Costa Rica 2018

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Based on the experiences from the project "La Victoria" in Queretaro / Mexico, we were able to go further in the development of large cable-supported ETFE cushions to push the boundaries of the buildable.

The task for the shopping mall “Oxigeno” was to roof the central square transparently, a circular area of 45m diameters. A classic covering with glass and steel would not only have been significantly more cost-intensive, but would not have possessed the lightness and filigree which was desirable.

The ETFE cushions with an area of 1600 square meters is reinforced by a steel cable net, which collects the forces from the membrane and guides them into the circulating pressure ring.

The cable net consists of individual stainless steel cables arranged at a distance of 1.20m. At their points of intersection, the cables are connected with a special developed knot that prevents the 0.25mm thin transparent ETFE film from being damaged. The complex security concept  enables the roof to remain secure even in the unlikely event of the failure of multiple redundant fans.

 

The customer is enthusiastic about the minimalist design of the canopy and we look forward to further projects of this exciting new design.

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3dtex GmbH: Main contractor for ETFE - cushion

 

Architect: Jerde

Client: Cuestamoras

Static: z3rch

Assembly : Lonas Lorenzo SA

Membrane Manufacture: Novum Membranes GmbH

Material: Nowofol ET 6235 Z

Cables: Jakob GmbH