached to the first arch truss. The winches, after just having unwound all their cable for the unfolding of the stage floor, now start winding back up again as they are hoisting up the superstructure.

Figure 17. The assembled arch is raised by winding up the winch again

Figure 20. Steps repeated for all four arches

Figure 18. Secondary trusses and next arch are assembled

Figure 21. The superstructure is secured to the stage, when in final position

Figure 19. Fabric pulled into keder profile

Figure 22. Fabric is fitted to close the back

RuMoer #64

Materialization

the axels The superstructure rotates around two axels as it is being lifted. The axels are fitted on either end of the trailer in a greased-up steel pipe. Aside from rotating around their axis, the axels can also move horizontally along their axis in the pipe. This way they can be pushed in during transport and pushed out when erecting the superstructure. The forces on these axles are appreciable, especially during the lifting phase; 153 kN on a 30 cm cantilever. So; serious steel is required: a Ă&#x2DC;100mm solid round bar of S355 steel.

The trusses come together at the axel at tricky angles. The complexity of the hinge connector is such that the individual 8 mm steel plates had to be laser cut to the correct shapes (more than 90 components total), assembled and welded together. The hinge connector consists out of five different components which are assembled onto the axel after the stage has been unfolded. It had to be five components to ensure that two men can lift them in place when the third fixes the bolts.

Figure 23. 3D hinge connector design in Rhino

Figure 24. Real hinge connector

last words The transformer had its first opening 08-10-2016 on the Grote Markt in Groningen. Timelapse videoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of the transformation process can be viewed on Konvooi.com.

The feat of setting up the Mohawk by 5 persons in 5 hours has not yet been achieved, but should be within reach when the crew gets to know the transformer better.

Figure 25. Pre-transformation

Figure 26. Post-transformation

Academic article

Materialization

Figure 27. 3D impression

RuMoer #64

Figure 28. Stage deployed during concert in Groningen

Ate Snijder graduated from the Bachelor of Architectural Studies at the University of Cape Town in 2010 and the master of Architecture at our very own faculty in 2013. Since then, he has been keeping busy teaching Bsc courses in Structural Design at the faculty of Architecture, and participating in several research projects with the ‘Glass and Transparency Research Group’ of Rob Nijsse and Fred Veer. Most notably these include the ‘All-glass Portal Frame’ for the Green Village Co-Creation Centre, the ‘Glass Truss Bridge’ and the ‘Glass Masonry Bridge’. These projects are in different stages, ranging from design development to building phase. Next to his teaching and research work at the university, Ate collaborates with Konvooi Exceptioneel to design, engineer and build mobile stage tent transformers for festivals and events.

RuMoer #64

Materialization

GLASS FOLDED PLATE FACADE The

graduation project aimed to explore the design possibilities of a glass folded plate facade, in which glass is understood as a planar structural element, as glass has yet to develop its own formal language. Only recently, after the 19th century English greenhouses, has been a new focus on structural forms, in which glass is understood as a planar structural element, rather than as a substitute for linear steel beams and columns. These structural forms are shelllike folded plate building skins, a main characteristic of which, is the greater tolerance for the brittleness of glass, because they allow for an even distribution of the flow of forces than is generally achieved in skeleton structures. Load bearing skin structures are therefore the embodiment of unity between the building skin and the load bearing structure. The scope of this project was not only to fully design a folded plate facade, but also to define the way it can be practically implemented. The research was broken down into four stages. 1. A literature review was carried out to research the mechanical properties of glass and the technical advantages of folded plate structures. 2. A multitude of folded plate patterns was explored through paper models and Grasshopper scripting.

A TRANSPARENT SKIN By Eleftherios Siamopoulos

Their structural integrity against buckling and lateral wind-loading was measured using an analytical tool. 3. Research and testing were carried out to determine a suitable connection, and how its properties can be replicated into the FEA software. 4. Finally, the selected folded plate pattern was coupled with the developed connection to create a folded plate glass facade, the structural behaviour of which was simulated and tested with the use of FEA software. The case study of the MAS Museum in Antwerp was used to put into test the final design of the glass folded plate facade, and to showcase its form. Folded plate structures The folding principle is often found in flora and fauna, providing a structural form for self-supporting lightweight constructions made of thin wall materials by the use of a statically effective depth, increasing this way their bending stiffness. [1] The stiffening effect of the folded plate principle can be easily experienced when we consider a piece of paper. If we hold a piece of paper from its one end, the paper bends under its own weight, as it has a close to zero stiffness. However if we fold this very paper, the material is distanced from the neutral

Graduating Projects

Materialization

RuMoer #64

axis, increasing this way the Second Moment of Area (I), according to the depth of the foldings, their angle, and their thickness. The goal was to identify the best possible folded plate pattern for a glass facade, which was done through a systematic overview of the identified folded plate patterns and their analytical evaluation. A series of approximately 25 folded plate patterns were evaluated against their stiffness, their mass, their complexity and their constructability, and the best was found to be the Eggbox folded plate pattern. [2] This pattern not only had a consistently high and equal second moment of area in both axes, but also consisted of identical elements creating a redundant structural system. Connection Design A big advantage of the Eggbox folded plate pattern, was that its stiffness resulted from its global shape, rather than from the stiffness of the foldings. As a result the connection could be as hinged as possible, but needed at the same time to be linear, covering all the length of the glass elementsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; edge, in order to evenly transfer the forces between the glass plates. Trying to reduce the rotational stiffness of the connection in order to make it as hinged as possible, the composite

Figure 1. Folded plate structures in nature

RuMoer #64

Materialization

material PURE was used as linear in-fittings into the laminated glass assembly. The two PURE sheets are mechanically connected with each other and are responsible for taking the tensile forces. The cavity in-between them is filled with epoxy-grout, providing the detail with a tight fit, taking at the same time the compressive forces. [3] The PURE material is ideal for a hinged joint as it is flexible and has a small thickness of 1.4mm contributing to a slender appearance, and having at the same time a high tensile strength of 200MPa. As PURE is made of 100% polypropylene, it has a low surface tension, which means that it is difficult for other materials to adhere on its surface. As a result a series of pull-out tests were carried out to determine the strength of the lamination between the PURE sheets and the SG+ used to laminate the glass elements. The first pull-out test with an untreated PURE sheet resulted in an average strength of 840N for a laminated area of 30x25mm. By sanding the PURE sheetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; surface the average strength increased to 1298N, and

Figure 2. Eggbox folded plate pattern

Figure 3. PURE connection

Graduating Projects

Materialization

by cutting holes in the sheet its average strength further increases. After a series of tests, a perforated PURE sheet with Ø3mm holes in a pyramidal layout gave the best results, with an average pull-out strength of 2709N. [4] After determining the best way of laminating a PURE sheet with SG+, a full scale of the developed connection was constructed in order to determine its rotational stiffness. This was done by a series of identical bending tests, which were in turn recreated in the FEA software iDIANA. The FEA model consisted of a material with the thickness and Young’s Modulus of glass, and a more flexible material representing the connection. By altering this materials’ thickness and Young’s Modulus I was able to replicate the exact results of the physical bending tests. I then used the identified properties to run a full scale structural analysis of the façade system with two materials; one for the glass elements and one for the PURE connection.

”H” PURE Connection - Ø3mm Pyramidal 3000

Standard force [N]

2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 0

Strain [mm] H1

Figure 4. Pull-out test results

RuMoer #64

Structural Analysis Before commencing the façade system’s structural analysis, it should be ensured that the façade structure is safe. In our case this is taken into account in three levels. In the material level heat-treated glass is used which has a higher tensile strength than annealed glass. In the element level the glass assembly was laminated with SG+ and all element edges were protected with a glued stainless steel spacer. In the system level, the geometry is of utmost importance. Its stiffness is given by the system itself rather than by its composing elements, and the hyper-static folded plate structure ensures that the failure of individual elements will not affect the global stability of the system making it redundant. Moreover the structural scheme of the façade system which keeps the structure under compression further reduces the risk, as glass has a much higher compressive strength than tensile strength. In the structural analysis only a fraction of the whole façade of the case study building was modelled, which was the worst-loaded case. This was the one leg of the corner façade with a width and a height of 5.5 and 11m respectively. [5] The FEA was performed in three stages. Firstly, a ULS analysis of an intact façade was performed in order to determine the adequate glass thickness. Secondly, a SLS analysis with a total element failure was performed in order to determine if the façade structure is redundant with the selected thickness. Finally, a SLS analysis of the intact façade is performed to determine if the deformation is less that the allowable deformation. All the analyses were performed for two wind loadcases: one for a positive and one for a negative wind pressure. In the ULS analysis of the intact façade, all high tensile stresses occur near the connections with a maximum of +35.35MPa, whereas the main body of the façade is never loaded by more than +9.67MPa. [6] In the SLS analysis of a façade with a total element failure, the safety factors are reduced to cater for the accidental nature of the

RuMoer #64

Materialization

damage and the short period of time this would occur. Again all high tensile stresses occur near the connections with a maximum of +37.50MPa, whereas the main body of the façade is never loaded by more than +10.30MPa, confirming that the folded plate façade system is a redundant structural system. In all cases the deformation is never greater than 11.20mm which is less than the 36.67mm allowed for a façade of 11m height. As a result a 20mm thick plate assembly, made from 5mm thick heatstrengthened glass panes would be more than enough to take the imposed loads. In the final analysis, the Eggbox Folded Plate Façade performs good as a façade structure, however it still lacks against the corrugated façade originally used in the façade of the MAS museum. However it has three main advantages: a significant form finding potential, a smaller cost as it is made from small flat elements, and a structural redundancy.

Figure 5. Rendered view of the analysed facade fragment

Graduating Projects

Materialization

RuMoer #64

Autobiography Eleftherios Siamopoulos, after completing his studies in Architectural Engineering in Athens, decided to pursue his passion for facade design and technology, in TU Delft. In June 2016 he completed the MSc Cum Laude in Bulding Technology in TU Delft, working on his thesis, which focused on the structural use of glass in facades. Eleftherios is currently working at Wintech - Facade Engineering Consultancy in the UK, as a Graduate Facade Engineer. In his job he designs complex building envelopes, perform thermal and structural calculations on details, and write condition reports. He is excited by structural glass applications and he aspires to soon design a fully transparent structure. Figure 6. ULS - Top surface - Principle tensile stresses

RuMoer #64

Materialization

THIN GLASS

from smartphone screens to lightweight building envelopes

By Carlyn Simoen

Glass is a dominant and essential material in contemporary architecture. The material is often chosen for its ‘’lightness’’ and transparency. The increased relationship between the inside, the interior, and the outside, the public space, makes the material very appealing. In the last decades, ultimate transparency is what the building industry strives for, and with the new developments like structural glass this ambition seems to be achieved. A less favorable consequence of the enlarged demand for transparency in buildings is the enormous increase in the consumption of glass. Starting from 1986, the annual growth of glass production in Europe was 2-3%. In average, 95% of this amount was manufactured with the commonly known float glass process, of which 75-85% is produced for the building market. Glass manufacturing is considered as a highly energy intensive industry. The melting phase is the most energy intensive part of the float glass process, consuming approximately 75-80% of the total energy demand needed for its production (GLS-BREF, 2013). On top of that, due to the presence of carbon containing minerals, most CO2 gasses are emitted during this phase as well. The facts written above are based on the production of Soda Lime glass, which is the most commonly used type of glass in the building industry. Since this industry accounts for the largest percentage of glass production in Europe, it would make a substantial difference in

Figure 1. Thin glass

energy consumption if a more sustainable alternative material and/or production process could be found. The aim of the graduation project was to discover if thin chemical strengthened Aluminosilicate glass could be an alternative for Soda Lime Glass, in order to save in material consumption and so in energy. While this material is already often used in our smartphones, we have not seen it in a building envelope yet. But what kind of possibilities has this material for the building industry? The material Both Soda lime glass and Aluminosilicate glass can be seen as silicate glasses, due to the high amount of silica. The latter shows an increased amount of alumina, which is the biggest difference. The presence of alumina makes Aluminosilicate glass more suitable for chemical strengthening. This process (which means treating

Graduating Projects

Materialization

RuMoer #64

glass in a chemical bath) results in tougher glass with a substantial high compressive stress in the outer layer. The result is glass containing a high scratch resistance and high impact resistance. The residual bending strength is also higher than with conventional thermally strengthened Soda Lime glass. The combination of this high bending strength and minimum thinness of approx. 0.5 mm, makes a panel of chemical strengthened Aluminosilicate glass extremely flexible. It is easy to bend, and will not reach its failure stress that easily, which makes the glass quite unique. Beneficial configurations The mentioned profitable aspects can be used in different architectural configurations. For example, the material could lend itself perfectly for floating structures, transportable structures, kinetic structures, temporary structures and big roof span structures, since here a lighter building material will show new possibilities. The overall benefit is that an underlying structure can be dimensioned much smaller, which will eventually result in a more transparent envelope. The thinness of the glass could for example be used in refurbishment projects where single glass panels can be exchanged for insulated thin glass panels in old window frames. The toughness of the glass could benefit in extreme climates, but also in places vulnerable for vandalism. Furthermore, the materials flexibility could be beneficial in kinetic structures and curved facades since the glass can be cold bended.

Figure 2. Physical model deflection test

Figure 3. Some of the first models made to experiment with the effect of cold bending on stiffness

RuMoer #64

Materialization

For my graduation, I chose to experiment further with cold bending of thin glass. Not only to explore the possibilities in curved facades for esthetic reasons, but also to ensure stiffness. The main starting point of my research was that a glass panel of thin glass somehow has to be stiffened. Thin glass in planar configuration would result in high deflections, this would not necessarily mean failure of the glass, but it could cause fluctuation, noise production and technical problems in the joints. Finite Element Models Finite Element Models (made in Femap) and physical models were made to investigate the behavior of thin glass in an architectural application. The focus was based on non-insulating glass panels (single panels) which should at least be implemented in laminated configuration to ensure safety after breakage. Insulating glass panels would be the next step. A panel with a size of 1632x976mm and a thickness of 2 times 0.85mm was used as a starting point since this size was available for the physical studies. First, deflections caused by point loads simulated in FE models were compared with those found in the physical model. Since the outcomes were almost similar, I assumed that the FE models would show the right values with surface (wind) loading as well.In the future development of this material, a more accurate study is necessary to compare FE models to physical models in which wind load is simulated as well. I continued my research by making FE models with these varying conditions: boundary conditions, sizes of radii, thickness of the glass panel and type and magnitude of wind load. All models were analyzed and tested in terms of maximum allowable tensile stresses and to see whether the panel remained stiff enough.

Figure 4. Original design for the office building at the Casuariestraat made with Soda Lime glass, http://www.fokkemapartners.nl

Results The hypothesis was that thin glass would allow for more design freedom in curved facades. On the contrary, theis first study showed that bigger bending radii resulted in errors in the FE models and so the exact designers freedom is questionable. Stresses caused by bending increase with smaller radii, but stresses caused by external wind load decrease. For example, a bending radius of 1.2 m (with the mentioned panel size and thickness, an average wind load of 2kN/m2 and varying boundary conditions) resulted in unacceptable deflections and stresses caused by wind load. What can be said is that according to the study done, the glass requires for smaller bending radii (in the range of 0.5m to 1 m) to remain stiff enough. This means that it is less likely that thin glass will be implemented in facades including bigger bending raddii, like we see in nowadays architecture made with regular (warm or cold bended) Soda Lime glass. On the other

Graduating Projects

Materialization

hand, there are also new possibilities for curved building envelopes were smaller radii become much more feasible since warm bending is no longer needed. So, we must learn how to design with this new material. A second skin faรงade The exact possible configurations to implement thin glass in a building envelope could only be determined per project. Therefore, a case study was chosen to examine the project specific feasibility, the elaborations for the joints and the potential architectural expression. The chosen case study was a redesign for a second skin faรงade (already designed and built with regular soda lime glass) for an office building in The Hague, The Netherlands. The idea was to make a comparison between

Figure 5. Possible architectural expressions

RuMoer #64

the existing design and the proposed design made of thin glass in terms of material usage. New FE models were made to explore the possibilities. Many different architectural expressions were investigated and supports were thereby examined in more detail. All designs seem to be promising and allow for a new kind of architectural expression. Eventually I chose

Figure 6. Redesign made with thin glass

RuMoer #64

Materialization

the design that gave the biggest certainty: hypothetically, it could be build tomorrow. This design contains two laminated glass panels of each 0.85 mm, which are 3m high and 1.4 m width. The panels are bended over two circular steel L-profiles which result in a bending radii of 0.65 m and supported on four edges. The glass edge remains visible by extending the ends. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6a. 6b. 7a. 7b.

Circular stainless steel profiel D=7mm including L-profile T-profile stainless steel 60x60mm t=3mm connected with M8 bolds Neoprene 4mm 2x0.85 mm thin glass including holes neoprene 3mm Stainless steel slat 5 mm in Z-shape M8 bolds stainless steel slat 5mm M5 bolds

6b 4

Figure 7. Exploded view of the final design

Figure 8. Mock-up of the final design

Graduating Projects

Materialization

Material reduction The glass used in the redesign is only 16 % of the total amount of glass used in the original design. Also a little bit less steel was used. The difference in principle is that the steel used in the existing second skin was needed to bear the weight of the glass panels (112kg) while in the redesign the steel was needed the keep the glass stable and to remain it in its cold bended situation. In total only 12.5kg/m2 is needed for the new design in comparison to 35.79kg/m2 of the original design. This will result in big ecological advantages since less raw material is needed, less energy will be put in the production of glass, less weight has to be transported to site. Also, all elements used in the design are less then 24 kg, which means that cranes would not be needed. This design and research is thought of as being a starting point, demonstrating that there is a way to design a faรงade of thin Chemical-strengthened Aluminosilicate glass and that it saves a lot of material and energy. The many other possibilities that thin glass could offer to the building industry will hopefully be explored in the future by many other researchers.

Article Resources: GLS-BREF. (2013). Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Manual of Glass: Integrated Pollution

RuMoer #64

Autobiography Carlyn Simoen completed her Master of Science Cum Laude at Building Technology in April 2016. Her ambitions were to find a way in which she could complete her graduation project from a practical approach. Therefore, she did her graduation project within Octatube, a design and built company in Delft. Carlyn is currently working at Octatube as a Junior Engineer. As a Junior Engineer she has to understand all different interests to eventually design feasible and aesthetically appealing building envelopes. She loves to work with steel and glass and hopes soon to work with a project including thin glass.

Prevention and Control

RuMoer #64

Materialization

EVENTS OVERVIEW STUDY TRIP TO MUNICH

From 16-20 November a BouT delegation went to Munich to explore local engineering, architecture and of course some typical German culture! It proved to be a very successful trip with a busy schedule and a wide variety of activities. From the top-level engineering of building cladding contractor Seele and the 16m long glass panes at Sedak factory to huge laminated timber beams at Zublin and the striking beauty of the Allianz Arena and Olympic Park there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a boring moment.

INTER TENDER CONSULT

On 8 December, a BT delegation went to the in-house day of Inter Tender Consult in Woerden. Inter Tender Consult writes so-called EMVI (or: MEAT, Most Economically Advantageous Tender) plans for contractors and helps them to win these tenders. The students were asked to make and present their own execution plan on a real-life situation. To improve the EMVI plans even more, ITC also wants to implicate the building technological aspects of a tender. This could be about the elaboration of efficient execution plans but also about the application of the newest innovations to stand out among the rest. This is the reason that the company is looking for BT students to strengthen the team in the future and that is why BouT is involved.

praktijkvereniging Bout