The Arup Journal Issue 2 1996

THE ARUP JOURNAL
\ 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE~ l t ~

I
Vol. 31 No.2 Editor: David J . Brown Front cover:
THEARUP 2/1996
Published by
Ove Arup Partnership
13 Fitzroy Street
Art Editor:
Desmond Wyeth FCSD
Deputy Editor:
Helene Murphy
Johannesburg Stadium
(Photo: James Burland)
Back cover:
JOURNAL
London W1P 680 Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Editorial: (Photo: Patrick Bingham Hall}
Tel: +44 (0)1716361531 Tel : +44 (0)171 465 3828
Fax: +44 (0)171 580 3924 Fax: +44 (0)171 465 3716 0resund Link image: Nigel Whale
Editorial
This is the second of two special numbers of The
Arup Journal to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the founding of the firm . Issue 1/1996 was de-
voted to recent projects in Brita,in and Ireland, in
both of which countries Ove Arup started his
consulting engineering practice simultaneously
in 1946. Over the ensuing half-century, the work
of the organisation he created has expanded
3 geographically and diversified into new fields of
activity to an extent beyond anything he could
31
Brisbane have envisaged at the outset. This second cele- Saving
Convention and bratory Arup Journal includes recent projects in a landmark -
Exhibition Centre five continents - North America, Europe, Asia, California style
Ian Ainsworth Africa, and Australasia. The work described and Catherine Wells
Tristram Carfrae illustrated here covers many different dis-
Bill Short ciplines, ranging from 'traditional' structural
engineering in widely varied forms to civil engi-
neering works on the most massive scale; from
the creation of energy-efficient internal building
environments to the sophisticated analysis of a
11 single structural detail to help withstand earth- 34
quakes; and from the architectural design and
lnventure Place, engineering of a new stadium celebrating a City of Hope:
Akron, Ohio reborn nation to planning a visionary bridge link Steel moment
Raymond Crane between two Scandinavian countries. connection
Caroline Fitzgerald development
Sydney Opera House, conceived nearly 40
years ago, is still arguably Arups' most famous King-Le Chang
project, and its success has stimulated com- Hossein Mozaffarian
petition between other Australian cities to pro- Atila Zekioglu
vide comparably spectacular public facilities.
The latest of these landmark buildings is the
14 Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, with
its vast and innovative roof designed by Arups'
37
Schwedlerstrasse, Australian practice. On the other side of the The fl)resund Link
Frankfurt am Main, world, Ove Arup & Partners' New York office was J0rgen Nissen
Germany responsible for a very different structural solution
Brian Cody to an equally dissimilar public building , the
David Lewis museum of invention known as 'lnventure Place'
Constant van Aerschot in Akron. Ohio.
On the West Coast, the Los Angeles office has
undertaken a number of seismically-related
commissions. Behind the historic fabric of
17 UCLA's Powell Library, discreet structural
strengthening measures were carried out, of 42
The European which the 1995 Northridge earthquake provided New Chamber,
Court of an unscheduled test. And at Duarte, also in National
Human Rights, California . new buildings for the City of Hope Assembly,
Strasbourg National Medical Center will incorporate a struc- Gaborone,
tural steel connection specifically designed to Botswana
Colin Jackson resist major ground movements .
Andrew McDowell Simon Nevill
Mick White Arups have now carried out building projects in
most of the countries of mainland Europe.
Examples in France and Germany are included
22 here: the civil and building engineering design of
new premises at Strasbourg to house one of the 44
most important of European institutions, and the
Shajiao C Johannesburg
fac;ade structure and environmental design for a
Power Station, private office building in Frankfurt. Athletics Stadium
China James Burland
Rick Higson Increasingly, different parts of Arups worldwide Alan Jones
collaborate on projects. This can range from pro-
Rob Lamb
vision of a single, crucial piece of specialist
advice, to the deployment of many disciplines
from centres of excellence round the globe.
Arup Botswana's design of a new shell roof tor
the country's National Assembly, adjacent to the
existing facility designed by the firm over 30
years ago, benefited from input by the Arup
engineer involved in the original building . At the
other end of the scale, the Shajiao C Power
Station in mainland China. the new Johannes-
burg Athletics Stadium in South Africa, and the
design of the 0resund bridge link between
Denmark and Sweden each demonstrates how
Arups can bring to bear a global resource of cre-
ative engineering and design appropriate to
major projects that could hardly be more varied.
2 TliE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996
Ian Ainsworth Tristram Carfrae Bill Short
Introduction to 1OOOm2; associated support facilities in- reasonably obvious - the row of five 72m
The new Convention and Exhibition Centre cluding a central kitchen that can cope with square spaces with 14m clear headroom,
(BCEC) in Brisbane, Queensland , was meals for up to 8000; and basement parking interconnected by enormous doors allowing
opened to public acclaim in June 1995. The for 1600 cars. All halls are directly accessible for independent or combined use. The halls
building is vast - over 400m long, up to 150m to vehicular traffic via an elevated seNice have entry foyers for the public on one side
wide, and 32m tall - but its most individual road. The total floor area exceeds 110 ooom2. and seNice access for heavy goods vehicles
feature is the roofscape, which breaks down which makes the centre the largest building on the other. Essentially it was a big shed,
the bulk and brings the edges of the building project ever undertaken in Queensland. which could to all functional intents and
down within reach of its mainly pedestrian Tender purposes have been much the same as an
visitors. This endows a human scale and The Queensland Government identified some aircraft hangar or high bay warehouse.
gives the sense of craftsmanship and years ago that the State's share of Australia's All Asia Pacific exhibition centres compete
personal input of which the late Peter Rice convention market was in decline due to the for the same market, so each strives for some
spoke so eloquently in his 1992 RISA Gold capital 's lack of international-standard facili- positive visual identification or public appeal.
Medal speech 1, and in his book2. ties. It was decided that a new exhibition and The main opportunity for differentiation is in
The roof is also innovative in its structural convention centre should be built and in late roof design. The typical warehouse or
action. Following the use of cable or rod- 1992 tenders were called for its design and hangar-style deep truss is cheapest, but for a
stayed roofs in the '80s, there has been a construction. Arups were invited to join the small increase in structural cost many other
trend towards steel lattice grid shells, most of team led by Leighton Contractors with Philip systems become feasible. The choice is
them using one-way curvature, usually as a Cox Richardson Rayner in association with largely aesthetic but must also consider the
simple barrel vault. The Brisbane roofs break Peddle Thorp as architects. site and its ground conditions and boundary
new ground by using two-way, anticlastic The required area of exhibition and con- constraints; cable-stayed designs, for exam-
curvature, which results in a shell with little ference halls only just fitted within the ple, may not be appropriate if permanent
propensity to buckle, which can therefore be surrounding roads, so the basic plan was tension anchorages cannot easily be con-
extremely delicate. structed, nor if there is insufficient room for
BCEC is even more remarkable given that back stays.
procurement was by competitive design-and- The actual choice of roof system therefore
construct tender with a very short pro- comes from an intimate collaboration
gramme. Great credit must be given to the between the architect and structural engi-
client and design team for their courage to neer, both responding to the particular site.
embark upon such a project with such time For this project the design team decided on a
and budget constraints. roof shape recalling some of the free-form
Outline description characteristics of the fabric structures that
There are five large halls, each 72m x 72m in Brisbane people fondly remember from
plan with 14m clear ceiling heights. Four are World Expo '88, held on the same site. Inter-
dedicated exhibition halls; the other (the state rivalry made it essential that the BCEC's
Great Hall) can be used in exhibition, conven- roof could not be confused with the Darling
tion, theatre or banquet modes. It incor- Harbour Exhibition Centre in Sydney, also
porates over 3000 seats, both fixed and designed by Cox and Arups in the mid-'80s.
raiseable in tiers; the latter can be hoisted to Coupled with this desire for a striking design
roof level out of the way for exhibition or for was an absolute value-for-money requirement,
banquet modes. The halls are augmented 2 Above: Exhibitions halls concourse . and avoidance of any cost premium or risk
by a 22oom2 ballroom; outdoor exhibition associated with innovation. These potentially
space; a series of meeting rooms from 30m2 1 Top: BCEC in its city context at night. conflicting objectives were brought together ~
THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 3
3. View towards north east with Brisbane River
and city centre beyond. From right to left: prin-
cipal elements are the main foyer. the Great
Hall, and exhibition halls 1-4. In front is the
concourse, with the loading dock behind halls
2, 3, and 4. To the right of the loading dock is
the railway plaza structure supporting the twin
roofs of the ballroom behind hall 1 and the llat-
rooled main meeting room and pre-function
terrace behind the Great Hall. The complex
occupies two city blocks with the dividing street
passing under hall 2 and car parking on both
sides under halls 1, 3, and 4.
4. Main foyer entrance II> with the proposal to use doubly-curved steel to proceed with these complex shells, based
grid shells as the primary roof structure, on a few weeks of hurried work, set the
arranged to form a modulated roofscape course for the future. If Government
which echoed the distant hills to the south. accepted the tender, the design team would
To benchmark the proposed roof against have to provide the promised building for the
more conventional ones, pyramidal and ottered price within the allocated programme.
gabled truss alternatives were designed. The After detailed evaluation and assessment
comparison demonstrated that the light- of bids from five short-listed tenderers. the
ness and visual appeal of the preferred Government awarded the contract to
design more than compensated for the Leighton Contractors in February 1993 .
additional complexity and marginal increase The special roof form is said to have had a
in cost. major influence on this outcome. Upon
A further advantage of the thin shell was its contract award the team had four weeks to
ability to accommodate very tall exhibits design the footings with a further eight weeks
either side of the diagonal truss. The decision before the roof steelwork went to tender.
4 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

5. Entrance to Hall 1.
Substructure and column locations were selected to undulating roofscape, and house plantrooms
The site is just south of Brisbane's Central minimise temporary shoring, 1n particular by and other facilities. The towers vary in size,
Business District in the west corner of the the existing railway embankment. Founda- standing up to 28m above ground, or 24m
South Bank redevelopment area. Bounded tions were also arranged to minimise clashes above exhibition level. Whilst lower levels are
by Glenelg, Merivale and Melbourne Streets with known buried obstructions from now- of in situ concrete, above the roof supports
and the main New South Wales to Queens- demolished buildings. they are largely steel-framed with composite
land railway, it was once part of the South Conventional block and reinforced concrete floor slabs supported on profiled steel deck-
Brisbane Railway goods yards Geotechni- retaining walls were used except at the site's ing. To achieve the desired sculptured
cally it is highly variable. due to the nearby south east corner, where the platform was cut appearance , the entire structure of each is
Brisbane River and the presence of buried very close to the inter-State rail lines. Here, clad with precast concrete panels.
creek channels soil nails were used through the relatively Each tower was designed to be built inde-
The soil profile comprises variable strength unstable ash-rich embankment. pendently of the hall roofs and to provide
rock (Brisbane schist), overlain by soft clays Service towers lateral restraint to concourse and loading
and sand up to 22m deep. with a high water An advantage of the chosen roof type 1s that it dock roofs so that these would be indepen-
table. The site 1s subject to periodic river and is a fully-resolved, simply-supported structure dent of the hall roofs. This articulation
local flooding only requiring primary supports in the four provided maximum flexibility for detailed
The high water table and variable depth to corners of each hall, allowing all the service services co-ordination in the towers to be
rock forced a combination of foundation elements to be concentrated into towers finalised whilst the roofs were being erected.
types. Driven precast concrete piles were containing concrete shafts that stabilise the Floor slabs
used over most of the site. with short bored building much like the central service core of All ground slabs are of conventional rein-
reinforced concrete piers and conventional a high-rise building. They also break up forced concrete, isolated from columns and
pad and strip footings used where rock levels BCEC's enormous length. define the indivi- designed for the variable support conditions
permitted Where possible, basement extents dual halls, provide a rectilinear contrast to the offered by the existing subgrade.
6 Left:
From street
level, the
service towers
clearly define
the halls. The
main foyer is
on the right
7 Right:
From a
distance the
roof provides
the principal
visual impact.

Many schemes were considered for the main The girders act compositely with a cast in • Trusses spanning from side to side
suspended slabs, including reinforced or situ reinforced concrete deck, the whole between the shafts to provide unimpeded
prestressed concrete flat slabs and band assemblage supporting major superstructure communication between adjacent halls;
beams, composite steel construction, and elements including the 2200m2, 15m high they both support the roof edge and also
precast concrete. The cheapest were ballroom, pre-function terrace, pedestrian hang the massive openable doors. They
reinforced concrete flat slabs, varying in plaza and a major meeting room. The close- have an open V-section to allow each roof
thickness from 220mm in suspended car ness of the rail tracks below posed a potential to move relatively independently under
park areas to 350mm for the most heavily acoustic problem for the ballroom and thermal loads.
loaded exhibition areas (20kPa). At first, meeting room, so the deck structure was This combination of elements creates a fully
prestressed flat slab options seemed completely isolated from headstock supports resolved roof structure which delivers 90% of
competitive, but the plan extent of areas via bearings. In addition , a floating floor in the the applied loads to the two support shafts at
between expansion joints - typically 72m x ballroom and meeting room area was each end of the diagonal truss . The structure
50m - and the need to connect slabs rigidly to provided . and isolated in turn from the deck is clad with simple open channel purlins
the relatively stiff roof support shafts at the structure via a further series of bearings . supporting profiled metal roof sheeting over
ends of the 72m sections ruled them out, due Hall roofs fibreglass insulation. The perforated metal
to their higher long-term axial movements Each roof is supported by a structure ceiling is placed underneath the purlins but
and resulting restrictions on pour sequences. comprising six elements: above the supporting structure. The oppor-
Added benefits of the selected scheme, with tunity was taken to increase the roof's visual
its thicker slabs , included being able to • The doubly-curved hyperbolic paraboloid
shells, cut and folded about one diagonal, impact by running cladding down and up the
accommodate exhibition service pits without inclined faces of the truss to open a huge
soffit steps, and flexibility for many changes which form most of the roof surface .
diagonal gash in the roof surface. Following
in position of service penetrations and set- • A bowstring truss, triangular in section , the slightly cluttered result of the underside of
downs before , during, and after construction . which spans 1OOm diagonally across the the roof at Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre ,
Slab types in the upper levels of the building hall to support the edges of the shells efforts were made to make Brisbane tidier.
varied, with reinforced concrete beam/slab, where they were cut and folded . The air ducts were confined to bulkheads
prestressed concrete band beams and • A shear frame comprising the perimeter around the roof perimeter, or within the enve-
transfer beams, and steel-framed composite members plus the truss bottom chord lope of the spine truss. Only the light fittings
floor construction all used as appropriate acting as a massive diagonal brace across were directly hung from the shell , and lifting
to construction access and usage of the the 72m x 72m square . points for exhibition loads of up to 3 tonnes
areas involved. • Two overhead cables which run diagonally were provided at each node point.
Railway plaza structure across the roof perpendicular to the bow-
The ballroom was added to the brief after the string truss and connect it to the opposite
initial design and construct competition . This corners of the roof. This forms the most
was to be built over the adjacent railway, thus direct method of preventing the truss
also providing a connection to the existing rotating about its bottom chord under 9 Below: View along bowstring truss of
South Bank redevelopment to the north. To out-of-balance loading. typical exhibition hall. The main air
supply ducts are run from the service
support this extension, a 200m-wide bridge • Slender tubular columns along the front shafts through the truss and around
structure - the plaza - was designed, and built and back of the roof to lightly support perimeter to give both efficient
over the existing suburban and inter-State the delicate shell edges. distribution and an uncluttered ceiling .
railway lines near the main building . Whilst
railway authorities initially indicated that inter-
mediate support to the plaza structure could
be provided by central piers between tracks
over part of its length, the final design
comprised a total of 89 precast, prestressed
bridge girders, each weighing 42 tonnes and
spanning the full 38m across the railway
corridor. The girders are the longest possible
of their type, and required the largest avail-
able casting bed to be extended . These
enormous beams had to be thoroughly inves-
tigated for stability during lift, as well as in
their final configuration .
By eliminating intermediate supports, and
putting column lines well away from the
tracks, restrictions on working hours and
methods dictated by track proximity were
reduced . As a result, piers and headstocks
were readily constructed during normal
working hours and the prefabricated bridge
girders erected during regular track close-
down periods, three to five girders per night.
A 200 tonne crawler crane was used - and
removed during the day to allow the railway
to resume.
8 Left: 38m long precast, prestressed concrete girder being lifted into place above the inter-State
railway. Note the steel bracing required to maintain stability of the girder whilst being lifted.
was used to design individual members with
appropriate load magnification to allow for
the non-linear effects. Finally, the approxi-
mate ultimate collapse behaviour of the roof
was determined by Fabian using all its facili-
ties for elasto-plastic behaviour together with
elastic buckling. This gave the designers a
measure of additional comfort.
As part of a fixed price, design and construct
contract, it was vital to keep the cost of the
roof steelwork as close as possible to the
initial tender estimates. If some elements
were found to require strengthening, other
elements had to be reduced by an equal
amount. The calculations for the roof were
independently reviewed by Arups' Perth
office as part of the project's quality manage-
ment. This review determined that every
member was being used to at least 90% of its
capacity. The result is a roof in which the
shell elements weigh a mere 25kg/m2, and
the total weight, including the bowstring truss
and perimeter frame, is only 45kg/m2.
Root steel sections
The preliminary design was intended to
utilise circular hollow sections (CHS) through-
out the roof. However, to simplify detailing
and allow the steelwork to be more competi-
tively tendered, the tubes were changed to
10. Typical exhibition hall. conventional universal hot rolled sections.
Great Hall root
The Great Hall roof. although identical to the
other tour in external appearance, required a
more complex design to support the seating 457mm CHS perimeter 200mm UC arches 168mm CHS bracing
for 3000 (which can be raised up by chain
blocks attached to the roof) , and full-height
subdividing operable doors. Also, its
cladding contained a mass layer to provide
better acoustic performance. As a result. the
design gravity load for the Great Hall roof was
twice that for the other halls.
Despite this dramatic increase, the basic
shell and bowstring truss were retained , but
the system was strengthened with an addi-
tional grid of tension/compression members
at eaves level. This allowed the arch and
catenary members to act independently as
tied arches and propped catenaries, which
removes load from the truss and delivers it
instead to the short columns around the
perimeter of the hall. It also provides a grid
of ceiling members to reduce the apparent
ceiling height to proportions appropriate to
the halls when subdivided.
Roof loads 11 Above: Part roof structural plan. 12 Below: Roof steelwork details.
Special loading criteria had to be considered
in the design of the roof structures. Imposed
Overhead cables to stop truss 'roll over'
loads had to be large enough to cater for the
most ambitious exhibitions, such as a 747 jet
hung from the roofs. The Great Hall roof also Shimmed and Simple bolted end Adjustable pin
bolted connection plate connection jointed 'X' connection
required additional strength for the raiseable between 410mm between 200mm between 168mm
floors, additional subdividing walls, and a UB catenary and UC arch member CHS braces and
multiplicity of roof-mounted catwalks , lighting 475mm CHS and410mm UB 41 Omm UB catenary.
grids. and other services. perimeter catenary Connection to
200mm UC arch is
The wind loading on the building was of similar
special concern due to Brisbane's near
cyclonic winds. The very light shell roots are
subject to substantial net uplift forces, the
extent of which were quantified by a wind
tunnel test which incorporated time and
spatial averaging to generate realistic esti-
mates of aggregate loads in preselected
balanced and unbalanced configurations. Section A Elevation on a typical 41 Omm UB catenary member Shimmed and bolted connection between
The testing revealed substantially higher 410mm UB catenary and 475mm CHS
truss top chord. Connection to 475mm
uplifts than the values initially derived tram CHS truss bottom chord is similar
the Australian Wind Code and required inten-
sive redesign, as the results became avail-
able only shortly before fabrication was due
to commence.
A variety of analytical techniques were used
in the design of the hall roofs. Initial non-linear
analyses using Arups' Fabian program were
carried out to check buckling under uniform
and out-of-balance load cases. Once the
non-linear effects were quantified, detailed
linear analysis of single and multi-hall models Developed plan on section A
THE AAUP JOURNAL 2/1996 7

!Roof geometry which one corner has been raised This would have given an unnecess- The halves are joined together by
above the level of the other three. At arily large internal volume, and a triangular section bowstring spine
approximately 45° to these straight massive, expensive perimeter walls. truss spanning 1OOm diagonally
The preferred geometric form for line generators (grey on A) are the Instead, the surface was cut along an across the hall and supporting
the individual hall roofs was the lines of principal curvature which are inclined diagonal plane and folded the half-shells along their cut edge.
hyperbolic paraboloid, a pure mem- equal and opposite {blue and red) . down about the cut diagonal (C). The whole is trimmed by a
brane form evocative of the fabric To develop sufficient curvature to be The result was the same efficient shell perimeter frame and supported
structures at Expo '88. A hypar is the structurally efficient over the 72m x but now with uniform, minimum height on a combination of concrete shafts
surface formed when ruling straight 72m hall. one corner would have to walls and a rise of only 1Orn to the in the four corners and perimeter
lines between edges of a square in rise 60m relative to the others (8). centre of the cut edge. columns (D).
A. B. C. D.
Hyperbolic 72m x 72m efficient hypar Samehypar Two cut shells
paraboloid shell. rising up 60m in one corner. cut along an inclined diagonal plane. with bowstring truss and perimeter frame.
The catenaries, which are continuously The alternative would have had eight mem- with the exhibits, so simple neat details which
curved and support straight purlins, were bers all converging on one point in space. aided construction were devised. Most of the
changed to a 41 Omm deep universal beam The truss chords and perimeter members are connections are simple bolted end plate
(UB) section, and 200m deep universal 457mm diameter CHS, to clarify the con- connections within the depth of the sections.
columns (UC) were used for the arches. nections with members arriving at various Shims are provided to take up length toler-
which are straight between node points and positions. During detailed analysis, it became ance and the end plates are sufficiently
simply bolted to the catenaries. To control the apparent that the shell performance was flexible to absorb alignment tolerances by
effective length under compression of these significantly affected by the stiffness of the local plate flexure. To both provide this
I-shaped sections, the bracing (168mm perimeter shear frame. To stiffen the latter flexibility and minimise use of material, all end
diameter CHS) was shifted from conventional cost-effectively, the perimeter members were plates were designed using yield line
cross-bracing to an offset diamond pattern, filled with concrete and the truss lower chord techniques, which were also employed to
which supports the members about their was augmented by 12 reinforcing bars of minimise the internal stiffening of tubular
weak axis at mid-span. SOmm diameter. sections where the main roof members try to
It also tidies up the detailing by giving a Roof details punch into the relatively thin walls of the
straight crossover junction at the joint It was recognised from the outset that appro- perimeter tubes. The diamond bracing
between the catenary and arch members, priate detailing was the key to the roof members were tubes, terminating in classic
and a dissociated X-torm where the brace steelwork. Whilst this can be seen inside the pin connections. As these members carried
members come in. halls, it is not intended to compete visually relatively light loads, the investment in a more
articulate detail was worthwhile in terms of
the clarity provided at an otherwise awkward
skew junction. One end of each brace had a
shimming adjustment made possible by the
oof structural action At the shell perimeter, both the horizontal forces use of high strength cap screws.
perpendicular to the edge and the vertical Each corner of the roof was supported on the
forces from the catenary and arch members reinforced concrete service shafts by elas-
e roof shell action is accomplished by using cancel out, leaving only a force in the direction
sion and compression members running tomeric PTFE/stainless steel bearings. One of
of the perimeter itself. these was fixed in location, two were
along the lines of principal curvature. Under
overall downward loading, the curved 'catenary' This is resisted by the roof perimeter, braced completely free to slide, and the fourth was
members running down from truss to perimeter diagonally by the bottom chord of the spine guided in one direction only. This arrange-
act in tension, and the faceted 'arch' members truss, acting as a shear frame (E). ment gives complete freedom for the roof to
expand and contract under thermal loads.
at right angles to them are in compression. The net result of these primary actions is to
Under wind uplift, the compression members deliver almost all the applied load to the truss Foyer roof
act in tension and vice versa. The structural and thence to the concrete shafts at each end The wave form foyer roof is approximately
action is completed by bracing which controls of it. The perimeter columns could thus be very 45m wide and up to 90m long. The supporting
the shell's buckling behaviour and also slender and elegant, as they only support about structure consists of curved UB sections
redistributes patch wind loads. 10% of the total roof load. supported on columns within the foyer,
trussed mullions on the entry glass line, and a
single 'tree' by the main entry stairs. A tubular
steel truss supports the leading edge of
the roof spanning 32m from the tree to the
adjacent service tower.
The roof is braced at lift core locations, and
separated from surrounding structures by
E. perimeter expansion joints. The foyer roof is
Axial forces in roof clad with lightweight curved profiled steel
structure under sheeting similar to the hall roofs.
uniform wind uplift. Concourse and loading dock roofs
These appear as projections of the hall roof
geometry - an extension of the hyperbolic
paraboloid shape. In them the primary struc-
ture follows the straight lines which define the
surface. The twisted surface is therefore
utterly conventional in its structural action,
using simple steel beams, purlins and bracing.
8 THE AAUP JOURNAL 211996

Erection of shell roofs
F End of bowstring truss showing 12 YSO

re1nforc1ng bars threaded through bottom chord
The erection sequence and method were

carefully thought out and calculated in advance,
and then executed rapidly on site. A simple
sequence of steps was followed to erect a
H 410mm UB catenanes draped from
typical roof shell
truss to perimeter. 200mm UC arch members
• The bowstring spine truss. complete with follow behind to brace perimeter
Y50 reinforcing bars in the bottom chord, was
assembled at slab level into four pieces (F). This simple level measurement was the only piece
These were then lifted onto temporary supports of surveying and geometric control required
and joined with a predetermined pre-camber. during the entire roof erection operation (H)
• The pre-cambered V-truss between halls was • After the erection of a catenary, the line
erected, together with the tubular perimeter of members comprising a complete arch was
members and supporting columns (G) installed, starting with the shortest. The perimeter
• Overhead cables were installed to prevent member was thus continuously braced against
the spine truss from rolling over. The truss could lateral deflection throughout erection, without any
then be de-propped and no further temporary need for lateral propping. The arch members were
works were required fabricated slightly short and shimmed 1ust to fit the
actual gap on erection
• The catenary members were assembled at
ground level into continuous arcs up to 40m • After all catenary and arch members were
long, and draped progressively from the spine erected, tubular bracing members were installed,
truss, from the centre outwards. Each catenary using their built-in adjustment to fit the available
was shimmed equally at each end to obtain a gaps. At this stage the initially pre-cambered roof
pre-determined sag at its midpoint for that had descended to its theoretical geometry (I).
particular member in the erection sequence • The bottom chord of the bowstring truss was
For the entire roof. pre-erection analysis was lightly post-tensioned using the Y50 reinforcing
performed, in which the erection method was bars, and the perimeter members filled with con-
reversed and members removed sequentially so crete. This slightly pre-cambered and stiffened the
that the correct starting point for each and every roof so that under the cladding's self-weight it • Finally, the purlins, roof sheeting, and ceiling
catenary member could be determined. once again descended to its correct position (J). were installed (K).
13.
The Great Hall in concert mode All the tiered seating can be raised to the roof and/or the space can be
subdivided into four parts by 12m high, acoustic. operable doors. to give immense flexibility of use
TIIE AAUP JOURNAL 211 996 9
The beams are supported adjacent to hall of operation, boosting the tourism. hospitality and Sydney Football Stadium among other
perimeters, and cantilever out over the and entertainment industries. and opening Arup projects in receiving a Special Award
concourse glazing line and loading dock roof up a whole range of business and investment from the UK Institution of Structural Engi-
support trusses respectively. possibilities in the city. Further, as a landmark neers. It has been selected to be the venue
Simple UB rafters are used together with image BCEC will portray Brisbane to the rest for the Royal Australian Institute of Architects
diamond pattern tubular bracing to match of the world as a modern, thriving community National Awards ceremony - for which it is
hall roof detailing. with an identity of its own . unfortunately not eligible until next year.
Ballroom roof It has already received the inaugural BHP Projects like this clearly demonstrate that
The form of the two roofs to the 22oom2 ball- Steel Award for Architecture. the biennial Australia has the ability to design and
room is somewhat similar to those of the main National Merit Award for Structures from construct products of the highest quality,
halls, but on a smaller scale and with a single the Association of Consulting Engineers allowing it to take its place as a respected
ridge line each . With a span of roughly half Australia , and joined Sydney Opera House member of the world's building industry.
the main halls. a two-way spanning structure
primarily dependent on bending is feasible , References
with no need to develop more complex shell Programme (1) RICE. P. RISA Royal Gold Medal Speech
action. As for the foyer roofs, straight UBs are 1992. TheArupJournal. 27(4), pp.20-23, 1992.
set in both directions along the straight line November 1992
Pre-tender design (2) RICE. P. An engineer imagines.
generators of the hypar surface, meeting Artemis, 1994.
at a simple tubular ridge member arching March 1993
diagonally from one corner to the other. The
Credits
Design and construct contract awarded Client:
common edge shared by the two modules is
supported by a tubular steel truss which March 1993 QBuild Project Services as agent for
supports a subdividing operable wall. The Queensland Government
Earthworks tendered
roof line extends out to form awnings around Project manager:
three sides of the ballroom. April 1993 Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd
Earthworks commenced , Architect:
Civil and transportation engineering foundations tendered Philip Cox Richardson Rayner & Partners Ply
Whilst largely overshadowed by the spectac- Ltd in association with Peddle Thorp Architects
ular building works, civil and transportation June 1993
Hall roof steelwork tendered Consulting structural, civil, geotechnical and
engineering played important roles in the transportation engineers:
success of the project. Ove Arup & Partners Australia Ian Ainsworth.
August 1993
The poor ground conditions in combination Towers and other roof steelwork tendered Paul Callum, Christine Capitanio. Tom Dawes,
with a congested site required careful design Frank Gargano. Stewart Hobbs. Chau Luu.
and supervision of excavation, drainage. and September 1993 Tom Mulvaney. Gary Robertson, Barry Robson,
Hall roof steelwork subcontract awarded Andrea Ryan, Bill Short, Robert Thompson,
pavement works. Warwick Walbran (structure)
The combination of a very large car park. November 1993 Tristram Carfrae. Angus Johnson. Alan Shuttleworth,
proximity of major roads, and the competing Towers and other roof steelwork awarded Mark Trueman (roof structure)
demands of service vehicles and a bus inter- Peter Burnton. Robert Donnan (civil structures)
change. created major challenges and December 1993
Railway plaza girders erection complete Kirsten Bell, Frank Vromans (civil)
opportunities for resolution by the transport
engineers . Paul Wallis (geotechnicat)
January 1994
Construction Hall roof steelwork erection commenced Trecy Boyd, Andrew Douglas,
Graeme Krisanski (transport)
In true fast-track fashion . foundations were
designed and constructed well in advance of May 1994 Building services engineers:
the design of BCEC'S upper levels. Physical Concrete works completed Norman Disney & Young
separation of major structural components Contractor:
May 1994 Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd
via expansion joints - for example, isolation of Ballroom roof completed
the hall roots from surrounding roofs - played Hall roof steelwork sub-contractor:
a large role in allowing the building to be June 1994 Evans Deakin Industries
readily divided into manageable packages First hall roof completed Tower and other steelwork sub-contractor:
for design, tender. sub-contract. and con- Beenleigh Steel Fabrications
April 1995
struction purposes. Illustrations:
Partial handover 1 - 6, 9, 10, 13, 14: Patrick Bingham Hall
Conclusion of completed building to operator 7: Michael Rayner 8: Leighton Contractors
BCEC is undoubtedly regarded as one of 11 , 12: Alan Shuttleworth/Trevor Slydel
Brisbane's most valuable assets. For its June 1995
A, B. C. D: Tristram Carfrae E: Mark Trueman
$1 ?0M cost it is expected to inject $BOOM into Official opening of the centre. F- K: Ian Ainsworth ,
the Queensland economy in the first 1O years Robert Donnan, Andrea Ryan
14. The ballroom set out for a banquet.
10 THE ARUP JOURNAL 211996

Below the plaza, the Inventors Workshop 1s a
1Orn (3311) high space wedged into the site to
create a 'playground for the mind' (Fig.2) . An
adJacent Bar Building stretches 80m (26011)
long and houses support functions, including
classrooms. dining facilities . a museum shop,
mechanical plant. and administrative ottices.
A 24m (8011) tall mast rises from the plaza to
announce the entire complex, doubling as a
signage tower
The Inventors Workshop
and below-grade works
The Inventors Workshop is a busy 185Qm2
(20 00Qft2) room full of exhibits. These are
well-described by Architecture Magazine as
'resembling unfinished Saturday-afternoon
projects in someone's garage·.
In creating the appropriate environment for
such a workshop, the design team created
a space which in itself celebrates the art
of putting things together. Architectural
concrete clearly exposes the structural
system, and mechanical, electrical , and
plumbing systems hang bare (Fig .3): the
building's works stand proudly for all to see,
to understand and to gain inspiration from.
while at the same time generating the casual
'garage-like' atmosphere. President Bill Clin-
ton, on a visit to the site in October 1994,
proclaimed that his 15-year-old daughter
Chelsea would 'have a great time here' .
1. General view from south west.
Introduction Outline of the project

The United States National Inventors Hall of In 1989. Polshek's firm 1nv1ted Ove Arup &
Fame (NIHF) is an organisation dedicated to Partners' New York office to collaborate as 3. Inventors Workshop .
the individuals who conceived the great tech- structural engineer for lnventure Place. The
nological advances which the US fosters commission was an important affirmation for
through its patent system. the then new ottice - established that year
Founded in 1973 by the National Council of as a structural engineering-only practice.
Patent Law Associations. the NIHF has a two- (By 1996 Arups in New York has grown to 75+
fold mission : to celebrate the contributions of employees providing a range of multi-
significant inventors, and to foster an interest disciplinary services .) Together, the two firms
1n science 1n its visitors . It was originally developed a bold architectural and structural
housed within the facilities of the US Patent response to the programme requirements.
and Trademark Office in Alexandria. Virginia setting the pace for Akron 's downtown rede-
(near Washington DC). but outgrew this home velopment. Fund raising ensued and a new
during the 1980s The NIHF conducted a Director of the NIHF was brought aboard to
search across the United States for the ideal spearhead the ettort. Building work finally
place to build a new Hall for the 21st century commenced in the fall of 1993.
and found it 1n Akron. Ohio - once an indus- The new purpose-built structure (Fig . 1)
trial stronghold dubbed 'the tire capital of the allowed the NIHF to give physical form to
world ' James Stewart Polshek. an Akron display concepts appropriate for the subject.
hometown boy and now a prominent New Rising from a wide plaza. a dramatic stainless
York City architect. was commissioned to steel sail encloses the 31 m ( 10011) high
design 'lnventure Place·, as the NIHF'S new Inventors Hall of Fame. home to exhibits
home 1s called. His response was a Hall recounting the achievements of the country's
designed to serve not only as a container for great creative minds - beginning with the very
what is inside it but as a celebration of inno- first person honoured as a member (or
vation through its own building fabric . inductee). Thomas Edison .
Architectural
concrete wall
(North facing)
Bar building Bar building Dining room enclosure

(beyond) (beyond)
Entry
can op
Tiers at Hall
of Fame
2. North-south section.
THE ARUP JOURNAL 1 11

and inventions of NIHF inductees. The back-
drop is an exposed architectural concrete
wall forming the north exterior elevation
(Fig.4). Exhibits are displayed on a series
of architectural concrete tiers formed by
3m (1011) long cantilever beams with 3.65m
(1211) long backspans (Fig .6). The latter are
supported by columns at 6m (2011) centres
and the north exterior wall.
To achieve the high level of finish required of
architectural concrete, plastic-coated Finn-
Form (13-ply) plywood was used for the form-
work, together with stainless steel form ties.
Tie placement and the locations for reveals
were meticulously worked out by the design
team, which necessitated close co-ordination
with the placement of construction joints. In
addition, the use of 'form-saver' rebars
allowed the contractor to pour sections of the
vertical structure where floors and/or beams
would be framing in without having to per-
forate the costly form boards with starter bars.
After the forms are stripped , a cast-in coupler
accepts threaded dowels. The architectural
concrete mix consisted of white cement,
sand and aggregate along with a colouring
agent. After the forms were struck, the
surfaces were acid-washed to help create a
4. uniform appearance .
West elevation
of Hall of Fame To move vertically between the tiers the visitor
at night. The has the option of riding in an all glass-
upper end of the enclosed elevator or using the 'flying stairs'.
exterior elevator Neither route is for the acrophobic! Unlike
is on the left. other double cantilever stairs which rely on
the stringers to support the treads at each
end and then cantilever between the floor
levels. the stairs at lnventure Place adopt a
more adventurous approach. Each stair
consists of a 300mm (12in) diameter steel
pipe section along its centre, or spine (Fig .5).
The pipes are then supported at the tier
Carving the Inventors Workshop and the Hall of Fame levels by steel fixings cast into the ends of the
below-grade levels of the Hall of Fame and The Hall of Fame stands as a centrepiece to cantilevered tier beams.
Bar Building into the site posed some engi- the new NIHF and as a tribute to technology.
neering and construction challenges. The The atrium within its stainless steel arc is The stair treads consist of steel plate bent into
site itself is approximately 85m (28011) x 60m punctuated at each of the five levels by tiers a closed triangular section. One end is then
(20011) on plan , sloping down from west to of exhibits which are in turn connected by welded onto the pipe spine section. The inter-
east. and surrounded on its south and west 'flying stairs'. mediate landing platforms also comprise
sides by sidewalks and roadways. Where bent steel plate sections connected to and
After passing through the entry and ticketing strapped across the central spine, and
open-cut excavation was possible, on the area , the visitor to lnventure Place is most
east side. self-standing retaining walls with cantilevered from it. Arups worked very
likely to ride up the exterior escalator, in its closely with Polshek's office to ensure that the
large counterforts supported on continuous enclosure clinging to the north side of the Hall
concrete footings were used. At the south structure of this stair was clearly and
of Fame, to its top level. The escalator trusses elegantly expressed ; each stair arrived on
and west sides of the Inventors Workshop, are supported off architectural concrete
open-cut excavation was not possible, due to site fully assembled , and the ends of the pipe
brackets which cantilever from the concrete spine were then field-welded to the cast-in
the proximity of the basement walls to the exterior wall. Disembarking from the escala-
busy streets and sidewalks at the plaza level. connection plates. The railings and other
tor, the visitor begins to tour through the lives finishes were constructed later.
The engineered solution to this challenge was
to design basement walls to span vertically 5. 'Flying stairs'. To confirm the feasibility of this triple
propped by the plaza structure and the foun- cantilever scheme, Arups in New York sent
dations up to 11m (3611) below grade. The their structural analysis model to the London
foundation contractor designed a temporary office for an independent check which
shoring system allowing excavation to take confirmed that the stair would perform within
place without any disturbance to the traffic at accepted dynamic criteria. A run up and
street level. The shoring system consisted of down the finished stairs convinced the archi-
contiguous auger-drilled cast-in-place tects and engineers of the same.
concrete piles which were then supported Architect Polshek notes that the Hall of
laterally by steel waler beams at approxi- Fame's dramatic form was inspired in part by
mately 2.75m (911) centres. The latter were his boyhood trips to an old dirigible hangar in
then tied back into the subgrade via drilled Akron . Recalling the large curved forms of
and grouted anchors. these structures, the 'sail' structure encloses
The plaza level concrete structure acts as a the atrium space south of the tiers. To set the
diaphragm to prop the top of the basement sail , Arups developed the basic structural
walls. To accommodate a large opening in system, formed by curved W14 sections at
the diaphragm at the Hall of Fame atrium 6m (2011) centres.
space, Arups designed a deep beam span- Each of the ribs arrived on site in two pieces
ning east-west between adjacent diaphragm and were spliced together with full-penetra-
slabs and shear walls at plaza level. The tion welds. At the top, the sections are fixed to
beam, 450 mm (18 in) deep and more than the roof of the Hall of Fame, and at the bottom
1.50 m (5 ft) wide in plan, was disguised as they are supported by steel pins set drama-
the handicapped access ramp. tically apart from tapered architectural
All of this work was carried out during one of concrete piers. Closely spaced infill beams
the most severe winters of this century. Today support interior and exterior finishes and are
it is a thrill to see the completed Inventors also designed to support hanging exhibit
Workshop full of school children (and an pieces. The exterior cladding panels are
architect and engineer or two!) playing , finished in 316 stainless steel and form the
exploring and discovering new ideas. striking surface visible from all around.
At each end of the atrium space, a combina-
tion of clear and fritted glazing is supported 7. Entry canopy.
by custom-designed steel trusses , the latter
consisting of two standard pipe sections
connected via a perforated steel plate. Each
of these 'dumb-bell' sections varies in length
to fit the space formed by the curved roof form.
The Mast
The Southwest corner of the entry plaza
is marked by the Mast structure, which in
addition to supporting signs, lighting and a
flag-pole, helps define the boundaries of the
lnventure Place site. Echoing the spirit of the
Inventors Workshop below, the designers
assembled the mast from simple, off-the-shelf
components. The main structure is a conven-
tional radio transmission tower of vertical
pipe sections and solid rod diagonal bracing .
The curved members supporting the signs
are stainless steel pipe sections bent and
connected into a 'wishbone' configuration.
Detailing the connection of the wishbones to
the tower was challenging , in that the tower
supports the pipes, but the tower lateral
movement from wind loading coul occur in
several directions.
6. Hall of Fame interior. Entry canopy

lnventure Place encourages the visitor to use
his or her mind from the very start, by using
an unmarked entrance. Inventors-for-a-day
will find the entrance situated at the east end
of the plaza, parallel to the Bar Building and
graced by a 30.Sm (100ft) long steel
entrance canopy structure, which provides
shelter for visitors entering lnventure Place
from the south end of the site (Fig .7). The
exposed steel structure is supported at
6m (20ft) centres by pipe columns which
cantilever vertically from the plaza concrete
framing . At the tops of these columns,
custom-fabricated T-sections cantilever 1.5m
(Sit) and 2.75m (9ft) from either side of the
column centrelines. Unbalanced snow and
wind loading creates large bending moments
in the structure. A continuous pipe spine
beam connects the tops of the columns
together and supports additional T-sections
at 3m (10ft) centres. Infill framing supports
metal panel cladding . The connections to the
tops of the columns were detailed with bolts
to allow for field erection.
Conclusion
Inventors selected tor induction into the
National Inventors Hall of Fame are honoured
each year. In July 1995 the inductions coin-
cided with the four-day grand opening of
lnventure Place, which event, dubbed 'lnven-
ture '95', drew 25 OOO followers. In addition to
the NIHF Induction Ceremony where seven
new inductees were honoured for their inven-
tions, the festivities included a 'Family Invent'
attracting adults and children with hands-on
creativity stations set up by community
groups and entertainers. and a fireworks and
laser display where spectators filled the
plaza and surrounding streets. Today lnven-
ture Place, with its daring exposed structure,
proudly serves its mission to honour past
inventors while working to light the spark of
invention within its visitors.
Credits
Client:
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Architect:
Polshek and Partners. Architects
Structural engineer:
Ove Arup & Partners Raymond Crane,
Caroline Fitzgerald, Daniel Brodkin
Mechanical engineer:
Byers Engineering
General contractor:
Welty Building Corporation
Illustrations
1, 3-7: Jeff Goldberg, Esto
2: Polshek and Partners/Nigel Whale
Schwedlerstrasse,
Frankfurt am Main,
Germany
Brian Cody
David Lewis
Constant van Aerschot
Introduction
When the advertising company J W Thomp-
son learned that the lease on its Frankfurt
premises was to expire in July 1995, it
approached the architects Schneider +
Schumacher to find an appropriate site and
design a building to suit their needs. The brief
was simple: 500Qm2 of office space in which 1. The Wintergarden .
team spirit could flourish. Arups were called
in at the beginning of 1993 to help the archi-
tects develop various approaches , which led
to a final design that .included a large One of the first issues with which Arups was back to the concrete slab . Vertical steel
enclosed glazed space called the 'Winter- concerned was how to achieve greater columns support the edge of the concrete
garden' on the north side of the building , its integration of the Wintergarden into the total slab. At the corners of every glass panel,
fa<;;ade covering some 160Qm2. Arup GmbH building energy concept as a climatic buffer horizontal props transmit wind forces back to
was appointed in November 1993 for the zone, while meeting the client's 10°C mini- the concrete structure. bridging the 2.9m
design of the fagade's exposed steelwork mum internal temperature requirement. space through the Wintergarden . Again , the
structure and for the entire building seNices. To double-glaze the office/Wintergarden par- structure had to be as fine as possible, and
tition walls would merely have shifted the stainless steel circular hollow sections (CHS),
Planning approval 42.4mm in diameter, were designed. Trian-
In Germany, planning and building control heating energy input's point of entry from the
offices to the Wintergarden, with no effect on gulated horizontal props at the end provide
approval can often be quite difficult to obtain. the overall stability of the fa9ade.
In this instance the open plan offices and the the overall heating energy demand.
associated building height void formed by Though if the external fagade was double- 'Spider' detail
the 66m x 20m x 2.9m Wintergarden required glazed however, the minimum temperature Due to the architect's design requirements
fire authorities' approval. requirement could be fulfilled without directly and the final weight of each glass panel,
heating the Wintergarden , and the heating a specially designed glass connection
Arup Fire in London came in at the start of the ('spider') was needed. High strength steel
project to assess the situation and confirm energy demand would be reduced to some
29% of an equivalent building without a (690N/mm2) was chosen to minimise thick-
that no fire protection would be required for ness. This helped with the production of the
the steel. Much investigation was also carried Wintergarden .
spiders, as they could be cut from 10mm
out for the fagade glazing , approval finally This option was recommended to the client plate and cold-formed to their final shape.
being obtained after a study and review and the proposed design adjusted accord-
by the glass technology department of ingly. The slight improvement in energy Clamping detail
Darmstadt University. performance achieved by double-glazing the Two half-shells clamp the cable which
partition walls as well was not worth the extra provides vertical support to the glass panels.
Design
The architect's aim was to minimise the struc- costs involved. Testing was essential to determine the
ture and thus maximise the transparency of Wintergarden steel structure clamping force and surface requirement,
the fa<;;ade, and Arups designed - with the aid On the sixth floor, angled steel columns pick since the support relies on friction against the
of their GSA program - a hanging structure up the 14mm diameter vertical hanging cable cable for its safe use.
plus structural glazing to achieve this. The onto which the single glass panels are fixed Glass design and testing
building itself is a straightforward in situ via a clamping fixing detail. At the top a The large size of the glass panels produces
concrete structure (designed by a German tension tie, anchored in the roof slab of the high stresses. As the allowable stresses of
consultant) , with 300mm reinforced concrete sixth floor, transmits the horizontal forces clear glass are higher than for tinted glass.
slabs spanning 7.5m and two central cores
containing the staircases and services shafts.
Six storeys high, 66m long, and 18m wide, it
has a floor-to-floor height of 3.35m. The glass
panels for the fa<;;ade therefore had to be the
same height, and the design team chose a
width of 1.8m.
Wintergarden energy study
In the architect's original proposals, both the
Wintergarden's fagade and the partition walls
between it and the offices were to be single-
glazed, the intention being for this to form the
thermal equivalent of a double-glazed
fagade . However, the thermal performance is
approximately 22% less effective than a
fagade with a glass U-value equal to
1. 7W/m2K, as used on the building's south
side. The client's requirement that the mini-
mum temperature in the Wintergarden be
10°C further exacerbated the problem . This
meant that the Wintergarden would need to
be heated. the energy demand thereby
increasing to a value some 67% greater than
an equivalent building without a Winter-
garden. In principle, the building user was
gaining a circulation space in the form of a
Wintergarden with a minimum internal
temperature in winter of 10°C. 2. Wintergarden heating energy study.
the former was adopted, and clear glass Pilkingtons in England manufactured and Erection
also gave the transparency the architects supplied the glass, and following normal After the concrete structure was completed
required . Double-glazed safety glass and German practice, an independent engineer (apart from the roof slab) , the steelwork was
partially prestressed glass for overhead use checked the calculations. In this instance he brought to site for erection. The edge and
were designed, and the following panels with was unable to give his approval . so Arups angled columns were installed, together with
different thicknesses were used: carried out a finite element analysis, model- the tension tie and its steel plate which had to
ling the glass panel and its support under the be cast into the roof slab. After the latter was
full wind load (in comparison with the British poured , the vertical cables were put in place
Outer Inner No. code where only 50% of the wind load has to and pretensioned to equal the self-weight of Iii>
Type, glass Gap glass Panel of be taken). This appeared to be difficult, as
location (mm) (mm) (mm) size (m) bolts the Pilkington design relies mostly on data
provided by extensive tests. However, the
Overhead 15 16 12 2.90 x 1.8 6 calculated deflections were found to be in
order of 70mm, or spani48. As there was no
Front panels 15 20 6 3.35 x 1.8 4 existing structure behind the glass capable
of damaging the surfaces. Arups were able to
Edge panels 19 16 6 3.35 x 1.8 4 convince the checking engineer that no
Side panels 16 1.67 x 2.9 4 criteria limiting the deflections should be
19 6
taken . The stresses in the glass only had to
be limited to 50 N/mm2.
A visit was arranged to the glass factory in
The gap between the inner and outer glass Bavaria of Flachglas, a German subsidiary of
panels varies in order to keep the outer Pilkingtons. Here a 15mm glass panel 3.0 x
dimension identical. The largest glass panel 1.5m was 'tested': six people stood on it,
is the top one, having a 400m cantilever to causing measured deflections of some
the top edge but keeping the same bolt 130mm. As the glass did not fail , this con-
arrangement. stituted a further step towards approval .
Punched end
plate with 5 Right: Interior of the Wintergarden.
threaded hole
High-strength
cold-formed
steel plate
Internal clamp ~
b~~n~:~~nk for • : •
1 1 Bolt with
• countersunk
14mm or t6mm ,
I ,
head
diameter high J
strength steel -------...._! .).__
II
cable TU•
I I
External clamp
~ countersunk for
~ bolt head
I I 6.
' ' Structural
Hexagonal --1/JI lJI detailing at

the sixth floor,
capped bolts 1 showing
tension tie.
3Above:
Exploded view of
'spider' connection.
4. Close-up of 'spider'.
7.
Testing the
clamping
detail.

Environmental design Single-9lazed
partition between Increased building thermal
offices and Lamps cast into storage capacily through Balconies
The building is ettectively divided into three Wintergarden concrete slabs exposed concrete slabs provide solar
distinct zones with ditterent environmental protection of
south fac;ade.
criteria and methods of treatment.
The north-facing Wintergarden, as an
unheated buffer zone with its minimum Heatin!I and
internal temperature of c10°C in winter, ventilat,on of
Wintergarden
contains lifts, secondary staircases, and via oftice
circulation areas. It is heated and ventilated extract air
in winter via the office extract air and can be
naturally ventilated in summer by opening
vents in its lower and upper areas.
On the south side of the building, cellular
oHices are located, heated in winter to 20°C
and naturally ventilated by openable
Heating Pressurised Electrical and False floor Electrical Undertloor
windows. Overhanging balconies (average pipework floor void communication com)?.artment floor outlet convector
depth 900mm) give solar shading in services in false floor partition
summer, supplemented by heat-reflecting
glass and an internal shading device. B. Perspective of office interior.
Exposed concrete slabs increase the room's
thermal storage capacity.
The third environmental zone of the building
consists of internal open-plan offices
arranged between the south-facing external
ottices and the north-facing_Wintergarden.
Here, mechanical ventilation is provided,
operating 24 hours a day during hot weather.
This quasi-displacement ventilation system
has extract at high level and supply air floor
outlets, supplied via a pressurised floor void.
During hot weather, the building is purged at
night with cooler outside air from the
mechanical ventilation system, so that radi-
ant cooling via the cooler slab temperatures
is provided during the day.
C. Office interior. showing single-glazed partition and supply air floor outlets.
The client's express wish was that the build- water pipework in the shafts has also been
ing be non air-conditioned, largely for cost provided. Full air-conditioning with individual
reasons. Nevertheless, through the use of room control could be provided by gravity
building thermal storage, good solar shading, cooling units integrated in the internal
and night-time forced ventilation, a comfort- partition walls.
able environment can be provided in the Heating is provided by underfloor convec-
rooms without resorting to air-conditioning. tors installed in the false floor, which are
Should a future tenant desire air-conditioning supplied with hot water from a modular
Underground garage (mechan;c;al extract)
it could be retrofitted. The ventilation and natural gas-fired boiler in the basement
heating systems have been sized. so that plantroom. Heating pipework runs in the
the entire building can be mechanically floor void , which also accommodates the
Office supply air - Outside air ventilated if required; this would be achieved electrical and communication services.
Office extract air Winter garden heating
Toilet extract air and ventilation via office
by replacing the air-handling plants in the Lamps are cast into the concrete slabs.
extract air rooftop plantrooms with larger units. Other areas in the building include a con-
[=::J Unheated buffer zone
All ducts and pipes in the vertical shafts ference room on the fifth floor, which has its
[=::J Internal mechanically ventilated offices
were sized to accommodate the higher flow own dedicated air-conditioning system,
[=::J External naturally ventilated offices
rates, so that retrofit work on the ottice floors mechanically ventilated toilets and tea
could be kept to a minimum. Space for an kitchens, and a mechanically-ventilated
A. Cross-section showing three environmental zones. air-cooled chiller on the roof and for chilled underground garage.
.,. the glass panels, so as to eliminate vertical Conclusion Credits Project management:
movements during the next erection phases. The project started on site in April 1994, and Hans Pfefferkorn
Client:
The horizontal props were adjusted together was completed and handed over to the client Michael Loulakis Main contractor:
with the spider detail and clamped into posi- by November 1995 (a lour-month extension Wayss & Freytag
tion, individual surveys being needed to to the old building's lease having been Architect:
determine the exact location of each prop. granted). It was completed within its budget Schneider+ Far;ade
Schumacher sub-contractor:
The roof panels were then put in position, of Dm20M, of which some 12.5% was the Magnus Muller
followed by the first row of vertical glass cost of the fa9ade . It has recently received Structural (fa9ade)
the following awards: and services engineers: Glazing
panels starting from the top . The pretension- Arup GmbH Dusseldorf sub-contractor:
ing in the vertical cables was then released • Forderpreis Bundes Deutscher Architekten Constant van Aerschot, Pilkington/Flachglas
by the equivalent weight of one row of glass (Award of German Architects Association) . Brian Cody, Kiran Curtis,
David Lewis Illustrations:
panels before the second row of was • Vorbildlicher Bauder Architektenkammer 2. 3, A. B: Trevor Slydel
installed, and so on until the last row. Eventu- Hessen (Award of the Architect's Structural engineers 1, 6, C: Waltraud Krase
ally, the sealant was applied between the Association of the Land of Hessen as (building): 4, 5: HG Esch
glass panels. 'Exemplary construction') . Philip Holzmann 7: Magnus Muller
1.
The 'head', with
the Commission
Room (left) and
Court Room
(right) flanking
the entrance hall .
The principal functions are expressed clearly Procurement

The European Court in the massing. The 'head' of the building Under the terms of the contract between the
includes the circular Court Room (facing the client and the professional team, Arups
of Human Rights, park) and Commission Room (along the provided geotechnical, structural, mechanical,
river) , and between them a circular glazed electrical and public health engineering
Strasbourg entrance hall leading to the public and press services up to contractor appointment.There-
amenities. Two office wings for the Court and after a local Bureau d'Etude Technique was
the Commission, similarly facing park and responsible for approving the contractor's
Coli n Jackson river, reduce in height with distance from the detailed design and overseeing the site
head, and are separated by an open, land- phases. All documents were produced in
Andrew McDowell scaped courtyard and cascade. French , and all text on drawings in French
and English. The procurement procedure
Mick White The head and offices are separated by the
Chambers, several large double storey- was to let separate contracts for some
height meeting rooms. To meet the budget of 33 packages; the first batch , including
Background some FF10 OOO/m2 the offices had to be low ground improvement, reinforced concrete
The Council of Europe came into being when cost. with an economical structure and work, and structural steelwork. were tendered
representatives of the 10 original member natural ventilation . in May 1991 .
states signed its Statute on 5 May 1949 in Recognising that the ECHR would evolve, the Construction began with ground improve-
London . Among its stated aims are the brief included provisions for future expan- ment in September 1991 , and by December
protection of human rights and fundamental sion . The design of the office structure and 1991 foundation construction was well under
freedoms, and to this end the European services plant allowed for lengthening the way. At this point, events in the wider world
Convention for the Protection of Human office wings, whilst preserving the stepped took a hand, with dramatic impact on the
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was elevation, or adding a storey at the Chambers project. In the two years since design team
signed in 1950. This led to the European end, giving a 10% increase in floor area. appointment, momentous political changes
Commission of Human Rights being set up in had taken place in Eastern Europe.
1953, and the European Court of Human The possibility of an additional circular court-
Rights (ECHR) in 1959. room in the landscaped area east of the Court The Iron Curtain was beginning to lift. In
and Commission drums also figured in the November 1989 the Berlin Wall came down
The Commission considers applications from architect's planning . and a piece was obtained for the entrance
member governments or individuals that a
violation of the Convention has taken place, Text continued on page 19 II>
and attempts to reach a friendly settlement.
Failure to do so may result in the case being
referred to the Court.
By the mid-'80s the original Court next to the
Council of Europe's HQ in Strasbourg clearly
was no longer adequate; by the end of 1987
there were 21 member countries, and over
13 400 human rights applications had been
lodged. A new 2.4ha site nearby, on the
banks of the River Ill and close to Stras-
bourg's other European buildings, the Palace
of Europe and the European Parliament. was
donated by the City, and a scheme prepared
by the City's architects. Dissatisfaction with
this, thought to come principally from Presi-
dent Mitterand, led to a competition between
five European architects. Richard Rogers
Partnership won in October 1989, with Ove
Arup & Partners as engineers.
Architectural concept Court Wing
The building occupies about half the site,
using the full length of the river frontage. The
plan form closely follows a bend in the river to 0 10 20 30m
give a waterfront elevation , a Strasbourg
tradition that features strongly in the medieval
town . The rest of the site is landscaped and
planted . 2. Second floor plan, following client's revisions.
Underfloor
heabngicooling
ECHR Building services
Concepts
The design team took very different
Heabng c,rcu11s
approaches towards servicing the
new building's head and offices. The
office Wings have a passive environ-
ment with minimal intervention from
mechanical or cooling systems.
The courts, meeting rooms and
lobbies of the head, with their more ..
demanding acoustic and technical Heal pump/
requirements, are highly serviced, ChlllerCI
To river
fully air-conditioned areas.
The simpler systems in the office
Hea1 pump/
wings allowed more resources to be ChlllerC2
spent on the prestigious head.
Energy sources Heat
Hea1 pump1
The building uses an underground exchanger
HE 1 Chiller C3
aquifer for both heating and heat
rejection, as required. Several A Simplified
schematic of
buildings in Strasbourg use it as an chiller/heat Heal pump/
ChtllerC4
energy source and there is a strict pump system. Ground water
lnstallabon
limit on the quantity of water that can
be removed. A temperature contour
map of the aquifer showed where the heating side (Fig A). For The offices only floor where temperatures have
water could be abstracted, away example, if parts of the head require The Wings have an automatic sys- moved outside the calculated
from the influence of other buildings' cooling at the same time as the tem of motorised, retractable blinds temperature range is the lightweight
discharges. To avoid warming the offices need heating, heat rejected for protection against solar heat and structured fifth floor - an 'add-on'
aquifer further, it was decided not to from the chillers or recovered from glare. These are external to the when the building was extended
discharge 'used' water back into it, the extract air is transferred to the building and an integral part of the during the design stage. Additional
but rather to the adjacent River Ill. office fan coil units' heating circuit. favade architecture; views to outside retractable shading has now been
Discharge flow rates have to be This means that water is only taken are considered important so they are added, but the benefits of exposed
varied to ensure the recommended from the aquifer when there is a net lowered only when necessary. thermal mass have been clearly
temperature difference between the heat demand or surplus from the The control system monitors weather demonstrated. The offices are
river and the discharge is not building as a whole. conditions and external light levels, heated with fan coil units mounted
exceeded. and controls vertical movement on the wall in slim-line casings.
The building receives two high
The client's decision for an voltage services at 13.2kV from and slat angle of blinds on the four Radiators were not used because of
all-electric building conformed to Electricite de Strasbourg. The two favades separately. On any the low temperature of heating water
France's energy policy; the exten- services supply a six-section HV individual favade all blinds move available from the heat pump. The
sive nuclear power programme switchboard which in turn feeds together for architectural reasons. fan coils also provide a degree of
means that electricity is abundant two low voltage substations, each Initially there were some conflicts upgrade potential. Should the client
and relatively cheap. Arups comprising two transformers and a amongst occupants with windows wish to provide summer cooling ,
produced a comparative analysis twin-section 400V low voltage on the same favade, as blinds chilled water could be passed
of a conventional gas boiler/electric distribution switchboard. All the HV can descend when parts of a through the {dry) coils.
chiller system and an electric heat equipment is rated for 20kV use with faQade are in shade. Performance The head
pump system, but something of a the transformer having dual voltage and acceptability of the blind system The triple-height glass entrance hall
prejudice against gas was found in primary taps at 20 and 13.2kV. For has been improved by fine tuning forms a dramatic entrance, with high
a country where electricity is the emergency power (confined to sup- control parameters. level walkways to the courtrooms
norm and burning a fossil fuel is porting the head building, the offices The offices are naturally ventilated and a basement well to reach the
seen as dangerous and polluting. only being supplied with emergency by large openable windows. The library, press room, and meeting
The benefit of one set of machines lighting) two 1500 kVA diesel gener- structure and concrete ceilings are rooms below. To achieve the desired
providing both heating and cooling ators are provided. Aluminium exposed on the inside, to gain architectural effect and create maxi-
was also considered significant. conductors are used throughout; benefit from the thermal mass. mum transparency, the entrance hall
To make the heat pump system as the original design was in copper Temperature conditions in most of is single-glazed. This, combined
energy-efficient as possible, a but the French sub-consultants the offices are reported as accept- with a winter design outside temper-
sophisticated scheme was devised advised that aluminium would give able, even through the exceptional ature of -15°C, created a challenge
to cycle the heat from the cooling to substantial cost saving. summer of 1995. Interestingly, the for the mechanical designers.
~ CFD
I .Eomputational Fluid Dynamics (CFO) analysis illustrated graphically
the extent of thermal problems in the entrance hall. It allowed possible
solutions to be tested, and ventilation schemes for the drums and
library to be checked. A two-dimensional slice through the cylindrical
entrance hall (C) was assumed to give a reasonable indication of
the dynamics of the space. Perimeter convector heaters at low and
mid level (the low level heaters being fan assisted) were modelled
and adopted into the scheme, together with deflectors to inhibit
downdraughts and anti-stratification fans on the high level walkways.
l:i
:II
...
:1:1
Ii:
B. D.
Bullet-proof screen, fan coil unit, and C. CFO section of entrance hall and basement well, Natural lighting
'pepperpot' air diffuser in entrance hall. showing temperature contours in winter. in the Commission Room.

Dynamic thermal modelling and double skin. Air-handling plantrooms
CFO analysis was used to assist are located in enclosures above the
development of the scheme. interpreters' booths within the drums
themselves, so noise and vibration
During summer. the low-level
control was crucial, given the NR25
ventilation strategy in the entrance
hall tends to encourage temperature criteria set for the courtrooms.
stratification. and hence excessive Each of the meeting rooms and
temperatures on the high-level courtrooms 1n the head is served by
walkways where dignitaries enter five interpreters' booths. An infra-red
the courts. To overcome this, a local communication system would have
micro-climate is established around provided the required flexibility
the walkways using low-speedAow- and performance, but for security
noise fans mounted in holes in the reasons a hard-wired system was
walkway to pull cooler air from adopted. The temperature and E.
below and disrupt the stratification. humidity in each booth has to be Interpreters' booths 1n the Commission Room.
closely controlled to meet ISO The perforated acoustic panel conceals
The Court and Commission Rooms the air handling plantroom.
standard. A special low-noise fan
are air-conditioned using displace-
coil unit was developed to fit in the
ment ventilation. This makes use of
booths' floor void
their internal height to give tempera- thermal discomfort. In each drum A sub-basement 'race track' of 2m
ture stratification. thus reducing The Court and Commission drums
are predominantly daylit: an angular low level windows allow the eye to high, concentric builderswork ducts
plant capacity and allowing savings rest at infinity. Automatic internal serve the head plantrooms with
on energy use and plantroom space. skylight in the roof of each allows
natural light to give the ambient light perforated blinds control the bright· preheated and filtered fresh air,
The high supply air temperature ness through these openings during exhaust air and water services. This
associated with floor supply systems requirements for more than 70% of
the working year. The geometry summer. approach minimised horizontal dis-
maximises the benefit of free-cooling tribution on the upper levels where
on the full fresh air plant. of these skylights permits direct l.Jght surface finishes are used on
sunlight to fall across the walls of the walls and roofs of the Court and distribution space is limited
Conditioned air enters the space the drums. increasing the feeling of Commission Rooms to enhance nat- Extension
from the insulated 'saucer' of the contact with outside. The passage ural light levels by inter-reflection, Though the client's decision to
drum via floor-mounted circular twist of time is apparent in the shifting and to fill in shadows cast by the increase the scale of the building
outlets, with extract from several patterns of sunlight on the walls as root structure. They create a light necessitated much detailed
exhaust points concealed behind the day proceeds. However, the and airy atmosphere, with the redesign, it was possible to carry
the perforated acoustic panelling. geometry stops solar rays striking particular colour and variability through the building services
The ductwork is integrated with the the Rooms· occupants directly, of natural light apparent throughout concepts already developed
structural steelwork in the dtum's as this would cause glare and the working year. without significant change.
3.
The Commission
Wing , Chambers,
and Commission
Room facing the
River Ill.
...
Text conlmued from page 17
hall (a local increase in loading allowance for the office wings beyond what was originally Structure
the floor slab). The effects of these changes envisaged. The consequences are described The design was to current French codes.
were difficult for the client body to predict below. The wisdom of these changes has An application to the Bureau de Contr6/e,
Many of the new democracies had applied to been borne out by events. In February 1995 Socotec, to use draft Eurocode EC2 for rein-
Join the Council of Europe. Hungary becom- Latvia became the 34th member and seven forced concrete column design was turned
ing a member in November 1990 and Poland further applications, including Croatia and down, much to the client's embarrassment.
in November 1991 . The client decided to Macedonia from the former Yugoslavia, were One of the stated aims of the Council of
revise the brief. with a, 40% incre~se in under consideration . The foundation stone Europe is to 'show that Europeans now live in
floor area from 20 OOOm to 28 OOOm . The was laid by President Mitterand in May 1992 a framework that goes beyond the nation
changes included larger Court and Commis- and the same month the Queen planted a state'; this particular framework was to be
sion drums, an additional storey on the tree on the site during a visit to Strasbourg to designed to the French national standard. In
Chambers and offices, and lengthening of address the European Parliament. addition to dead, live, snow and wind loads,
TiiE ARUP JOURNAL 211 996 19

the structure had to be checked for the
effects of earthquakes , since Strasbourg lies
in a zone of weak seismicity according to the
French earthquake code PS69, which reports
that Alsace has suffered five intensity 7
events since 1021 . In 1728 a commemorative
inscription on Strasbourg Cathedral was
damaged, and the events of September and
November 1802 kept the local stonemasons
busy for six weeks.
Another potential hazard is the proximity of
the River Ill and the site's vulnerability to
flooding . The 'Service de la Navigation ' moni-
tors water levels in boreholes throughout
Strasbourg , and provided Arups with high 4
water levels for given return periods. A 1 in Circular
200 year flood level of 136.Sm NGF was mezzanine
above the
adopted for the design and waterproofing of main entrance.
the structure. This was taken as the lowest
slab level, and internal waterproof render of
lift pits and underground service ducts is
designed to resist hydrostatic pressures. The
render does, however. extend higher than
this to above the level of the external ground.
Foundations
Site investigations in 1988 and 1990 revealed
a thin layer of made ground overlying Rhen-
ish sand and gravel to a proven depth of
15m. with a water table of about 1m below
existing ground level. When the river is in
spate its level rises by up to 1m, the former
Rue de la Wantzenau - now part of the site -
acting as a dyke to prevent flooding .
Pad footings, a raft, and piles were all viable
foundation options. However, site investiga-
tion revealed random loose pockets of
sand , one of which near the underside of 5.
a pad footing could lead to unacceptably The main entrance,
with mezzanine, and
large differential settlements. This option was stairway down to the
therefore only possible if preceded by a basement 'well'.
campaign of ground improvement. Vibro-
compaction over an area 3m beyond the
building footprint and 8m deep was pro-
posed . At Socotec's insistence this was
extended to Sm beyond the footprint, but it
still proved the cheapest solution.
The level adopted for the surface of the Rez
de Jardin slab was a 1 in 200 year flood level,
which meant that the underside of the pad
footings would be above the normal water
table and only excavations for lift pits and the
head service duct would require dewatering .
When the decision came to increase the
building's size, vibrocompaction was com-
plete, foundation construction under way for
the offices, and excavation for the head
service duct started. Both offices and head
grew so that the edge of the treated ground
was closer than Sm from the edge of the
building . Indeed, for the head, the footprint
extended to the edge of the treated ground.
Using Arups' VDISP program to model both
treated and untreated ground, a settlement
analysis showed that although greater settle-
ments were predicted for the large drum
foundation, differential settlements were
... .. •
acceptable and extending the treated zone
was unnecessary.
Head
The two drums of the Court and Commission
Rooms were originally 26m and 22m in dia-
meter, formed by a series of steel wall and
roof trusses, joined at base and eaves level
by trussed ring beams. At the base of the
walls a series of V-columns are supported on
what appear as shallow concrete bowls or
saucers, the tops forming the floors of the
Rooms. The bowls are each in turn supported
on three reinforced concrete columns.
A series of steel radial cantilever trusses was
considered appropriate for the bowls, with
precast concrete panels on the soffit. The
architect was keen that the precast concrete 6.
was not just cladding to the steel frame Seating for Judges in the Court Room,
but formed part of the structural system. viewed from the main entrance.

Chambers Contractors' changes
The chambers are isolated from the head and The various package contractors were
8 the offices by movement joints. The structure responsible for detailed design of various
Planters and is in reinforced concrete with floor slabs elements of work. The most radical changes
externally shaded glazing on the Court Wing.
supported on beams spanning 13m across to Arups' design were proposed by the gros-
the rooms, which are in turn supported off oeuvre contractor. whose package included
columns with a high quality visible finish . the Court and Commission bowl structures.
Reinforced concrete cores give lateral stability. and the reinforced concrete offices and
Mounted on top of the cores are glazed, chambers.
exposed steel structures supporting lift motor For the bowls, he proposed in situ post-
rooms. The 1991 revisions introduced an addi- tensioned prestressed concrete. confident
tional storey: a steel roof structure supported that the architect's intended high quality
on steel V-columns outside the fa9ade. exposed finish could be achieved . This
Offices meant that instead of inspecting numerous
The architect wanted the clear horizontal precast panels with the possibility of rejecting
bands created by the glazing and external and replacing those with an unacceptable
planters uninterrupted by a vertical joint. surface finis,t, . the archiJect was faced with
which would have to be of 40mm minimum some 800m and 500m of in situ concrete
width to comply with PS69. Moreover, such a being revealed on removal of the formwork
joint would look distinctly odd owing to the for the two bowls.
A prestressed solution was considered feas- differing lengths of each storey. It was thus For the offices the contractor proposed using
ible, but one which would be limited to decided to design the offices without move- the core closest to the centre of each wing for
specialist designers and contractors . ment joints for temperature variations and longitudinal stability. For the longer Commis-
Between the Court and Commission Rooms , shrinkage. and impose this constraint upon sion Wing this meant 65m from core to end of
the glazed entrance hall contains a circular the contractor. Consequently, the cores building. which still exceeded the code limits.
'donut' mezzanine floor, suspended from the would not have reinforced concrete walls A movement joint was proposed to coincide
drum structures. This was designed in running lengthwise. lateral stability coming with a reinforced concrete fire compartment
exposed tubular steel , with steel stairs and from a slab-column moment frame in this wall that halved this length.
scenic lifts from the entrance level. direction, with concrete core walls for lateral
loads across the building . The French rein- The architect accepted this, with the proviso
A major consideration in the mezzanine floor forced concrete code. BAEL83, requires that the external planter boxes and fa9ade be
design was its dynamic response to footfalls, specific calculations for these effects where detailed to absorb longitudinal movements in
and dynamic analyses were carried out with joints at a maximum spacing (for eastern several narrow joints, thus avoiding the
the PAFEC suite of programs to ascertain the France) of 35m are not provided . The appearance of a wide vertical joint on the
effect of different structural arrangements Commission Wing is 110m long. Design for face of the building. The longest continuous
and member sizes on the natural frequency. these effects was greatly influenced by the length of office thus became 78m with a
Once a structure with a natural frequency of lowest storey, used for archive storage, stability core close to the centre. The end
at least 5Hz was found , further detailed having a floor-to-floor height of 5.5m, sections. 32m long at ground floor, were
analyses were carried out using the in-house compared with 3.3m for a typical floor, and, stabilised longitudinally by frame action .
program MULTIO to look at the response at although the architect wanted a single Conclusion
various points on the floor to a series of routes column size for all the offices. a different size The ECHR was cor11pleted at a cost of
a person walking across it might take. Further was permissible in the archive. A 30 skeletal FF361M (c.FF12 500/m ), and officially opened
dynamic analyses with Arups' GDSPEC computer model of the structure was by President Mitterand in June 1995. The
program of a combined model of the entrance analysed using GSA for in-service temp- offices were occupied in late 1993 and the
hall roof. mezzanine floor. and the two drums erature variations and shrinkage, and the Court used from late 1994. Th~ final cost
evaluated their interaction under seismic resulting forces used for member justifica- equates to less than FF11 000/m at October
loading, to meet the requirements of PS69. tion , appropriately combined with those due 1987 prices, the original base - only 10%
The 1991 revisions increased the diameters of to dead, live, wind and seismic loading. The higher than the original budget despite the
the Court and Commission Rooms to 32m and resulting movements were given to the archi- extensive late revisions.
26m respectively. (The architect described tect for inclusion in the design requirements Credits
the change as 'simply enlarging them on the for the cladding and partition head details. Client:
photocopier'.) The enlarged sections and Limits on the lengths of slab that could be The Council of Europe
elevations, however, preserved the original cast before substantial completion of the Architect:
vertical dimension between the drum floor level above was included in the specification Richard Rogers Partnership
levels and the top of the three supporting as an added precaution.
Civil, structural, and
columns. requiring a 20% increase in the The floor plate consists of a 200mm thick slab building services engineers:
cantilever length with increased loading at the supported by 350mm deep beams spanning Ove Arup & Partners Andrew Chan. Lesley Graham.
tip. but no increase in depth . transversely with an offset internal column . Richard Hough, Colin Jackson. Neil McClelland.
Sean McGinn, Craig McOueen, Jane Peel-Cross.
and was constructed by the popular and Mick White (structural)
cheap predal/e building method, using Hilary Caton. Richard Gargaro. John Gautrey,
precast concrete downstands and thin slab Simon Hancock. Lidia Johnson, Denise Kee.
soffit units with the remainder in situ . The Andrew McDowell. Geoff Powell. Mahadev Raman.
columns have an as-cast high quality finish Andy Sedgwick, Tom Smith. Steve Walker (services)
and are located inside the offices, the outer Bernard Lem1us. Alam Marcetteau (geotechnical)
ones centred 400mm from the fa9ade's inside Local Bureau d 'Etude Technique:
face and the inner to one side of the central OTE
corridor. Local architect:
Claude Bucher
The architect was keen to minimise the size of
Economiste:
these columns, but his target of 400mm Thorne Wheatley
7. The library
required over 5% reinforcement, the maxi-
mum allowed to BAEL83. Socotec refused to Vibroflotation contractor:
Keller
sanction a higher percentage if couplers
were used in place of laps. A design spread- Gros-oeuvre contractor:
Urban (part of Campenon Bernard)
sheet was therefore developed which evalu-
ated slenderness moments more rigorously Structural steelwork contractor:
than the code , including the moment from Viry
horizontal movement of the tip. The method Mechanical contractor:
was approved by Socotec. and led to a IMHOFF
400mm diameter column being adopted for Electrical contractor:
all the offices. Spie Trindel
Building Management System:
The 1991 revisions lengthened each storey Staefa
and introduced an additional one. whilst Illustrations:
preserving the stepped elevations. The extra 2: Lesley Graham
storey has a steel roof supported on a central 1, 3,4, 6-8 , B. D, E: Peter Mackinven
reinforced concrete column and steel V- 5: Paul Raftery A: Trevor Slydel
columns outside the fa9ade. C: Richard Gargaro

1. Left to right: the two 350MW units and 210m chimney of Shajiao B. and three 660MW units and 240m chimney of Shajiao C:
The Background The Partners Initially, Shajiao C was to have two 660MW
The successful completion in April 1987 of The plant was developed by a joint venture of units, with the contract starting in April 1992.
the 2 x 350MW Shajiao 8 power plant in the state-owned Guangdong General Power Power stations of this scale would tradition-
Guangdong Province marked a significant Corporation (GGPC) and Hopewell Energy ally take some four to five years to bring on
point in the development of Hopewell Hold- Ltd , a CEPA subsidiary. The joint venture line, but commercial operation of the first unit
ings' interest in the Asian power market. company, Guangdong Guanghope Power at Shajiao C was required in three years.
The project - effectively the world's ground- Company, was formed under a 20-year co- Although this was already an ambitious target,
breaker for build-operate-transfer (BOT) operation agreement , after which ownership the working programme was developed on
power developments - was completed in and operation of the plant would transfer to the basis of bettering this by three months,
record time. and has subsequently operated the state-owned partner. and in August 1992 (to stretch the challenge
successfully with station availability of over The company awarded the turnkey contract further) the contract was extended to include
90% (compared to a market norm of 70%), to a consortium comprising GEC Alsthom of a third 660MW unit.
contributing to early repayment of loan capital. the UK, ABB Combustion Engineering The site
Consolidated Electrical Power Asia (CEPA) Systems (USA), and CEPA Slipform of Hong Shajiao C stands next to the Shajiao 8 plant
was formed as a Hopewell subsidiary on Kong . Of the heavy power-related plant on the Pearl River estuary, 80km from Hong
the back of the confidence generated by (E&M) works , GEC-A designed and built the Kong . Some 35% of the 55ha site was
this success. to take advantage of the turbine island, cooling water. coal . ash , and
-~
increasing power demand market in the balance of plant systems. whilst ABB-CE
rapidly developing South East Asian region . undertook the boiler island and electrostatic N
In Guangdong, industrial output growth of precipitators. CEPAS were responsible for <;,
24% pa has led to a substantial increase in the civil works. GECA were overall project
base load electricity requirements, and managers, with technical leadership, and
co-ordination.
~---
0 20km
currently the annual per capita consumption

is around 700kWh , compared to a norm in the Following their successful relationship on
industrialised West of from 5000kWh (UK) to Shajiao 8 , Arups were appointed by CEPAS
11 200kWh (USA). as designer for all geotechnical. civil , struc-
Shajiao C is a 3 x 660MW coal-fired station , tural , maritime, architectural , and building
the largest fossil-fired plant in the PRC and services engineering . Arups also provided
CEPA's largest project to date. Developed a site liaison team for the duration of the
and financed on a BOT basis, at approxi- civil works .
mately $US1 .9bn it was a significant step up Programme
in scale from previous projects. When opera- The commercial success of BOT power
tional , the three units will contribute a further projects demands both high levels of plant
25% to Guangdong's current generating availability, and generating capacity to be
capacity of 8276MW. brought on line as rapidly as possible.
Together with early completion bonuses, this
creates an environment in which traditional
lead times and construction programmes
must be radically reviewed. 2. Location of Shajiao site.
Shajiao B jetty access arm left foreground , Shajiao C jetty access arm extreme right.(photograph taken from Shajiao C jetty)
reclaimed early in the contract through filling The key drivers were: and coal conveyor towers that would
the shallow margins of the river to Sm above • Much of the financing in Chinese currency normally have been in steelwork and
mean sea level. The ground conditions (RMB) had to be expended in the PRC . provided by the E&M contractor (GECA or
onshore and offshore in the region are ABB-CE), were slipformed and included in
typically colluvial and alluvial fill , overlying a • Import duties of up to 70% made imported the civil works. The latter at Shajiao C thus
graduation of completely to highly to goods expensive. grew to some 24% of the capital cost ,
moderately decomposed granite (MDG). The • Export duties on re-usable plant and compared to the usual 15-18%.
depth to the MDG varies greatly, from materials like sheet piling were also
2m - 40m, dipping north west to south east. prohibitive.
and the stratification of overlying fill material • There was limited local availability of Plant data
is equally variable. land-based construction plant. Contract value: $US1 .9bn
The power block. which contains most of the • Marine plant was available up to a certain Site area: 55ha
heavily-loaded structures. is on the better scale but large-scale plant was limited - Generating capacity: 3 x 660MW
original ground in the north west of the site, 'available at a price'.
600m from the river. The reclaimed area, Power plant:
where estimated long-term consolidation • Labour was readily available • 3 x pulverised coal-fired
settlements of up to 1m had to be taken into and cheap, but: recirculation boilers
account, 1s principally used for the coal • local construction technology, • 3 x single reheat steam turbines
stockpile, balance of plant such as water labour skill, and workmanship were • 3 x 19kV hydrogen-cooled generators
treatment, and ancillary facilities including relatively unsophisticated.
Fuel consumption: 3M tonnes coal/year
warehouses and storage. • Concrete components 3
Coolant: 66m /sec from the Pearl River
Offshore the Pearl River gains depth grad- were on hand and cheap, and:
ually, so the associated structures had • reinforcement was available and
to extend 1.5km from the shore to achieve cheap to bend and fix, but : Station systems
sufficient depth for vessel berthing and cool- A power station comprises several integrated
• local formwork was of poor quality, and :
ing water intake. As on land, the sub-marine systems . The primary electricity generating
ground conditions vary greatly, with the • structural steelwork and transmission facilities of the power block
difference that there are extensive clay and was less available and cost-effective. are supported by extensive ancillary facilities
marine mud pockets. Prior to commencing the contract, the client to deliver coal , cooling water (CW). deminer-
Civil works concepts decided to maximise the use of reinforced alised water. and hydrogen, and to discharge
It is reasonably safe to say that the form of concrete and slipforming to optimise the use and treat effluent gases. ash , and water.
Shajiao C's civil works is and will remain of available local resources and skills, whilst There are some 70 individual and unique
unique 1n the power world . The designs were supplementing them with plant and equip- structures within these systems, each devel-
developed in liaison with a client willing to be ment technology. oped in line with the concept principles. In
innovative. and challenge accepted norms. Slipforming used CEPAS' extensive plant this paper three principal components of the
However, they were based on sound prin- resources and experience and , with appro- power station - the boiler, the CW system and
ciples derived from the dictates of the priately developed concepts, allowed the coal unloading jetty - are described to
contract programme, the financing , and primary structures to be built rapidly. As a demonstrate the development process and
availability of local resources and skills. result, 40 structures like the boiler support the principles of the design and construction .
THE ARUP JOURNAL 21 I 23
The boiler Shajiao C concept slipformed scheme developed, the 60m high
CEPA, with Arups and ABB-CE. decided to structure supporting the coal bunkers and
Traditional support structure develop a slipformed vertical boiler support the structure to the turbine hall enclosure
The Shajiao C boilers are controlled circula- structure. This would shorten construction were included. However, because of the
tion. radiant reheat. steam generators. Boilers time and bring boiler erection forward , significant differences in height, plan area,
are generally top hung, for two main reasons: because the lead-in times associated with and applied loading, the turbine hall super-
firstly, the 50m high furnace walls are struc- structural steel fabrication and shipping to structure was designed to be structurally
turally slender and only supported efficiently the PRC would be avoided . The concept also independent.
in tension ; secondly, with the main high satisfied many of the construction principles Boiler design
pressure pipes extending from the roof of previously identified, but the potential to The boiler structures at Shajiao are designed
the furnace. it is easier to accommodate reduce overall boiler erection time by up to for two principal environmental loads: seis-
expansion of the walls downwards. three months was the main advantage. mic, (the region is classified as seismic Zone
Such units are usually supported by tradition- The structural concept was somewhat limited 2a to the USC), and typhoon wind loading,
ally-braced structural steel frames around by the need to develop ii around a standard based on a gusts of 44-63 m/sec (Om-70m
70-80m high and 50m x 60m on plan . The boiler configuration , and the scheme that height).
emerged provided the six primary support
boiler and ancillaries have a total mass of The E&M plant loads are principally 10 OOO
columns braced by a series of C- and L-
about 10 OOO tonnes and are typically tonnes of top-supported dead and imposed
shaped shear walls, typically 700mm thick.
suspended from a grillage of plate girders ?Orn high, and designed as vertical canti- loads. and lateral wind and seismic loads
supported off six primary columns. levers. Their form also had to allow for pas- applied through the boiler guides at six
Erecting the steam drum and furnace walls sage and support of the air ducts, pipework discrete levels.
are critical path elements of the work, but and boiler access platforms. Penetrations up The complete boiler structure was simply
cannot commence until the support structure to 8m x 13m were required for the primary air modelled to identify principal load distribu-
is in place. For a braced steel structure this ducts, and secondary structural support tion , which resulted in four levels of horizontal
usually means all vertical and horizontal steelwork involved numerous pockets and bracing being introduced to reduce the slen-
bracing and diaphragms. approximately 900 embedment plates. As the derness of the heavily-loaded free ends of
3.
Initial stages of
boiler units 1&2 i••-15.~
slipform at - ~- -
August. 1993.
To the right and
towards the rear.
the CW pumphouse
excavation has
been completed.
In front, slipforming
the chimney is
beginning.
4.
All three units at July, 1994.
with administration building under way "
(extreme right), condensers being
installed in unit 3 adjacent, and turbine
hall roof being erected {distant, left).

the shear walls. These were located at levels progress can compete with more sophisti- The full programme and erection benefits
consistent with the E&M floor structures. cated mechanised techniques. and the were not realised during construction of Unit
Specific elements were then analysed using cost-effectiveness of the process is difficult to 1, but the learning curve benefited Units 2
finite element techniques. The walls where better with rates for labour as little as 15RMB and 3. The concerted opinion of those
penetrations for the air ducts occurred were (£1) per day. The substructure to Unit 1 - a involved was that overall time savings of c6-8
areas of particular concern. as stress con- grillage of 2.5m deep tie beams and pile weeks were recognised .
centrations were significant. caps - was slipformed in March 1993 and the
Throughout, the design was reviewed to superstructure slipform began the following
ensure that the details developed were month. Each unit was slipformed in two
consistent with slipforming techniques. ease sections and contained 1O OOOm of
concrete. The lower wall sections. made rela- Project materials data
of reinforcement, and concrete placement , as
tively complex by the penetrations and Total concrete (inc. mass): 500 OOOm
well as tolerant to construction inaccuracies
because of the number of interfaces with the embedments, resulted in an overall progress Reinforced concrete. 350 OOOm
E&M plant rate of about 110mm per hour. Sl1pformed concrete: 120 OOOm
Construction Boiler erection commenced in August 1993 Reinforcement. 45 OOO tonnes
The boiler structure foundations were with the primary steelwork and it was here Structural steelwork· 3800 tonnes
commenced in late October 1992. Each unit that the benefits of being able to delay
Precast piles· 350 @ 450mm diameter·
was founded on 70 hand-dug caissons , erection of non-critical secondary elements 8000m total length
1.2m-2m in diameter. between 15m and 40m was realised .
Hand-dug caissons:
long, bearing and socketed into the MDG Another distinct advantage of the open 465@ 1 2 - 2.8m diameter
rock. Progress on hand-dug caissons does section shear wall structure was that the clear 14 OOOm total length
not usually exceed 1m per day, limited by the vertical and horizontal access enabled erec- Steel tube piles· 213@ 1000mm diameter
curing time of the caisson shaft lining . tion of large pre-assembled elements. such total 2950 tonnes
However, with each caisson concurrently as the furnace bottom , which would not have
worked on by teams of three labourers, been possible with braced structural frames.
5
Sl1pform1ng unit 1 boiler and turbine hall. November 1993.
6.
The station
from the landside
THE ARUP JOURNAL 21 1 25

The cooling water system The cofferdam operation would have been unique. Details
A tricky element of construction occurs at the for the cutting shoe, and the construction
Cooling water from 3the Pearl River has to be interface between onshore and offshore sequence of concurrent slipforming , excava-
3
extracted at 66m /sec (5.7Mm /day), de- works , ie in the CW intake and outfall tion, and sinking , were developed. With these
livered to the condensers located under the systems. A cofferdam scheme was devel- techniques, a circle was the most appropriate
low pressure cylinders of the turbine genera- oped using sheet piling to enable a shoreline structure tor the pumphouse. Ground investi-
tor , and then discharged back into the river, excavation some 100m long , 17m wide, and gation data from the site showed , however,
warmed by 7-9°C, in a location that avoids 14m deep. Constructed in reclaimed ground, that the rock head level dipped some 1Orn
recirculation . a system of wellpoint dewatering and sheet- across the width of the pumphouse. This
piled cut-off walls was also installed. To avoid would have made the sinking operation ditti-
Water is extracted at a submerged intake duplicating the works tor intake and outfall , cult to control , and increase the chance of the
some 1.3km offshore and delivered through the design was developed to sit the out- caisson breaking its back. The scheme was
three culverts at atmospheric pressure to the fall channel on top of the intake culverts therefore dropped.
forebay of the pumphouse . Here six vertical
pumps push water at 1.2 bar pressure This also sign ificantly reduced the onshore Construction
through six inlet pressure culverts to the excavation works. Eventually the form of the pumphouse was
condensers and then six outlet pressure Pumphouse concept retained , but with traditional excavation
culverts to the sealweir. The latter creates a The 3 pumphouse receives and delivers methods using extensive wellpoint dewater-
closed system whereby siphonic action helps 66m /sec of water and is designed and care- ing to control the natural water table at
drive the water, resulting in more etticient fully modelled to ensure efficient flow to the c1 m-2m below ground level. In the event , the
pump operation. From the sealweir, water is six pumps as well as to deal with surge flow excavation exposed two existing rubble sea-
discharged through an open channel to the should the pumps trip out. The client's initial walls , one of them previously unknown, which
river, downstream of the intake. idea was to slipform the structure and would have further jeopardised the caisson
minimise temporary works a11d excavation , scheme.
Intake culvert concept
The recirculation study and bathymetry which at 18m deep in primarily reclaimed The 16m high pumphouse walls and pump
defined the 1.3km offshore distance for the material was a significant task that could ster- chambers were slipformed in six sections
intake head. which resulted in a total length ilise a large area of the site. Sheet piling and from a 1.8m thick base principally designed
from intake to pumphouse of approximately diaphragm walls were not favoured on cost for hydrostatic loads. The modelling of the
1.8km. The maximum allowable pressure loss and plant availability grounds, and the internal walls and chambers required tor
in the intake culverts was .designed as 0.9m concept was developed to construct the hydraulic performance created complicated
water head, which resulted in three culverts entire perimeter wall , some 67m in diameter, slipforming profiles, but careful co-ordination
of 4.2m x 4.2m cross-section . Offshore, they as a 'self-sinking caisson'. These are used tor and detailing resulted in an extremely effec-
had to be placed in water up to 12m deep some bridge foundations but the scale of this tive construction operation .
with currents rising to 2m/sec. Culverts are
often precast, but in line with the guiding prin-
ciples it was decided to develop a sliptormed
reinforced concrete solution.
The culverts were restricted to a maximum lift
weight of 200 tonnes, as there are plenty of
floating cranes in the Pearl Delta with this
capacity. Larger cranes are less numerous
and as a result often carry cash premiums
to ensure 'reliable' availability.
Culverts with wall thicknesses of 300mm were
therefore slipformed in 15m lengths, typically
in groups of four.
Construction
The vertical construction presented a few
problems. The units had to be sliptormed off
the rubber seal that would form the compres-
sion joint when installed. In order to lift and
turn the units and transport them to the barge
prior to placement, a mobile gantry crane
system was devised.
A pair of sleeves were cast in opposite walls
at a level just above the centroid , so that an
axle could be inserted through after slipform-
ing . This was then used for lifting the unit by
the primary gantry hoist. a nominal end lift by
a secondary hoist being sufficient to rotate
the unit. To lift and place units offshore, a
frame was specially designed to connect to
threaded lifting eyes cast into the corners of
the culverts .
Installation
Offshore, marine deposits had to be removed
by grab and suction dredgers along the
length of the culvert formation, which was
then filled with rock to make a suitable base. 7.
Rock was unloaded from barges by labourers CW pumphouse
and then divers - working in zero visibility - external wall complete,
placed levelling stone by hand against pump chambers
screed rails. 1n progress,
November, 1993
Bearing slabs, to restrict differential move-
ment at the compression joint, were then
placed to support the culvert ends, and the
units positioned by marine crane working
away from the onshore/offshore interface.
8.
CW intake and outfall
cofferdam under construction,
March, 1994.
26 Tl1E ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

Inlet/outlet pressure culvert concept To control cracking and to allow the culverts
Upstream of the pumphouse through the to articulate under differential settlement,
condensers and to the sealweir, the culverts joints are at approximately Sm centres. In situ
delivering the cooling water work at an construction enabled a detail to be developed
operating pressure of 1.2 bar but must be for the joints using traditional cast-in rubber
designed 2 for a surge pressure of 4 bar waterbar which is readily available in China.
(400kN/m ). The joint filler had previously been found to
The two principal considerations 1n their be prone to erosion or removal under opera-
design are the joint detailing to cater for oper- ting conditions and a cast-in capping strip
ating pressures and potential settlement, and was specifically developed with Fosroc to
the lifetime performance under aggressive ensure durability and long-term protection of
scour conditions resulting from sea water and the water bar.
sediment travelling at 2.~m/sec .
Cooling water system
Traditionally, cement-lined pipes or rein-
forced concrete culverts are used. Steel Water flow: 66 m'/sec
pipes were not favoured as import duties Intake culverts
made them economically unattractive, so Offshore culverts: Total length 5.4km
reinforced concrete was chosen . Precasting Slipformed: three 4.2m x 4.2m culverts
and slipforming were both considered , but Pressure culverts
the joint detailing was complex and it was In situ reinforced concrete: six 2.2m x 2.2m
eventually decided to develop an in situ Total length: 3.2km
scheme using travelling forms. Design pressure for surge : 4 bar (400kN/m')
9 Below:
CW pumphouse: pressure culverts from pumps under construction, June, 1994.
10 Inset left:
Inside CW pumphouse forebay prior to flooding , with screens at entrances to pump chambers.
11 .
Culvert and caisson
precasting yard
and slipforming yard ,
May, 1994.

The coal unloading jetty the steel tubes that had been available were It was based on 16.5m high, 3m diameter.
required for use on Hopewell's Superhighway caisson shafts slipformed from 9m square
Under full load Shajiao C consumes 8100 project in Guangdong Province. The rapidly bases. 31 pairs of units were placed at 9.75m
tonnes of coal per day, and whilst the stock- agreed alternative was to develop a slip- centres to support transverse and longitudi-
pile holds 40 days' supply , under normal formed caisson scheme based on a number nal beams approximately 2.3m square in
operation the station must receive four or five of principles: section . A corbel was cast on the top of each
coal vessels per week. The jetty is designed • As there was no slipway, caissons caisson to allow substantial tolerance in their
to receive and unload 50 OOODWT vessels were to be lifted into position. not floated. locations and adequate bearing for the
holding around 12 500 tonnes of coal using precast units prior to in situ stitching. The
• The unit weight was to be about 300 corbels also allowed vertical lifting eyes to be
two grab unloaders and one continuous tonnes to suit available marine cranage.
unloader, each able to extract 1500 cast through to enable connection of the
tonnes/hour. • Deck construction was to be precast lifting frame.
as far as possible to avoid excessive The deck was designed with only two prin-
Coal is transferred by conveyors via a series in situ work over water.
of transfer towers which weigh , screen, and cipal units for each slab , each transverse
crush the coal prior to discharge to either • Repetition and simplicity of precast beam , and each longitudinal beam. which
the stockpile or directly to the bunkers. work were essential. expedited the precasting . The beam units
50 OOODWT vessels draw about 12m and need • The structure was to be tolerant of were designed to simply bear onto shims
14m water depth at berth . The relatively shal- construction inaccuracies likely in placed on the caissons and , prior to in situ
low margins of the Pearl River forced the placement of caissons offshore. stitching. provided dead load and some
unloading jetty to be located 1500m from the propping action during preloading . Once
Jetty design this was completed the units, which had
shore. It is linked to land by an access arm
which carries the conveyor, services, and an The design had to cope with seismic . berthing , been free to articulate, could be jacked to
access road . wave, thermal . differential settlement, and live level. Then the nodes and deck. designed
loading including the unloaders. each of with 'loose fit' reinforcement, were reinforced
Jetty concep t which weighs some 1200 tonnes. and concreted .
To moor 50 OOODWT vessels and support the
unloaders and conveyors, the jetty had to be
25m wide and 300m long, although this is
extended by a mooring dolphin. The deck
level was set partly as . a function of the
unloader operation and also maritime consid-
erations of wave loading and tidal ranges,
which in the Pearl River estuary is typically -
0.9m to + 1.3m PRO (Pearl River Datum) -
although extreme conditions can push it up to
+2.87m PRO. It was decided to set the deck
level at +5.0m PRO . This was 2m lower than
Shajiao B and as a result, with a wave height
of 2.9m, wave loading was a more significant
consideration .
Shajiao B's jetty has an in situ reinforced
concrete deck on driven steel tubular piles
but, though that had been a successful
operation, there were few local Chinese sub-
contractors capable of undertaking the work.
This lack of available competitive tenderers
led to various concepts being considered
including slipformed caissons .
Eventually, based on experience with Shajiao
B and success in negotiating an acceptable
price with the same contractor. a piled
scheme was selected . The detail design was
developed but shortly before piling began
12.
Diver placing
levelling stone for
caissons and culverts.
14.
Placing jetty caissons:
those in front of the crane
to the right are temporarily stored.
hence the angle.
13.
Slipformed jetty caissons awaiting
placement. March, 1994.
28 THE AAUP JOURNAL 2/1996

Construction to the underside of the caisson base and units placed dry. Each caisson was to be
Placing the caissons and preloading were dynamically compacted in 1.Sm layers by 5 preloaded to its maximum working load by
key to the scheme's success , which had to tonne drop weights. As with the culvert 800 tonnes for up to three days or until nominal
produce a robust end product with relatively formation , levelling stone was hand-placed settlements were recorded . Because of the
close tolerances for successful operation by divers, but the difficulties of quality difficulty and time involved in handling
of the unloaders. Before construction began. controlling this led to the development of a kentledge offshore and the desire to apply
the formation was dredged and 3-Sm of preloading scheme to prove the works. Once controlled concentric loading, a system was
unsuitable material removed to a formation of the caissons had been accurately placed developed using water tanks . These - 16m
medium dense sands and gravels. To avoid and levelled - only possible at slack tide - high and Sm in diameter - were placed on a
this silting up, rockfill was placed immediately they were sand-filled and the precast deck precast table onto a seating block accurately
located on the caisson core . Anchoring the
precast table to the deck units gave tempo-
rary stability. The tanks themselves, which
could be pumped full in less than an hour.
were more stable under typhoon conditions
15. when full.
Attaching The preloading was applied by filling the
lifting frame tanks in a controlled loading cycle, monitor-
to jetty caisson. ing level and verticality at all stages. When
the full cycle of load had been applied
and held with recorded settlements less
than 0.05mm/hour, preloading ceased but
monitoring continued during preloading of
adjacent caissons close enough to be of
influence. The deck construction followed the
preloading operation two clear bays behind
to avoid 'prestressing ' the structure through
settlements occurring after concreting .
In the event the jetty caisson installation and
deck construction proceeded relatively
smoothly. The formation proved to be
adequately prepared, and predicted settle-
ments of 30-35mm under full preload were
typically reflected on site. This assisted
progress on the deck and topside construc-
tion. as no caissons required re-levelling and
few precast units needed jacking to level.
From start of dredging to erection of the coal
unloaders, building the jetty took about 13
months. During construction , the steel piles
that had been diverted ott-site became avail-
able again and were eventually used for the
1.Skm access arm. This had also been
redesigned as a caisson scheme, but was
presenting particular problems in terms of
extensive dredging in poor ground.
16.
Placing caisson
preloading tank,
and in situ deck
construction.
August, 1994.
17.
Preloading tank
on precast deck.

Credits Ranjit Basu , Les Davey, Bill Dineen. John Jackson.
Conclusion Derek Robinson , Kelvin Ward. Colin Wright
Client: (London - detailing)
Guangdong Guanghope Power Company Mike Hastings. Andy Keelin
Arups' Shajiao C project team in Hong Kong E & M contractors: (London - building services)
was supported on numerous fronts by other GEC Alsthom Graham Gedge (London - AR&D)
Arup resources and experience world-wide: ABB Combustion Engineering
all in all , c300 engineers and technicians Howard Corp , Justine Garbutt, Eddie King ,
Civil works contractors: Peter Monkley (Cardiff - draughting)
worked on the project. Contributions ranged CEPA Slipform Power System Ltd
from short and long-term tours by individuals Steve Cliff. Roger Pickwick, John Read
(Previously Slipform Engineering Ltd (Nottingham - civil/structural)
to Hong Kong and the site, to the design of Civil, structural, geotechnical. building services, Stuart Hunter (Edinburgh - structural)
packages of work which were significant maritime and architectural consultants:
projects in their own right. Notable amongst Ove Arup and Partners David Lancaster (Bristol - civil/structural)
these were London (Industrial projects) for Hong Kong core team: Brian Rogers. Mel West (Birmingham - detailing)
the chimney and coal unloading jetty; Cardiff David Chan. Jeremy Chatwin. Keith Chong , Brian Raine (Perth - civil/structural)
office for the turbine hall roof design and site- Robin Forster, Adrian Fox , HW Fung . Rick Higson,
Judy Ho, Ian Jones. Mark Jones. William Lam . John McDonald (Glasgow - detailing)
wide fabrication drawings; Nottingham office Wilson Mau. John Powell , Grant Robertson . Ian Webb Australia
for the workshops, warehouses and ancillary (civil/structural) Ian Hooper (Brisbane - civil/structural)
buildings; Sydney the jetty access arm, water Paul Chan . Mark Green, Johny Ho. Andy Lam, Mike Cooke, Graham Curnick, Angus Johnson.
treatment, ash silos . coal transfer towers ; and Anthony Lam, Brian Littlechild. Joanna O'Brien. Gl~n Nasrin Nowparvar, Bob O'Hea , Umesh Rajakarian ,
the London Detailing Group. Personal con- Plumbndge. Terrence Yip. Stanley Yuen (geotechnics) Ernest Tang , Bill Thomas (Sydney - structural)
tributions came no greater than from those Alisdair Bamford , Danny Cornish, Paul Dunne , Paul Anderson . Adam Blatchford , Tony Carrol. John
Kieran Flynn, Andrew Harrison. Peter Samain,
individuals who spent time on a site where Kelvin Tang. Patrick Yu (building services)
Collins, Ian Crowe , Paul Hanley. Charlie Houston.
the living and working activity and environ- Trevor McBride, Steve Pennel, Alan Shuttleworth, Paul
ment were always interesting, though not a we Chan , OY Kwan, David Lai, KY Lai, CW Lam. White (Sydney - draughting)
WM Lee Martino Mak, TC Ngai, Lioni Ramos , KL To. Space precludes mention of many others in Arups
little challenging . SW Wong , Tim Wong , Reman Vick (draughting) who also contributed.
The civil construction works was substantially Lara Tang , Teresa Yung (administration)
Illustrations:
completed in May 1995. All three 660MW UK
1, 6, 18: CEPAS
units were synchronised ahead of schedule Ian Brookes, John Hamilton. Andrew Horton,
and in May 1996 the reliability trials were Eve Jardine-Young, Bob Lea, Donald MacMillan, 2: Denis Kirtley
Chris McCormack, Daniel Osafo. Noel Tomnay,
completed . Full commercial operation com- John Tyrrell , Paul Westaway (London - industrial) 3,4,5, 7, 8,10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 :
menced by the contractual completion date Ed Forwood . Peter Hartigan. Allan Macinnes,
David Lancaster
of June 1996. John Senior (London - civil/structural) 9: John Powell
18.
19. The complete jetty. inset 18. shows turbine hall essentially complete. October, 1995.
30 ™E ARUP JOURNAL 211996

Structural design criteria
Saving a landmark: California style UCLA's campus architect has
developed an innovative program
Catherine Wells for seismically upgrading the older
buildings by adopting a perfor-
mance standard for the structural
work. This approach to analysis,
unlike a code-based design, looks
at actual anticipated building
behaviour based on the real
member material properties. These
are input in a computer model of
the structure and subjected to a
representation of the earthquake
vibrations expected at the site,
based on its specific ground
conditions. By understanding the
building's potential weaknesses in
an earthquake, attention can be
focused on remedying these
deficiencies, without the expense
and impact of trying to modify an
older building to comply fully with
current codes. UCLA chose to
adopt a life safety standard of
performance: this aims at avoiding
injury to people in or around the
building during a major earthquake,
but acknowledges that structural
repair may be needed afterwards.
1. Powell Library exterior, fronting onto Dickson Plaza. Through this approach, UCLA has
been able to seismically upgrade
many of their older buildings, a
The seismically problems from a 1960s precast process which might otherwise
vulnerable Powell Library annexe at the rear (containing the have been cost-prohibitive.
When the University of California at near-obsolete mechanical equip-
Los Angeles carried out a seismic ment}, not to mention the non-ductile Roof level
study of their campus, many of the frames and unreinforced brickwork.
buildings were found to be at severe The solution was to demolish and
risk in an earthquake. Amongst replace the '60s structure. This Existing beam
them, the Powell Library was of could give the Library an appropri-
primary concern. ately styled formal entrance to the Existing
brick wall
Built in 1927, it was one of the four rest of the campus, and house a 314 in diameter threaded
rods grouted into
original buildings around a green new elevator, mechanical units and brickwork at 2 h centres
commons area, and remained at the vertical risers. Seismically, new rein-
heart of the campus as it grew into forced concrete shear walls could
one of California's largest. The build- be ductilely detailed and tied into all
ing also stayed at its architectural the varying levels of the building.
heart with an ornate Romanesque Removing interior finishes for shot-
style of domes and roofs - and it crete strengthening to the inner face
was the varying levels and the of the exterior brickwork would allow
heavy brickwork, as well as a non- services to be replaced or upgraded,
ductile concrete frame, which as well as permitting redesign of
placed it at the top of the campus's some of the office spaces. The
seismic risk list. project as schemed went into the
UCLA invited proposals for a feasi- long process of state approval and
bility study for a seismic upgrade release of funding. Wall reinforcing
to the building, and in turn the Then on October 17, 1989, the
architects Moore Ruble Yudell came Loma Prieta Earthquake shook the
to Arups for assistance. Their joint San Francisco area, collapsing free-
study identified many deficiencies in ways and buildings. Funding for the
the building's architectural layout, as Library was approved and the
well as major seismic and fire safety project moved ahead. 4. Typical wall section.
2. Reference Room painted cast plaster ceiling: pre-earthquake.
3 Right: The Central Reading Room, looking into the Reference Room.
THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/ 1996 31
Lateral system analysis
Although the existing brickwork was 5.
in excellent condition, no reinforce- Computer model from
ment meant that the walls could be seismic analysis,
subject to sudden brittle failure in an showing degradation of
earthquake. Thus a major objective existing brick strength,
of the upgrade was to ensure plus new shotcrete.
adequate wall capacity with proper
reinforcement to carry the seismic
loads. This made it essential to
understand the shear capacity of
the existing walls and then add
appropriate new walls and shotcrete
strengthening.
- -Ex1s11ng wall elemenls
- - New sho1crete wall elemenls
8.
Looking up
into void between
existing brick wall and
the lath-and-plaster
finish in the Reference
Room where shotcrete
6. was located.
Rotunda brickwork:
shotcrete strengthening was concealed in the
corner piers behind the plaster and brick.
'In plane' shear tests at multiple Another scheme was to cut away
locations on all the walls were vertical strips of the least decorative
carried out first. This non-destructive plaster inside, apply shotcrete, and
test measures the force required for replaster to match the original. This
a jack inserted vertically between was feasible, but decorative brick-
two bricks to just start to move work would have to be removed at
the brick. the base connection for dowel
The results were then correlated to 7. installation - a potentially visible
Shotcreting the repair. After consultation with the
an ultimate shear strength for the Reference Room. The Rotunda
wall. The average value obtained One particularly challenging area contractor, a procedure was
was 145psi (well above the code was the Rotunda, an octagonal brick developed that gave repair work
allowable value of 10psi), which had structure which lets natural light into indistinguishable from the existing.
provided sufficient strength for the Installing the the Central Reading Room from The Rotunda's existing ductwork
building to withstand the earth- shotcrete strengthening above. The interior has very attrac- system gave only heating and
quakes it had lived through to date. Not only was the exterior brick of the tive decorative brick, coloured ventilation, which needed to be
An iterative analysis of the lateral Library to be preserved, but the plaster, and tiles on the walls - all to upgraded to full air-conditioning.
system under the site-specific major interior public spaces, includ- be preserved - but neither the The ducts were buried in the wall,
ground motions was carried out. In ing the 300ft x 60ft x 65ft tall structural nor mechanical systems taking air from the fan room above
Reference Room , had plaster wall supporting the space were up to the and voiding it through low-level
the first phase the entire existing
finishes aligned with historically required standards. ornamental grilles in the tilework.
structure was modelled, together
significant plaster ceilings above, Calculations showed that bigger
with proposed new walls, showing The Rotunda was supported by
which parts of the brickwork would which could not be realigned to ducts were needed, but there was
eight non-ductile concrete piers
be overstressed in the earthquake. accommodate new shotcrete on the linked by a beam above and sitting no way to modify the existing, so
The model was then run through a brick. When the survey started, the Arups proposed to modify the round
on a ring beam below. Analysis
second phase where the stiffness of plaster walls were found to have showed the concrete reinforcing as grilles. To achieve proper air
the cracked elements was omitted; been built up to 2ft inboard of the inadequate for the seismic forces distribution. the outlet velocity was
stress levels were again checked exterior brick, enough for access that could be generated by the increased by partially blanking off
ladders up into the ceiling. This the opening. Straightening vanes
and the forces were stable. A final heavy tile roof and brickwork above.
phase considered the maximum gave the space needed to add Since there was a strong desire to were placed behind the ornamental
reinforced shotcrete backing to the opening and the feed to the outlet
credible condition where all brick- minimise impacts both the inside
brick, reinstall plaster finishes, and designed to reduce air flow
work had cracked and only concrete and outside the structure, several
maintain the original lines. turbulence. Black paint concealed
walls were carrying the loads. The alternatives for structural strength-
building design was based on an ening were studied. One was to the new devices and there is now
envelope of all the load conditions remove the exterior brick and apply controlled air distribution, making a
to represent the range of actual new steel, but the outside appear- more comfortable space.
building performance. ance would have been altered.

The Reading Room ceiling
The Northridge earthquake in Earthquake repairs to State-owned Since the room will be occupied by This incorporated preservation of all
January 1995 was an unanticipated buildings are funded by the Federal many students 16 hours a day, the special decorative hand-painted
test of Arups' design. The contractor Emergency Management Agency safety was of paramount importance; panels which would have a glass-
was ahead of schedule and had just (FEMA) and since final completion of however the preservation community fibre backing applied to hold the
completed shotcreting when the the Library was not possible without felt that replication was not an pieces together in case of cracking.
region experienced horizontal access to the Reference Room, option. Load tests for new backing The rest of the ceiling would be
accelerations of 0.27g and vertical approval for funding had to be systems and hanger capacity were replicated in the present-day equi-
accelerations of 0.15g. Damage to gained as quickly as possible to carried out, and it was concluded valent. glassfibre reinforced gypsum
non-structural elements was the minimise delays. With the help of that a hybrid solution would provide plaster, cast in moulds from the
major problem after the earthquake Arup R&D in London and local maximum confidence for life safety original pieces and hand-painted to
and plans had already been made specialists, various options were in future earthquakes and be match. This would be attached to a
to brace terracotta partitions which studied, but no direct precedent for acceptable to the historians. new metal stud backing by cast-in
cracked. However the damage to the problem was found in a seismic fixings with the retained elements
the historic plaster ceiling in the zone. Since there is no lath in the held in place by edge clips.
Reference Room was a major plaster. any invisible fix would
challenge. depend on the bonding of backing B.
It consists of a pattern of cast plaster and hangers to the back of the exist- Plaster-coated
units reinforced with jute over the ing plaster. A suspended net. bolting hangers suspend
c300ft x 60ft area. The centre is a hangers through the panels, epoxy ceiling panel
dome, flanked by flat panels at high backing, and replication were all from black iron
level sloping down to a perimeter considered. frame and steel
structure above.
cornice over the remainder. During
the earthquake a dome cornice A.
piece had fallen and cracks Ceiling damage from the Northridge earthquake
between elements were visible.
The plaster panels are attached from
1in black iron channels fixed to the
back by wads of jute and plaster.
These channels are suspended by UCLA obtained approvals for this
approach and the work is now
wires or jute encased in plaster from
a grid of small black iron channels, complete. The quality of craftsman-
in turn wired back to the roof trusses. ship has been truly impressive,
Inspection showed that the earth- showing how modem materials can
quake had broken some of the match historical standards, and
plaster attachments, causing panels improve the historical community's
to move and break loose. confidence in what can be
achieved. When the Reference
Room finally opens it will be a
L___ spectacular space once more.
Library environment Where decorative plaster ceilings Construction Credits:

Besides seismic strengthening and below prevented use of poke- The contract was let as a lump Clienl:
HVAC upgrade, UCLA wanted this throughs, we located a series of sum low bid, as required by UCLA. University of California. Los Angeles
project to include provision for 1in x 1.5in channels. cut into the top For a renovation, this means the Architect:
numerous computer workstations in of the existing slab from the wall to documentation needs to be as Moore Ruble Yudell
open areas of study rooms, reading an outlet in the space. This was a comprehensive as possible to Consulting engineer:
rooms, and classrooms in the costly and limited solution. but minimise the potential for changes Ove Arup & Partners California
Library. Reprogramming the Library allowed electrical power to be sup- due to unforeseen site conditions. Donna Clandening, Nancy Hamilton.
space gave more individual and plied to every space in the Library. Extensive verification of the existing Morgan Lam. Gary Lau. King Le Chang,
Catherine Wells. Alila Zekioglu (structural)
group study areas. A lot of book In the main Reading Room. computer MEP systems was therefore carried
Alan Locke, Jacob Ts1man1s (mechanical)
stack area disappeared, the IT revo- usage and current expectations of out, and surveys of critical but
Dan Ursea (plumbing)
lution having allowed much Library environmental comfort required a inaccessible structural areas.
material to be stored electronically. Having very detailed structural Rahim Peyvan, Gregory Morrison (electrical)
cooling system as well as improved
New electrical systems were needed heating. The 65ft height meant that sections was invaluable in the field Contractor:
within the constraints of the historic when the inevitable occurred. Arups Morley Construction
supply from the ceiling was not
fabric to power this expanded practical and no space was avail- had an engineer on site two days a Illustrations:
computer use. able in the walls. Arups devised week - not common USA practice - 1: Ove Arup & Partners
to help solve site problems. 3, A: Moore Ruble Yudell
All the primary electrical distribution a perimeter heating solution of 4: Trevor Slydel
systems were replaced. Distribution radiators encased in the historic Construction started in 1993 and as 5: Seymour Liao
of power and telephone/data outlets bookcases. with specially designed a result of close teamwork between 6, 2, 8, B: Tom Sadowski
for the open areas was studied insulated metal enclosures and the owner, contractor and design 7: Morley Construction
carefully. Raised floors were metal scoops to limit temperature team, the project was completed
inappropriate, and distribution from effects on the wood. Cooling for the on budget and ahead of schedule -
the ceiling down was ugly, so poke- heat generated by computer use is a great achievement for such a
through floor units were selected for provided by eight free-standing air- complex project.
most areas. These required coring conditioning units also built into the The main portion of the Library was
holes in the existing slab at cabinetwork. These are next to the completed in 1995, and the ceiling
predetermined locations and at a readers. so close collaboration with renovation finished for re-opening in
density limited by the National the manufacturer and Arup summer 1996. Through sensitive
Electrical Code. The unit is installed Acoustics was needed to design a design, the building has retained its
flush with the floor, but protrudes unit to meet the size and noise historical character, but offers
into the ceiling void below and so requirements. The tempered facilities that will take the Library
can be used wherever an accessible fresh air is also distributed through into the next century.
ceiling occurs below. ductwork and grilles in the existing
bookcases. By thus concealing the
systems, there is no evidence of the
technology hidden within.
Site seismicity The acceptability criteria were then
City of Hope: and seismic codes set as follows:
The potential seismic forces for this
Steel moment site are defined by the region's
'• The moment frame system will be
proportioned to have sufficient
connection moderate and major faults (Fig.2):
the Sierra Madre and San Andreas
strength and deformation
capability to resist the design
development faults are 3km and 50km distant
respectively. The proximity of the
basis ground motion. This shall be
demonstrated by non-linear
former, with a postulated magnitude superstructure analyses.
King-Le Chang 7.5 event, indicates that the site will
be subjected to higher ground • The beam-to-column connections
Hosse in accelerations associated with 'near will be detailed on the basis of
non-linear superstructure analysis
Mozaffarian fault' phenomena.
results, plastic hinge rotations. and
Present US building codes require the 1988 enhanced morpent
Atila Zekioglu a conventional structure to be connection test results.'
designed for a prescribed seismic
force which is a small fraction of Three pairs of time history accelera-
1. Model of City of Hope project. what the building would actually tion records. filtered and scaled to
experience during a major event. on match the upper bound response
the premise that the structure has spectrum, were prepared by the
adequate inelastic ductility to geotechnical consultant. The original
deform without fracture and to selection process considered site
Introduction similarities and focused on longer
The City of Hope National Medical 5.9 Whittier earthquake in 1987 dissipate seismic energy safely.
It is assumed that the system will be duration events . The non-linear
Center in Duarte, California, founded generally caused minor damage. analyses indicated a maximum
in 1926 through donations from Bobrow{fhomas & Associates. the ductile and well-behaved and that
the actual seismic energy input will plastic rotation of 1.6% radians.
individuals and organisations. is project architects, completed a
world-renowned for advancing the facility master plan in 1992 with new not exceed the post-yield energy This maximum rotation served as
detection, prevention, and treatment buildings for patients, research, absorption capabilities of the plastic the serviceability check for the
of cancer and other serious medical offices. outpatient clinic. hinges. This approach tails to incor- connection development process.
diseases. Sned 25km east of Los and central plant (Fig.1). porate actual site characteristics. Northridge earthquake
Angeles, its existing premises range Arups' LA office was commissioned and has no basis to capture the Steel moment frame systems, offering
from single-storey wood-framed as structural. mechanical, electrical. effects of system redundancy. plan flexibility and construction
buildings for patients to three-storey plumbing and acoustics engineers. member/connection ductility, or time/cost advantages. have been
'non-ductile' concrete ancillary deformation limits for 'acceptable widely used in California. Before
support buildings. The magnitude performance'. Northridge earthquake (magnitude
One of the most difficult questions 6.6), they were regarded as one of
to answer after an earthquake is the best seismic systems with
whether a given structure has sufficient ductility to resist major
performed well or not. It would be ground motion.
easier to answer if the structure was The limited published data on the
2. Potential seismic sources in site region. 35.5
initially designed to meet a certain pre-Northridge beam-to-column
performance objective. but this connection (Fig.4) tests, which
requires the establishment of indicated problems with its reliability,
quantifiable acceptability criteria. were mainly unnoticed and/or
0-t'# l°<lf Currently, efforts are under way to disregarded as being rare cases
'?..,,.,o ~'7
35.0
develop performance-based seismic not expected to be duplicated in
~,k>., codes to address the current code real life.
8.o,;.
~ deficiencies.
~s
~\~0 -!,;-~ ~'to(
~ "'t-. "'1,
Initial approach
~,,Q ~~ Discussions about site seismicity
san1a'/nez
'/ 81a
8q,,,i'>ol
r9cts
34.5
and the seismic code shortcomings
with the client and project architects
during October 1993 (prior to the
4.
Plan and elevation of 'Pre-Northridge'
moment connection detail
"~<It January 1994 Northridge earth·
~ .. SITE
quake). led to the performance
PACIFIC OCEAN
MalibU Coast
'\
~\;
:;.
Ray,,,ond
%,%,.
l:Js1"r>o,.
34.0
objective being set for the essential
buildings, such as the patient
pavilion. as follows:
'To provide a structural system
[='-
R-l------------~
. ,,
-------------------
::::::::
Beam
9
capable of resisting the expected
119.5 119.0 118.5 118.0 117.5 ground motion, 10% probability of
being exceeded in 100 years, with·
out critical damage to the structural Column
system. Critical damage is, for this Full penetration
purpose, defined as that which field welds
3. 30 view of steel moment frame system • Patient Pavilion. could render the building unusable
by the local or state agencies.'
Bolted Shear
Initially, the steel moment frame Plate
system was reviewed. which
identified the overall system stability
(Fig.3) and beam-to-column ........ Beam
Continuity
connection behaviour as the critical Plates
components in satisfying the perfor-
mance objective.
34 Tl1E AflUP JOUf!NP.l 2/1996

Northridge earthquake - a relatively The following key steps Finite element analyses Specimen fabrication
brief ground motion with moderate were identified: Non-linear finite element analysis and testing
to major intensity - was the first real • Study and learn from (FEA) using the ANSYS program Three beam-to-column flange
test in the LA area for steel moment others' failures. was used to investigate the specimens were detailed for
frames, whose beam-to-column proposed connection performance. fabrication, together with welding
connections sustained failures • Develop a concept for new Since material properties could not requirements to assure simulation of
ranging from cracks at beam connection. be estimated accurately, the FEA actual construction procedures.
flanges and/or welds to fractures • Perform non-linear analyses to work was based on 'average beam Beam sizes tested were rolled
through column flange and web compare variations of the concept. yield stress + one standard wide-flange US shapes, W36x150,
(Fig.5). The failure rate was relatively • Select the new connection deviation'. Various configurations W33x152 and W27x178 based
high: over 200 steel moment frame to be tested. were analysed to evaluate and on ASTM A572 Grade 50
buildings were damaged, out of an proportion different features, as well specifications. The column sizes
estimated 500-700 subjected to • Fabricate test specimens under -as verify the simplified connection were W14x455 and W14x426.
moderate ground motion. simulated field conditions. design procedure (Fig.7). These heavy sections were used
In the first six to nine months • Perform physical testing of Figs.la and 7b illustrate models with for three reasons:
following the earthquake, efforts multiple specimens. constant and varying diameter • to force all the inelastic behaviour
were made to revive the prescriptive • Correlate analytical and drilled holes in beam flanges; into the beam and allow for full
'Pre-Northridge connection', with a experimental results. Fig.7c shows taper-cut beam strain-hardening
combination of improved welding flanges. Flanges are reduced
• Develop simple procedures to • to subject the column flange to the
techniques and tougher weld wires. according to the beam plastic
allow efficient design of new maximum possible stresses
This proved unsuccessful and the moment gradient to ensure yielding
connection. • to consider the increased size
code authorities prohibited its use. in this 'structural fuse' region .
The Federal Emergency Manage- The first two tasks led to the follow- of milling defects in larger rolled
These results indicated that the
ing definition of basic connection steel shapes.
ment Agency (FEMA) then funded a taper-cut flange scheme achieved
four-year research program to features (Fig.6): The beam was laterally braced at
the target plastic beam rotation of
reduce the earthquake hazards of (1) Reduced beam flange area to 3.5% radians - an artificial capacity the top and bottom flanges, at the
steel moment frame structures. predetermine a plasticity zone away required by the state agency - at end of the taper-cut region furthest
The challenge
from the field welds at the column much lower strain levels. Plastic from the column, to simulate the
By October 1994 it was clear both face. Because the design of most straining in the reduced beam actual 'as-built condition-to-be'. This
moment frames is based on stiffness flange region was uniform, as minimises lateral torsional buckling
that there were no quick fixes and
that current projects with steel rather than strength, this would not opposed to strain concentration of the beam and allows it to develop
require a heavier beam section. The regions occurring at the beam its maximum flexural strength,
moment frames could not be put on
hold until after the FEMA program. beam flanges can be shaped either flanges with drilled holes. The taper- thereby subjecting the column and
by flame-cutting or using drilled cut flange scheme clearly performed the field welds to the highest
Two choices remained: to redesign
holes to achieve this area reduction. better than the drilled-hole schemes; possible stresses.
the projects using alternate lateral
force-resisting systems, or develop (2) Welded vertical steel plates further, the behaviour of the model at
an acceptable moment connection. at beam-to-column interface to a rotation of 1.5 to 2% radians was
Arups decided to pursue the latter, reduce through-thickness stresses without apparent local buckling.
more challenging, option. at column flange. Also, the beam-column interface
stress levels were about 65% of the
Connection development (3) Welded shear plate at beam
web, as opposed to a standard beam yield stress. The taper-cut
methodology flange scheme was thus selected for
On a project-specific development bolted connection , to transfer the
bending and shear stresses in the full-scale connection testing.
structural engineers, unlike
researchers, do not have the luxury beam web directly to the column.
of learning from initial physical The welded shear plate also
testing of concepts followed by effectively mitigates secondary
modifications and laboratory stresses should bolt slippage occur.
retesting. In simple terms, 'learning
from failures' to obtain a better
product is not an option - no client
wants to know or even hear about it. 7 (a) (b) (c).
The learning process had to be 6. Non-linear finite element analysis.
based on studies of unsuccessful Plan and section of new
testing by others and damaged moment connection detail. (a) 'constant size drilled holes'
connections from Northridge.
Column
5.
'Pre-Northridge' moment connection:
Fracture through column flange.
Vertical Rib Plates
Back-up Bar
to Remain (c) 'shaved'
flange
Beam

The test loading (Fig.8) was applied Correlation Conclusions and future Credits
at the end of the beam in a slow The ANSYS FEA model was Arups' new steel moment connec- Client:
cyclic fashion , and stopped at each translated into a DYNA30 model to tion satisfies and surpasses the City of Hope National Medical Center
peak displacement to observe the perform cyclic analysis runs capacity requirements set by local Architect:
yielding and local behaviour matching the displacement history and state building agencies. It is Bobrow/Thomas &Associates
(Fig.9). used in testing . The actual material currently being incorporated in the Consulting engineers:
The specimen responded properties, obtained from tension new outpatient clinic at City of Hope Ove Arup & Partners California
excellently, achieving large beam coupon (steel sample) tests, were (Figs 12 & 13), and will be used for King-Le Chang, Atila Zekioglu, Hossein
plastic rotations beyond the 3.5% used in this analysis. the upcoming patient pavilion and Mozaffarian, Umin Jin (structural)
radian target. The close match between the diagnostic and treatment centre. The Other consultants:
computer simulation (Fig .1 Oa) and premium costs for the new connection Professor K.C. Tsai, National Taiwan
Three different beam-to-column over the 'Pre-Northridge' connection University (concept review)
flange connection specimens tested the specimen after physical testing
(Fig.10b) is noteworthy. More are reasonable, though it is problem- Law/Crandall Inc., Marshall Lew
during October and November 1995 atic to consider this as a premium
exhibited similar results. importantly the close match of force (Geotechnical)
vs displacement results from the since the previous connection did Testing:
FEA and the test further verifies that not perform. Professor Chia-Ming Uang, University
the new connection behaviour is The beam and column sizes tested of California, San Diego
predictable by computer modelling. so far have been based on fairly Specimen fabrication:
Beam-to-column large and heavy sections typical to The Herrick Corporation
web connection moment frame construction in W&W Steel Co.
8. seismic zones. This connection
Specimen in test frame. So far, the development and testing Eagle Iron Construction Inc
of the beam-to-column flange could be used in new constructions
with smaller or slightly larger sizes Welding inspections:
connection has been discussed. Smith - Emery Company
It is important to note that in most without any further physical testing,
since no apparent 'scale effect' Illustrations:
moment frame structures, due to 1: Bobrow/Thomas & Associates
plan configuration and/or to obtain a issues exist. It is intended to
3, Keith Chung
desired behaviour, it is typically modify and further develop this new 4, 6: Sean McDermott
necessary to have beam-to-column connection for application to skewed 5: Melani Smith
web moment connections. Before connections and upgrading of 9b, 9c: UCSD
Northridge, very limited web con- connections in existing buildings. 2, 1Ob: Atila Zekioglu
nection testing was performed in the Arups' LA office gratefully 7, 12, 13: Paul Clifton
8, 11 : David Hewitt
US. Since that event. Arups has acknowledges the co-operation of 9a: Hossein Mozaffarian
been the only firm to develop and City of Hope in this development 10a: Alex Sturt
test this configuration. The concepts process and for agreeing to make
utilised in this development (Fig.11) this information public. The test
were similar to the flange connec- results are being published through
tion; the test results have been the American Institute of Steel
excellent, and similar to the column Construction.
9 (a) (b) (c) Below: flange connections. Reference
Connection specimen appearance (1) POPOV, E, and TSAI, KC. Steel
at a rotation of 1.5 to 4.5% radians beam-column joints in seismic
(a) moment-resisting frames. Report No.
1.5% UCB/EERC - 88/19, November 1988,
10 (a) (b) Below: University of California, Berkeley,
California.
(a) Connection computer model
appearance at 6in displacement.
11.
Beam-to-column
web connection specimen.
(b)
. .~ -~ i i i i i ~ 3%
13
Outpatient clinic:
moment connection after welding.
12.
Outpatient clinic under construction at City of Hope,
(c) utilising the new connection.
4.5%
(b) Specimen appearance after test.

The 0resund Link
J0rgen Nissen
The Danish straits Crossing the Oresund
The Danish straits are of special To build a fixed link across the
importance because they provide 0resund is not a new idea. As early
the only natural connection between as 1888 an 'underwater bridge' was
the Baltic and the open seas. Until proposed, in which a railway was
the Kieler Canal was completed (just to run through a large pipe resting
in time for World War I) across the on the sea bed across 0resund
neck of Schleswig-Holstein some between Elsinore and Helsingborg,
70km south of the German/Danish 50km north of the final route. More
border, most of the nine nations realistic schemes were prepared in
surrounding the Baltic could only the 1930s, when a Danish-Swedish
gain access to the oceans through contractors' consortium presented a
the straits. proposal for a road and rail bridge
The straits also function as hydraulic from Copenhagen to Malmo via the
links. The Baltic is a brackish body island of Saltholm. World War II
of water, with two main layers: interrupted all planning for the Link,
the upper less saline and more but in the 1960s attempts were
oxygenated than the lower. From again made to advance the idea. 1. The Danish straits.
time to time there are influxes from A number of proposals were put
the open sea through the straits forward but all were subsequently The competition Competition scheme
which bring saline, oxygenated rejected. They included combinations 0resundskonsortiet invited engineers The design presented special
water to the bottom layer. The straits of road and/or rail links between and architects to take part in a problems. There were to be three
are profoundly important for the Elsinore and Helsingborg and/or competition at the end of 1992. The very ditterent elements: a tunnel
maintenance of water quality and Copenhagen and Malmo in tunnel ASO Group was formed by Arups under the sea, an artificial island
survival of marine life within the and/or on bridge, and some included with SETEC of France, Gimsing & where the motorway and railway
Baltic, and any scheme for crossing plans for moving Copenhagen Madsen and ISC of Denmark, and surface, and a long bridge with at
them must obstruct the water flow as Airport to Saltholm. Tyrens of Sweden, and was selected least one large navigation span. This
little as possible. With the Great Belt Link under for the competition in February 1993 would be very large, standing in a
There is heavy trattic across way, the Danish and Swedish together with five other international seascape without natural forms for it
those straits which lie wholly within governments finally entered into a groups. to be set against. The landscape on
Denmark's boundaries; ferry binding agreement to establish a The competition was in two parts: a either side is gentle and friendly,
services were established early and fixed 0resund Link in a Treaty dated bid for project management services with small and rolling hills and
are among the world's busiest. The 23 March 1991. The reasons for now and a design competition. The brief curved coastlines where the land
Little Belt, between the mainland backing the proposal were that the for the latter defined a form of the meets the sea. The Link will often be
peninsula of Jutland and the island Link would not only create safe and crossing similar to that set out in the seen at a distance: from the shores,
of Funen, was bridged in 1935 and ettective traffic connections between Treaty, but it also invited proposals the sea and the air, whilst those on
again in 1970, and construction of a Scandinavia and the continent of based on a more open brief to give the Link itself will mostly see 11 at
tunnel and bridge link across the Europe - Denmark had joined the scope for improving the 'reference speed. The construction strategy
Great Belt from Funen to the largest European Union in 1973 and project', as it was called. was to have detailed design and
island, Zealand, started in 1987 for Sweden was to join in 1995 - but construction carried out by ditterent
also to lay the foundation for the The closing date for entries was in contractors on the various parts of
completion in 1998. Attention is now April 1993.
focused on links across the Danish 0resund region to become an the Link, breaking the continuity of
borders. The first contracts for the attractive growth area fully capable The competition was to be judged the design process.
0resund Link between Denmark and of competing at an international level. by three independent panels - The reference project had only
Sweden were let during 1995 and The Link's form was specified in aesthetic, environmental, and techni- partially addressed these special
completion is scheduled for the year some detail in the Treaty. It would cal - which indicated that the client issues, and the ASO team decided
2000. 1995 also saw the start of carry a dual two-lane motorway and would attach equal importance to that the design could be improved in
preparatory feasibility studies for a a twin-track high speed railway these factors. Under the Treaty the several ways to achieve a functional,
fixed crossing of the Fehmarn Belt between Copenhagen and Malmo, Link had to be designed and economic, and elegant solution that
between Denmark and Germany. but on a line south of Saltholm, constructed with due consideration would minimise the crossing's
All these crossings are for both rail which had been declared a nature of 'what is ecologically motivated, environmental impact and enhance
and road traffic. reserve. There would be an technically possible and financially the experience of using it. The
immersed tunnel under the Drogden reasonable to prevent any detri- strategy was to create a simple,
Each of the links in and around the mental ettects on the environment'.
waters of Denmark is of a similar channel adjacent to Copenhagen rational, straightforward form; to
Airport, an artificial transition island Environmental issues thus took express function without unnecessary
size, and together they form a major priority, and the major concern was
investment programme which will south of Saltholm, and a high-level details; and so to produce a
bridge with spans over the the marine environment in the Baltic. strong and robust unity capable of
change the transport patterns of the With the need for water flow to be
whole region. The 0resund and Flintrannan and Trindelrannan navi- being divided into smaller parts
gation channels, both in Swedish obstructed as little as possible, which could be detailed by
Fehmarn projects are, like the limit to blocking by the Link's
Eurotunnel between Britain and waters. The Link would be financed ditterent contractors and still be a
through loans guaranteed by the two elements was subsequently set by harmonious whole.
France, part of a group of major the environmental authorities in both
!rans-European links now being states, and the construction and
operating costs would be recovered countries at 0.5%.
planned and built.
through tolls. In autumn 1992 the
two governments formed
0resundskonsortiet, a company
owned jointly and equally by them,
to be responsible for the financing,
design, construction, and
subsequent operation of the Link.
2. The 'underwater bridge' proposal from 1888.

3.
Model of the competition design, showing the S-curve, and at the
top of the picture, the two islands joined by the low roadbridge.
K·ey features
• An alignment curved in plan These trusses are uniform through-
The 1991 Treaty specified an out the bridge, but modified at the
alignment which was simply a cable-stayed main spans so that
straight line from the artificial island every other diagonal has the same
south of Saltholm to the landfall in direction as the cables. The 20m
Sweden. ASO proposed an S-cuNe bay length of the truss is constant
alignment for the bridge to give along the bridge and imposes a
users of the Link continuously modular discipline on all the spans.
changing views of the sea, the The deep girders lead naturally to
islands, the coastlines. and the longer spans, which have environ-
bridge itself, and also to allow a mental as well as visual advantages.
nearly perpendicular crossing of the ASO proposed a single navigation
Flintrannan navigation channel. span of 490m over Rintrannan
• Two smaller artificial islands, instead of the 330m and 290m
and a railway tunnel and low road spans over Flintrannan and
bridge between them Trindelrannan specified in the
Treaty. A truss sufficiently deep to
The Treaty specified a single 4km accommodate the railway is naturally
long artificial island in the waters stiff enough to act as a deck for a
south of Saltholm. ASO changed this cable-stayed span considerably
to two smaller separate islands: the longer than that required by the
one to the east taking the railway brief, so the opportunity was taken
from the main bridge to a tunnel to provide one at Flintrannan which
while the road was kept above sea generously exceeded the minimum
level until it reached the western shipping requirements, thus avoiding
island, where it joined the railway in the need for the other over
tunnel. Although they were located Trindelrannan.
in shallow water in the shadow of
Saltholm, the two smaller islands The inherent stiffness of the truss
reduced the blocking effect signifi- deck was also a factor in choosing a
cantly below that of the larger single harp configuration for the cables.
island. The proposal also made a The live load moments in a slender
total separation of road and railway deck are sensitive to the vertical
traffic possible across the islands. stiffness of the cable system, which
strongly suggests a fan arrangement.
• A two-level bridge structure This does not apply to the truss
between the eastern island deck. Its repeating geometry has
and Sweden, with one generous also a natural affinity with the harp,
navigation span across Flintrannan which can be emphasised by
Separating road and rail traffic over adjusting the angles of the
the whole Link was a unifying theme diagonals to match those of the
in the ASO proposal. The Treaty cables. This resulted in simple
specified bridge structures with the details where the force from the
road and railway side by side, but in cable anchorages is delivered to
ASO's two-level proposal the motor- the bottom chord through sloping
way is above and the railway below. brackets. (Arups previously used the
With this arrangement the most eco- concept of aligning truss diagonal
nomical structural solution is to use and cable angles in 1988 in a
steel trusses with diagonals con- competition entry to replace the
necting the upper and lower decks. Williamsburg two-level suspension
bridge across the East River in New
York. In the event, the existing
bridge was repaired.)
4.
Satellite image of 0resund, showing Copenhagen (left),
Saltholm (middle), and Malm6 (right).
The final route and island are graphically superimposed.
During design development the final alignment was changed
to a shallow C-curve, and the two islands combined.
38 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1 9!16

The harp system has a visual
formality, particularly apparent when
cable planes are vertical, and the
towers were designed to express
this. The effect is further enhanced
because each cable plane is
supported by independent towers
unconnected above deck level. This
requires the cable plane to coincide
with the centroidal axis of the tower,
which is 2.3m from its face at road-
way level. The cables are thus at a
safe distance from the roadway and
protected from accidental damage.
Using only one cable-stayed bridge
also avoided the unfortunate visual
effect of two similar but differently-
sized bridges near to each other.
The Link would have only one visual
6 (a) & (b) Below· peak, the importance of which would
The 30.Sm wide cross-section for the main bridge (a) 1s similar to that for the approaches (b) be emphasised by the longer span
The approach girders are steel lattice girders 10.2m deep with concrete decks for the road and the railway. and higher towers. The two-level
The lower concrete deck is shaped to contain derailed trains. The 20m bay module is constant throughout. structure also has operational
advantages as it keeps the high-
speed trains away from the road
users and allows both modes of
transport the flexibility of cross-
overs. so that sections of track or
carriageway can be by-passed
when necessary. Both car and rail
travellers also have a better view of
the 0resund
8.
The stay cables are anchored at brackets
that transfer cable forces to the girder structure.
The cable planes are vertical and placed at a
distance from the carriageway edge, making
maintenance easier and reducing risk of
accidental loads on the cables.
7.
The main bridge is a
harp cable-stayed bridge
with two side-spans. The
diagonals are modified in
the main bridge to suit the
layout of the stay cables.
The pylons are vertical,
with individual towers not
connected at the top.
The centres of gravity of
the towers are on a vertical
line, so the inner faces will
slope slightly outwards to
counteract the sense of an
overall inward slope
THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/ 1996 39

9. Graphic superimposition showing the completed link. post-2000. from the Danish coast .
The consistent form of the simple both Denmark and Sweden, were Most legislation, rules and regula- risk acceptance criteria were
and strong horizontal truss girders is also undertaken and the designs tions, codes of practice, etc, differ defined accordingly. Risk investiga-
the principal feature that gives modified as required. In the summer between Denmark and Sweden, and tions were carried out to define the
the design a sense of unity. The of 1994 it was decided that both much work was done to develop frequencies of various critical
overall effect is a clear statement of bridge alternatives should be taken special documentation for the hazards. For the bridge these are
structural purpose: strong horizontal forward to tender on a common project. As a basis for the design ship collision with the bridge piers,
girders supported on concrete piers alignment and with common designs the Eurocode system was adopted. ship collision with the bridge girder,
at the approach sections and, at for the tunnel and the artificial island. However, not all the relevant Euro- aircraft collision, fire on the road,
the main span, the cables which The two-level bridge proved a robust codes are complete and many exist and fire on the railway.
continue the line of the truss design and fundamental changes only in draft form, so to adapt them Reasonable safety levels on the
diagonals to the 200m high masts to the concept were not found to this project a set of project appli- motorway and the railway are
of the two supporting towers. necessary. However, the idea of cation documents was prepared primarily achieved by designing
From competition to tender a railway tunnel and a low road giving amendments to individual structures and installations to
The result of the competition was bridge running between two small Eurocodes. Partial safety factors and minimise the frequency and
announced in July 1993 when two islands did not survive the further load combination factors were cali- consequences of accidents. There
design proposals were chosen to be studies - mainly on economic and brated, and accidental load cases are facilities for rescue, fire fighting,
developed further. They included environmental grounds - and the identified and defined to satisfy the clearance, and quick reopening of
two bridge alternatives: ASO's two- S-curve was altered to a C-curve operational risk acceptance criteria the bridge for normal or alternative
level design with the railway below when changes were made to the developed for the completed Link. traffic, and it has been designed to
the motorway, and the 0LC Group's alignment at Copenhagen Airport in Many items in the design basis accommodate a traffic management
proposal for a single-level bridge order to simplify construction document are based on a rational system with traffic detectors,
with the railway between the two through the Airport. assessment of risks. The acceptable variable traffic signs, traffic lights,
road carriageways. Although the changes were 8km risk and safety levels were taken automatic weather stations. etc.
Both competition designs were from the western end of the bridge, to be comparable to similar traffic This system is connected to the
developed in parallel beyond what they altered the alignment direction installations in Denmark and overall 0resund Link traffic manage-
had been possible in the short at the artificial island; this, combined Sweden. Specific risks of fatalities ment system which will be the
competition period. Technical and with bird sanctuary restrictions south and total disruption were assessed SCADA-type (Supervision, Control
environmental studies, and consulta- of Saltholm, made the S-curve and compared with similar for road And Data Acquisition). All informa-
tions with the relevant authorities in unfeasible. and rail transportation on land, and tion is collected in a Link control
40 THE ARUP JOURi'IAL 2/1996
Time schedule: Some statistics: Main quantities for the bridge:
Detailed planning and design Total length of 0resund Link: Earthworks:
Dec 1995 - Feb 1997 15840m 300 OOO m3
Establishment of work areas Length of artificial peninsula: Structural concrete:
Dec 1995 - Jan 1997 430m 250000 m3
Caisson and pier elements Length of tunnel: Reinforcement steel:
Jui 1996 - May 1999 3510m 40 OOO tonnes
Deck elements Length of artificial island: Cable-stay steel:
Sep 1996 - Jun 1999 4055m 3 OOO tonnes
Marine works Western approach bridge: Structural steel:
Nov 1996 - Sep 1999 3014m (four 120m spans 90 OOO tonnes
Eastern approach bridge and 18 spans of 140m) Contract sums:
Feb 1996 - Jui 1999 Main bridge: Tunnel contract:
Western approach bridge 1092m (490m navigation span 3766M DKK (at February 1995)
Jui 1997 - Jan 2000 plus 160m and 141 m side-spans
on both sides) Dredging and reclamation contract:
Cable-stayed bridge 1388M DKK (at February 1995)
Feb 1997 - Jun 1999 Eastern approach bridge:
3739m (three 120m spans Bridge contract:
Completion and 24 spans of 140m) 5350M DKK (at June 1995)
Apr 2000
Total length of bridge:
7845m
of these could be expressed as be built within the implementation Credits

functional requirements but some programme set by the client, and Client:
important design features could not. that it would allow competitive 0resundskonsortiet
The tender documents therefore tendering for the proposed design- Members of the ASO Group:
included not only the usual design and-construct contracts. This was United Kingdom: Ove Arup & Partners
and construction requirements but achieved by incorporating scope for
also Definition Drawings which the following : France: SETEC Travaux Publics et
described the design features, lndustriels
• factory condition prefabrication of
geometry, and materials that should Denmark: Gimsing & Madsen NS;
large sections of each element ISC Consulting Engineers NS
be retained in the contractor's of the Link
design. The tender documents (Tyrens Foretagsgrupp AB, Sweden,
also included a set of illustrative • large-scale erection operations for were members of the Group until
design drawings as an example of which tenderers would be able to December 1993, when they withdrew
a comprehensive design which utilise existing plant. as it was then clear that ASO would
fulfilled the client's requirements. • repetition of detail design and not be involved further in the tunnel
construction details. and artificial island.)
The two bridge proposals were
issued for international tender in The selected contractor has to a high Architect to the Group:
November 1994. Each was in two degree based his tender on these Georg Rotne
packages, one for the approach assumptions and will prefabricate Sund/ink contractors:
spans and the other for the cable- concrete caissons and columns on Skanska, Sweden
stayed elements comprising the land in Malmo. Complete bridge Hochtief, Germany
centre span and its flanking side spans including the concrete decks H0jgaard & Schultz, Denmark
spans. By tendering the bridge in will also be prefabricated on land, Monberg & Thorsen, Denmark
two parts the client could combine the approach spans at Cadiz in Designers to the contractor:
the two minimum bids for each Spain and the cable-stayed spans COWlconsult. Denmark
proposal, which could be expected at Karlskrona in Sweden. The main VBB Viak, Sweden
centre from where it will be possible to lead to a lower total price than in situ parts will be the towers to be Arup team:
one bid for the whole project. The cast in climbing formwork. Andrew Allsop. Gert Andresen, Chns Barber,
to take immediate action when traffic Allan Delves. Klaus Falbe-Hansen,
flow irregularities occur. The railway bids were returned in June 1995. The construction programme has to Don Fraser. Chve Ga1tt, Graham Gedge.
traffic will be managed by the Danish The seven bids for the cable-stayed take into consideration environmental A'f)y Ghose, Fraser Gillespie. Mark Howell,
and Swedish railway authorities spans showed a price variation of issues and must not interfere with Chris Humpheson, Naeem Hussain.
42% from the lowest to the highest, Peter Knight, Margaret Law. Phil Lee,
according to agreed requirements. shipping traffic in the 0resund. The Ai-Lmg Lim, Angus Low. Chns Manning,
whilst the seven for the approach migration of herring through it sets Alam Marcetteau. Charles Milloy
Tender spans had an even broader spread limitations on the programme, and Strachan Mitchell, Paul Morrison. J0rgen
The client decided to let the works in of 56%. The lowest bids for both Nissen. Douglas Parkes. Line Petersen,
design-and-construct contracts. the dredging and reclamation works Jeremy Shapley David Snowball.
parts were both for the two-level in the area have to be scheduled
These have some obvious advan- Lene Strand, Ian Wilson
concept. precisely. The shipping traffic
tages, but clients have little direct Illustrations:
influence on designs as long as the After lengthy evaluation of all the requirement is very restrictive; in 1, 2: Peter Speleers
functional requirements formulated bids, a single contract for the whole particular, the requirement that work 3, 5-8: ASO Group
in tender documents are met and length of the two-level bridge was in the existing Flintrannan navigation 4, 9: 0resundskonsortiet
the design conforms with the signed with Sundlink Contractors channel cannot commence before
design basis. in November 1995. The tender completion of the realigned naviga-
designs conform very closely with tion channel has a considerable
In this case, extensive consultations the illustrative design. influence on the programming for
were held with authorities in the two the whole Link.
countries on matters like aesthetics, Constructing
environment, road and railway for the Millennium Throughout the construction period
operation, navigation, safety, etc. A fundamental principle adopted the ASO Group will monitor and
and risk analyses were carried out in developing the conceptual audit the contractor's design and
to identify major risks and measures design was that it should allow for construction activities.
to alleviate them. The designs economical construction. resulting When it 1s completed in the year
prepared by the consultants were in the minimum possible adverse 2000, the bridge will be the longest
markedly influenced by these environmental impact. railway bridge in Europe, and the
activities and included many The objectives the ASO team set 490m span the world's longest
features over which the client itself were to demonstrate that the cable-stayed span to carry both
wished to maintain control. Some design was practical, that it could road and railway traffic.
New Chamber, National Assembly,
Gaborone, Botswana
Simon Nevill
2.
Cross-section
through 21 .35m
" sernbl'l' . width shell roof.
. I ~ •ational ,....s
· ,na '"
te ,11ustfatin9 ong
, . san1<.no
Introduction 3.
In 1965 Ove Arup & Partners were appointed Original building on the left and the new chamber on the right. J
by the Government of the British Bechuana- all fronted by the extended colonnade.
land Protectorate (now Botswana) to design
and supervise the construction of a Parlia-
ment Chamber and supporting offices, for
completion in time for Botswana's indepen- The new chamber
dence on 30 September 1966. The design The architectural solution was to create a
work was undertaken by the Bulawayo office scaled-up version of the original , increasing
but with assistance from the London office on the seating capacity from approximately 40
the main chamber design 1. to 76 seats for Members of Parliament. As
Nearly 30 years later. in 1993, Arup Botswana with the original , the main chamber was
were approached by the Department of conceived as a double-volume space with
Architecture and Building Services to design galleries. In the initial scheme there was a full
a new and larger chamber for the expanded basement car park, but this was later
parliament. This allows for appropriate repre- deleted. A basement plantroom was included
sentation of a population that has grown from but this was located immediately outside the
SOO OOO to 1.4M in the intervening period . west gable wall of the main chamber. The colonnade
The project commenced on site in January The final solution for the chamber roof was a The 18 original shells along the front of the
1994 and was essentially completed in shell structure 30.5m long with a width of National Assembly have been joined by an
November 1995. 21 .35m and rise of 3.86m. For these parame- additional nine shells of exactly the same
Design proposals ters the shell thickness varied from 140mm at geometry to link in the new chamber. The
The National Assembly is located at the the edge beam to 1OOmm at the crown. At the shells are 75mm thick, 5.Sm long, width
centre of the Government Enclave in sides, the roof was extended a further 2.3m 3.0Sm , and have a rise of 700mm; they are
Gaborone, Botswana 's capital , and is over- beyond the column line, the whole shell being supported on a series of 300mm by 150mm
looked by a statue of Sir Seretse Khama, the supported on edge beams 300mm by columns. A design check was undertaken to
first President of Botswana. The original 600mm deep on 300mm square columns at ensure that the original details were still valid
development consisted of the main chamber 3.05m centres. The shell was stiffened by in terms of the current standards, the area of
with its shell roof, and a single-storey three transverse beams spanning across the most concern being the slender support
complex of offices and support facilities. In building. columns. They . were vindicated . though
the intervening years a chamber for the When the original root was designed in during construction it was decided to clad
House of Chiefs and a two-storey office 1965 the use of shell structures was very them in granite and make them square.
building have been added , and a shell roof much more common than in 1993. In 1965 a Integrated into the colonnade was a 20m
colonnade links the whole complex together. number of technical design papers were high clock and bell tower and a barrel-
Immediately to the north of the chamber available , giving both empirical and analytical vaulted entrance portico, the latter being a
was an area of open ground used as an solutions, with the design information tied concrete half-cylinder 16.6m long , with a
unsurfaced informal car park. presented in the form of graphs and tables. width of 6.1m and a radius of 2.9m . The
The design proposal for the new chamber Computer solutions were not really available . concrete barrel is 75mm thick and the ties are
was to create a much expanded but similar In 1993 the initial scheme designs were 25mm diameter stainless steel. Suspended
shaped building to the original chamber on based on the empirical solutions. However, from the crown of the barrel is a half-ton
the site of the car park, with the colonnade the final detailed design was based on a GSA bronze and stainless steel globe with
extended to tie the whole National Assembly grillage analysis. Botswana highlighted.
together. A formal and more secure car park
would be constructed around the new
chamber. It was clear that the central feature
of the new chamber was to be the shell roof,
twice the width of the original.
The original chamber
This double-volume space has a gallery
overlooking the chamber and two levels of
meeting rooms, press rooms, and support 4.
facilities at the east end . The building is New building under
covered by a shell structure, 24 .4m long with construction.
a width of 10.?m and a rise of 2.1m. The shell
thickness varied from 150mm at the edge
beam to 89mm at the crown, and was
stiffened by three beams across the chamber
with a top profile identical to that of the
roof. The building was constructed by a
Rhodesian company for the sum of £111 OOO.
42 TiiE ARUP JOURNAL 211996
Conclusion
At the beginning of the construction period
several significant changes were made to the
project to enhance the quality of the internal
finishes. The overall effect is to create an
open and warm environment by the use of
extensive wood panelling , bronze fittings and
marble. The building was handed over to the
National Assembly in time for the opening of
parliament in November 1995 at a final cost
of Pula 12.5M (£3M).
The opportunity to work on this project with
the historical connections back to the original
scheme was rewarding , and being able to
discuss and review details with a member of
the team that undertook the original design
was a great benefit. 30 years on. the original
Arup drawings and calculations, as well as
some of the project correspondence, made
interesting reading .
Reference
(1) WALKER, E. Botswana. The Arup Journal,
2(3), pp2-5, 1967.
Credits
5. Client:
Interior of new Botswana National Assembly Department of
chamber. Architecture and Building Services
Architect:
Mosienyane & Partners
Civil and structural engineers:
Arup Botswana Dan Adorisio, Noah Banda.
John Blanchard, Olise Mhone, Ian Miller. Simon Nevill
(structural)
Doug Walton, Keith Harwood (civil)
Mechanical engineers:
Lasco Engineering
Electrical engineers:
Ground conditions and foundations Construction Stewart Scott International
In Gaborone the general soil conditions are Building the shell roof was the most interesting Main contractor:
fill, transported soils, ferricrete, residual soils, and demanding element of the contract. The Green Industrial Enterprises Corporation
and granite bedrock. The transported soils contractor intended originally to construct it
Illustrations:
are interesting in that they have a very open in three sections using a mobile scaffold; 2: Dave Bryant
grain structure, which gives high strength however, the design concept is that the shell 3-5: Illustrative Options
when the material is dry. However, when the spans along its length and this method would
soil becomes wet and load is applied there have compromised the structural integrity, so
can be a sudden and significant collapse it was necessary for the contractor to prop
settlement as the grain structure breaks fully the whole roof. Curing the concrete was
down. The foundations for the building were a key concern , as it would have a very thin
therefore taken down through the potentially cross-section and be cast potentially at very
collapsing soils and onto the soft granite high temperatures - the summer maximum in
rock with an allowable bearing pressure of Gaborone can be over 40°C. Fortunately, it
1000 kN/m2. was cast in the middle of winter when the
temperature was much more reasonable. The
contractor was not using a top shutter and
thus used a very low slump concrete mix
design. Generally this worked well but in one
area it led to extensive honeycombing of the
concrete which had to be cut out and recast,
requiring significant re-propping of the roof.
Johannesburg Athletics Stadium
James Burland Alan Jones Rob Lamb
1. Visually and practically, the stadium locks into the heart of Johannesburg.
Introduction
In mid-1993 Johannesburg City Council Witwatersrand ridges to the north and the
invited bids for the design and construction south. all challenged the architects to
of a world-class athletics and football produce a strong new international image for
stadium close to the existing Ellis Park rugby Johannesburg .
stadium and indoor arena. It was conceived All the following were important:
as part of the City's bid to host the 2004
Olympic Games - a domestic contest • the impact of the stadium on
between Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape the inner city area
Town which the latter won in January 1994 1 . • the effects of scale and massing , both
The seating capacity required was 40 OOO, the long-distance view and from the rear
with the facility to upgrade to 80 OOO. A team • lighting halation
was formed with Arup Associates. in associa-
tion with local architects AFB, as principal • safe operation in the tight site boundaries.
designer, and Ove Arup lncorporated's even with 55 OOO spectators.
Johannesburg office as civil and structural The ideal geometry - circular perimeter and
engineers. oval arena - was exploited to create varied
Stadia are always in danger of becoming scale in the bowl itself, from 9m to 36m high,
formula buildings, imported and nationally surmounted by a tracery of masts and cables
anonymous, which would have been particu- supporting a 'paper-thin' roof. The masts are
larly inappropriate for Johannesburg now. a repeating motif varying from 30m-50m high
The design team took great care to ensure around the bowl, signalling entrances and
that the stadium could be built with local orientating approaching spectators.
materials and resources; also, its shape was The brief
driven both by the needs of international The stadium's main use is for international
athletics and by the desire for a sensitive athletics; other types of events include CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
solution within the landscape setting of East soccer. concerts. and spectaculars. The
Johannesburg: crucial for the successful detailed brief evolved during evaluation 2-4.
regeneration of the Ellis Park precinct. following the initial competition . and in Johannesburg grew from the wealth
response to the budget subsequently set. generated by the mining of ridges that
The client favoured Arups' design because it run east-west and structure the city.
resolved the planning issues, but the price Vertical circulation , excavation . and the size
of the roof (especially its cantilever) were The stadium's gantry-like masts.
submitted by the contractor-led team was combined with the continuous ridge -
unacceptable. After negotiation, Arups' all rationalised to achieve significant cost
savings without losing architectural expres- environmentally favourable in design
professional team under the leadership of for athletics - are a deliberate visual
project managers Pro-Grit was appointed by sion , massing, and planning concepts. correspondence with this aspect
the Council , the design being cut back International athletics has security and of its history.
considerably to meet an extremely tight organisational characteristics that must be
budget. The seating capacity was reduced to enabled by shell and core in planning the
38 OOO, and the upgrade to 55 OOO. stadium; the demands of accreditation
necessitate separate areas for athletes.
The site media. VIPs, officials, and spectators. The
Other urban design consultants had competition sketches took these factors into Good sightlines. generous concourses. and
prepared sketches and concepts for the new account whilst demonstrating how the clear ramped circulation all enhanced the
Ellis Park precinct. linking the athletics and stadium could cater for much smaller orientation , comfort. security, and safety of
rugby stadia and creating a remarkable regional events, concerts. spectaculars. the spectators. Engineering for crowd safety
setting for international events. The site carnivals, and product launches. was particularly pertinent on this restricted
slopes eastward towards the airport. with the urban site, as well as in the overall city
Central Business District skyline as its All of them need: context. Media requirements are highly
western backdrop, and the seating bowl is • access for heavy vehicles into the arena important. especially in internationals where
landscaped to extend a planned green • egress for thousands of spectators as many as 180 countries may be repre-
corridor from the edge of the city. The land- from the arena floor sented. Arups designed for expansion and
mark potential for the stadium structure and contraction of space according to different
geometry. the powerful lighting required for • large areas for stage requirements types of events , the proximity of the media
television . and the combining of parks and • the ability to convert swiftly from sports to centre in the stadium. and provision of dedi-
open belts in the valley between the flanking concert use and back again. cated cabling routes.
44 'IME ARUP JOURNAL 211996
STRUCTURAL PRINCIPLES
5.
Stadium plan. with the practice track at the bottom left.
6.
The elliptical plan of the mast-and-cable roof curves vertically to create a shallow oyster shell form .

DETAILED PLANNING
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46 TttE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

The design 'Club ' concourse Lighting for image and atmosphere
Site planning strategy The club level is an independently serviced The approach and siting of the stadium,
The stadium location allows essential ancil- concourse with access to approximately combined with its sweeping roof line and
lary areas to be placed around its perimeter, 1500 seats. This gives a flexible arrangement visible seating bowl , all build up a dramatic
each with a separate entrance and adaptable for corporate boxes, competition manage- image against the dark ridge to the north of
to the specific needs generated by the size ment. the press. club/dining, and media bar. the site.
and type of event. Particular features of the Crowd safety and access The lighting strategy provides 15001ux
planning are: Recent severe problems in some European for high quality television , and reinforces
• a warm-up field near the start line, with football grounds have prompted careful the roofline . The lighting masts to the east
ramp access so that athletes do not have to reassessment of the design of large-scale lean forward over the track and field and
negotiate steps facilities. punctuate the silhouette.
• VIP parking behind the best seats The main considerations incorporated at Athletes
• parking for outside broadcast trucks close Johannesburg are: Marshalling the athletes and participants for
to stadium and media facilities • good seats with clear sightlines and pre- and post-event co-ordination becomes
adequate space for every spectator more efficient and secure if it is compactly
• perimeter spectator concourse arranged between the warm-up field and the
for safe circulation • elimination of lengthy start line - an important factor when bidding
• perimeter emergency vehicle route for unprotected staircases for some of the world 's most prestigious
crowd control and security . • use of shallow gradient ramps for events .
For small events these areas can be given vertical circulation, which can also The key provisions for the athletes are:
over to other uses, but without them the secu- accommodate vehicles
• generous we amenities by the
rity, safety and programme requirements for • wide and clear upper level concourses pre-event holding areas
world-class events would be compromised . • visible entrances
The service areas are concentrated on the • mixed media interview facilities on the
west side. which allows for the future expan- • clear routes from the finish line with an attractive backdrop
sion to 55 OOO capacity without radical re- stadium perimeter to seats across the track and field
organisation . • generous external concourse encircling • medical facilities at track level close to the
The seating plan the entire stadium finish and the emergency exit route
Though athletics can create onerous sight- • emergency vehicle access permanently • dope testing facilities, secure from external
lines and spectator desire patterns. it can be clear of obstructions around the interference, near the finish line area
exploited to generate a very attractive and external concourse. • discreet moat access to events away
intimate seating bowl. At Johannesburg this The stadium is designed to clear in eight from the start line
incorporates: minutes. General spectator seats are in the • provision of seats for athletes
• a circular external perimeter within the upper bowl on the west side and the lower in the main seating bowl
maximum viewing distance to the centre bowl to the north, south and east. Conces-
of the field sions and amenities are widespread , and • excellent access for disabled athletes
tucked under the seating rake or into earth (especially relevant for the Para Olympics).
• an oval arena for excellent
all-round sight lines embankments. The upper tiers are designed Media
with vertical aisles and vomitories with no The intensity of media activity varies widely
• a 38 OOO-seat bowl with emphasis on lateral gangways to minimise crowd disrup- depending on the type of event, so the
providing seats along the finish straight. tion because of frequent spectator movement stadium structure is designed with core facili-
the most popular zone for athletics related to timing and location of track and ties that can expand as required , space
• overlapping tiers of seating to minimise field events. The shallow ramps to the upper being re-allocated for major international
the overall perimeter bowl allow spectators to circulate at high events. Independent media circulation and
• seating as close to the track level, bypassing the VIP and other accredited proximity to an outside broadcast area are
as security will allow entrances on the west side . provided. 08 vans can link up with a cabling
The plan/section design has clear horizontal building from where cables run through an
• the maximum safe angle of seating underground service tunnel to the media
rake (34°) for the upper bowl. division with vertical distribution ramps regu-
larly spaced around the perimeter. This helps areas and the moat. A large area, normally for
Landscape and orientation to fulfil the safety requirements, and also general circulation , behind the wedge of
The stadium is oriented 15° east of north. allows for a flexible segregation of media. seats at the finish line can be taken over for
This. combined with its slope to the south- VIPs, officials, and competitors for athletics host broadcasting activities. The press box at
east and the lowering of the field below and other activities. club level , with a view over the arena. has a
natural ground level, is enough to gain grade bar, press rooms. interview rooms, a briefing
circulation into the mid-level of the seating area and dining-room. This is the nucleus of
bowl on the west. The fact that the bowl forms the media zone, a crucible for the generation
a crater in the landscape, rising to a crest on and circulation of information - both formal
the west. places many seats on the ground, and informal.
which economises on superstructure and
cladding . The main stand being in the west
also protects the majority of spectators from
the afternoon sun .
Section
This has the following features:
• four main levels (services, main concourse.
club level, and upper concourse)
• roof cantilevering over 43 seating rows and
shaped to give all seats an unobstructed
view of the arena and the scoreboard
• ramp circulation integrated with the
A-frame masts supporting the roof
• overlapping seating tiers to bring the
perimeter in as close as possible.
This economises on the total area and
enhances the arena's intimacy.
• security moat between the arena
and seating, giving discreet access tor
athletes to field and relay events and
accommodating the services cabling
to the in-field events timing and
measuring equipment 9.
• a leading edge to the roof to soften the Johannesburg's Central Business District forms the western backdrop to the stadium.
sharp shadow cast across the field, so that
TV cameras can cope better with harsh,
contrasting sunlight conditions.
10. Site progress, October 1995.
Officials
These broadly divide into those handling The water table - 6-1 Orn below natural ground dictated that the warm-up track runs east-
competition management, and technical - varied from 5m above to 5m below field level. west: this was not ideal, but acceptable to
personnel. The plan/section concept allows Ten 25m deep wells were sunk to dewater the ASA and the client as it is unlikely to be used
for close and secure contact between west grandstand during construction . Now, a for International or National events.
officials during events - essential during large permanent grid of subsoil drains carry all The ground under the tracks was of poor
events both for the complex organisation of groundwater to the moat, which also acts as quality, and particular attention had to be
track and field programmes and speedy the main stormwater drain for the lower bowl given to the design of the track layers, to
release of results. and the field, discharging by gravity to the meet the stringent tolerance requirements.
The photo finish , competition control and stormwater reticulation to the east. The final solution included ground stabilisa-
results rooms are all at Club level, looking Should total blockage of the piped systems tion , gravel sub-base and base layers. and
directly across the finish line. Officials are occur, the marathon tunnel would form an an asphaltic base layer under the synthetic
normally volunteers, and long hours are overflow to prevent flooding of the lowest surfacing. A full polyurethane and rubber
involved, so good rest facilities with a view of seating levels. granule in situ installation, together with
the track and field are important. Track and field EPDM UV-stabilised granule topping , was
VIPs For an athletics stadium to be graded 'Inter- used for the 8300m2 main stadium track
The VIP function rooms, at the upper service national' or 'National', the track must have a surfacing. A similar combination of prefabri-
level under the lower seating bowl , are synthetic surface and a layout complying with cated and in situ material was used for the
provided with secure access either from the International Amateur Athletic Federation 4440m2 of warm-up track surface.
service passage or from the VIP entrance at (IAAF) requirements. For the Johannesburg Surface water runs off into a polymer
the main concourse leveL A terrace let into Stadium. Athletics South Africa (ASA) and the concrete slotted drain within the track oval.
the lower seating bowl provides excellent client also imposed additional requirements. This has frequent connections into an under-
viewing and entrance to the VIP seating area. As at all major sporting facilities, practice and ground pipe collector system, which also
The VIP section has dedicated vertical circu- warm-up activities had to be catered for, and takes the discharge from a comprehensive
lation to the other levels of the west stand and it proved possible to lay another full-sized sub-surface drainage network. As a result,
to the field for prize-giving and presentations. track near the pre-event area of the main drainage time for both field and track after a
The number of seats can be expanded stadium. This has been designed to allow two storm has been shortened .
outwards from the core as required . lanes to be added to both the track and Concrete structure
Disabled spectators straight should the need arise, and can also Due to the slope on the site and the excava-
The use of ramps and the arrangement of used by the local community, schools, and tion for the bowl , the west grandstand is a
the main concourse at the top of the lower clubs. semi-basement , giving three levels of accom-
bowl allows good generalised and non- The total provision for international track and modation below original ground level and
segregated viewing space and amenities for field events is as shown below in Table 1. up to four levels above. It is supported on
the disabled. piled foundations. Temporary anchored pile
The main stadium is orientated 15° off north- retaining walls (with gunite arches) up to 11 m
Engineering design south - near ideal for such a facility. All events
except the high jump have run-ups in high were built to allow rapid excavation of
Creating the bowl the semi-basements; in the finished building
Some 200 OOOm3 of material, an andesite alternative directions. to avoid problems
from wind and setting sun . Site constraints the piles span between floor plates which
with relatively high moisture content. had to carry the lateral forces back to permanent
be excavated to form the bowl; this had shear walls.
compaction problems, overcome by impact Table 1: Main stadium Warm-up
rolling. The material was stockpiled during The suspended structure is generally 280mm
this contract for subsequent backfilling to Track thick flat slabs spanning 7m-8.5m, supported
9lanes 6 lanes
structures. on 600mm diameter columns with mushroom
Straight 10 lanes 8 lanes heads, and partially post-tensioned in
The site's restricted geometry made it difficult High jump one the radial direction only. For architectural
two
to accommodate the stadium and warm-up reasons, raking beams to support the seating
track within the boundaries, so much adjust- Triple/long jump four one
were provided on every second grid, the
ment was needed to achieve a reasonable Pole vault four one precast seat elements spanning 12-14m. The
balance between cut and fill , and to fit the Javelin two one heaviest of them - prestressed to reduce
stadium within the perimeter constraints with- depth and mass - weigh 8 tons; in all , 11.4km
Discus/hammer two one
out creating unacceptable embankments of seating elements were cast on site in three
round the edge. Shot two one
separate casting beds. An in situ concrete
Dur.ing these refinements it was decided to Steeplechase one walkway (ridgeway) tops the upper seating
carry part of the warm-up track on structure Soccer field 105m x68m 105m x68m bowl, giving an additional circulation route
over the external concourse. with spectacular views of the stadium.
Four cast in situ spiral ramps, cantilevering local conditions; instead, the plate hangs more closely spaced cantilever rafters . and is
from eight circular columns on the inside from tension cables from the tops of six clad with 50% translucent polycarbonate
radius, provide pedestrian and light vehicle A-frame masts, leaning forward over the roof sheeting to provide a transition for TV
access to all levels of the west stand. The to improve the efficiency of the front ties. To cameras from the deep shadow of the roof to
northern ramp, most of its bulk concealed further reduce costs, the original cantilever the harsh sunlight. The stadium floodlights
underground, allows athletes to descend of 45m in the centre was reduced to 36m, and loudspeakers are mounted under the
17m from the warm-·up track to the sprint tapering to 18m at each end. eyebrow sheeting, and are accessed from a
start. Most of the seating for the lower bowl The crescent shape in plan derives from the walkway that also serves as a gutter attached
comprises a stepped surface bed cast in situ 'circle around an oval' geometry of the at the soffit level of the ballast girder.
on the earth embankment. stadium. On elevation , the roof plate is a At each A-frame mast, three front ties support
Various structures for toilet and concession circular curve chosen so that the roof hugs a pair of rafters on the centreline and one
buildings have been buried in the earth the ridgeway around the top of the upper rafter on each side at the third point of the
embankments to avoid clashing with the seating bowl. masts. The tie-back system was taken down
sweeping lines of the seating bowl. This The roof plate itself is made of lattice purlins to terminate at the feet of the A-frame. This
concept was extended when an expensive spanning to plate girder rafters, all contained avoids the need for large tension anchor
9m high earth embankment giving access in an 11 OOmm depth, the rafters supported blocks. as the vertical component of the
to the upper public concourse was replaced by struts at the ridgeway end and by the front forces in the masts and the ties largely cancel
by a two-storey office building providing tension ties . A 900mm x 900mm steel box each other. The A-frame is stabilised by
400Qm2 of lettable space to increase the girder. spanning between the front tie raking struts between the ends of the
project's viability. The 7.5m wide x 4.Sm high connection points and ballasted with in situ extended roof rafters and the ends of the
marathon tunnel allowing athletics and heavy concrete after erection. resists wind uplift. concrete raking beams of the upper bowl.
vehicles through the east embankment was The roof plate is braced in-plane with tubular The thrusts from the raking struts are carried
cast in situ, and supports 4m of fill. cross-bracing. set slightly below the plate to down to ground level via ties and shear walls
One feature that had a significant bearing on avoid clashing with the lattice purlins, and is in the concrete structure, and the horizontal
construction was the 2.5m wide x 3.Sm deep clad with a narrow flute steel sheeting laid components are equilibrated with the forces
moat around the track. This involved a 4.5m parallel to the line of symmetry at the foot of the A-frames via buried concrete
deep excavation at the toe of the 23° earth tie elements. As a result, the net forces on the
The roof slopes 1.5° to the rear for drainage, A-frame foundations are small , so that each
embankment, which in turn gave the contrac- whence a box gutter carries all stormwater to
tor notable temporary works problems, leg can be supported on a single 61 Omm
the ends for discharge into large conical diameter driven pile.
particularly where the excavation was below receivers .
the water table.
A feature of the roof is the lighter leading
The roof edge or 'eyebrow', projecting 8m beyond
The 200m long roof over the west grandstand the ballast girder. This consists of 100 mm
is the most dramatic element of the stadium. diameter tubular purlins spanning between
with its thin roof plate hovering over the seat-
ing bowl and suspended by a delicate trac-
ery of cables and masts. The pretensioned
cable net option proved too expensive under
13
11 - 14.
Two elements of the A-frame roof supports
with their 'organic models'.
11 14
15, 16.
Bracing element and A-frame. as built.
15 16
THE ARUP JOURNAL 2Jl996 49

17.
Completed interior
of the stadium.
showing wide pre- and
post-event vomitories
and (Lett to right, mid-way
up the lower bowl) the three
dedicated terrace areas for
media, VIPs. and officials.
The A-frames scale down in size towards the three 85mm diameter bars. Careful attention
ends in sympathy with the height and width of to the main A-frame and tie connections
the roof, those at the centre straddling the resulted in elegant but buildable details.
spiral ramps whilst the small outer ones are Wind tunnel tests by the CSIR in Pretoria
supported on top of the end spiral ramps. determined roof wind loads. One surprise
The A-frame legs taper over the outer thirds was that the proposed 'Melbourne' slot on the
of their length. They are susceptible to vortex leading edge of the eyebrow did not have the
excitation at low wind speeds but the friction expected effects, possibly due to a similarly-
in the spherical bearings at the foot of sized slot further back where the walkway
each provides sufficient damping to prevent provides access to the floodlights. Based on
oscillations reaching appreciable magnitude. these tests, the Melbourne slot was omitted .
The tension ties are all Macalloy 460 architec- The roof was analysed as a 30 space frame
tural range bars with the associated fork ends on GSA, with the jacking loads modelled by
and turnbuckles. The largest tie required thermal loads.
18.
Night-time illumination
enhances the drama
of the structure.
50 Tl1E AAUP JOURNAL 2/1996

Roof erection Reference
This was the contractor's re- (1) BOSTOCK, M. et al. Cape Town's Olympic
sponsibility, but the procedure Games bid . The Arup Journal, 29(3), pp.10-14,
suggested by Arups in the 1994.
tender documentation was Credits
eventually adopted due to Client:
reservations about the con- Johannesburg City Council
tractor's proposal.
Architects:
The A-frame masts, including Arup Associates James Burland,
raking struts and all rear ties. Richard Partridge. Terry Raggett. Alex Zopp1ni
were preassembled on the
RFB Consulting Architects
ground behind the main stand.
Civil and structural engineers:
The assembled masts were Ove Arup Incorporated Richard Bennet, Bruce
lifted into position by a 225 Sulley. Neil Cumming, Ernie Hall, Tony Hammond,
ton track-mounted crane and Alan Jones. Rob Lamb, Hausi Scherrer, Errol Shak.
supported by completing the Richard Shedlock. Doug Walton, Barrie Williams
connection of the raking struts 19.
to the raking concrete beams Linford Christie wins the 100m from Ove Arup & Partners Andrew Allsop,
of the bowl structure. The largest A-frame Frankie Fredericks on the opening night, Paul Cross, John Hirst, Chris Wise
was 52m high by 20m wide at the base , with 23 September 1995. Project managers:
1.4m diameter tubes, 16mm thick, and Procrit
weighed nearly 80 tonnes. Mechanical & electrical engineers:
The roof rafters were erected on their perma- Conclusion CA du Toil & Partners
nent supports at the rear, and on temporary Work began in March 1994. Construction Quantity surveyors:
props near the ballast girder at the front; the took 16 months and was completed within Roos & Roos Incorporated
temporary props were supported on the the extremely tight budget: a reflection of
Main contractor:
bowl's raking concrete beams. The horizontal local commitment and expertise, though
Goldstein Building Transvaal
cross-bracing between rafters, the curved it was a race to finish in time for the
opening function on 23 September 1995, at Roof contractor:
lattice purlins and the ballast girder Genrec/Dorbyl Consortium
completed the erection of the roof plate. which Linford Christie ran the 100m in 9.97
seconds and Frankie Fredericks the 200m in Bulk earthworks contractor:
Pouring the concrete ballast into the steel box 19.93 seconds. Stocks Roads
girder was done in two stages, due to limita-
The stadium is significant for the people of Piling and lateral support contractor:
tions on the capacity of the temporary props
Johannesburg and South and Southern Frank1pile
and the supporting raking beams. After the
first stage. all loads in the props were Africa. It combines state-of-the-art interna- Track construction:
removed by jacking the front ties. The tempo- tional stadium planning principles and Lonerock/Fintrex
rary props were removed after first stage design with local relevance. Field construction:
jacking and the second stages of both ballast Its shape is driven not only by the needs of Protech Projects
and jacking were carried out on the international athletics but also by the desire Illustrations.·
unpropped roof. The jacking detail ensured for a sensitive solution within the landscape 1-8. 12, 13, 16, 17: JamesBurland
that this was safe. After second stage jacking setting of east Johannesburg. It is a crucial 9, 18: Leon Krige
was complete. all front tie forces were within element in the successful regeneration of the 10: Goldstein Building Transvaal
5% of the values predicted by analysis. Ellis Park Precinct. 11 .14: Peter Mackinven

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THE ARUP JOURNAL

\ 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE~ l t ~

4 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 5

THE AAUP JOURNAL 2/1996 7

8 THE AAUP JOURNAL 211996

F End of bowstring truss showing 12 YSO

The erection sequence and method were

14. The ballroom set out for a banquet.

10 THE ARUP JOURNAL 211996

Introduction Outline of the project

Bar building Bar building Dining room enclosure

THE ARUP JOURNAL 1 11

6. Hall of Fame interior. Entry canopy

Hexagonal --1/JI lJI detailing at

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 15

The principal functions are expressed clearly Procurement

18 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

TiiE ARUP JOURNAL 211 996 19

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currently the annual per capita consumption

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THE ARUP JOURNAL 21 1 25

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THE ARUP JOURNAL 21 1996 27

28 THE AAUP JOURNAL 2/1996

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2. Reference Room painted cast plaster ceiling: pre-earthquake.

- - New sho1crete wall elemenls

32 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

L___ spectacular space once more.

Library environment Where decorative plaster ceilings Construction Credits:

34 Tl1E AflUP JOUf!NP.l 2/1996

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 35

(b) Specimen appearance after test.

36 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

2. The 'underwater bridge' proposal from 1888.

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 37

38 THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1 9!16

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of these could be expressed as be built within the implementation Credits

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 45

46 TttE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2Jl996 49

50 Tl1E AAUP JOURNAL 2/1996

THE ARUP JOURNAL 2/1996 51

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