Notes by Peter Kneen April 2024
At the end of my doctoral studies (1969) at the University of Waterloo in Canada dealing with computer aided design of spaceframe structures, I was asked to join the Solid Mechanics Group within the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Waterloo as a Research Assistant Professor.
One major project was to develop a Finite Element computer program and to utilize 20-noded 3D doubly curved isoparametric brick elements. Other postgraduate students were developing the Fortran code for a single element and my task was to create a system where a complete structure comprising many such elements could be solved. The group had a research grant to model an arched dam that had recently been designed using the “trial load method” and to see how the results compared.
The trial load method had been developed over time from at least the 1920s through to the late 1960s. The arched dam was divided into a series of horizontal arches and vertical cantilevers. At each crossing point, the loads (water pressure) was divided between the two systems and when the calculated deflections at each crossing point were equal then the stresses in the dam - vertically and horizontally - could be calculated. The cross section shape of the cantilevers varied so the process normally involved numerical integration.
These images are from the library compiled in 1994-5 by Peter Kneen using the newly available Kodak CD format.
Several other companies contributed 35mm slides to this library. For lightweight structures these were Spacetech (previously Geodome), Permafab, John Connells and Associates, Arups
The images are grouped as follows:
Air Supported Structures
Brisbane Myer Structures (Queen Street Mall)
Burswood Air Supported Stadium
Miscellaneous Cone Structures
Dean Park Sound Shell, Townsville
Domain Demountable Stage Structure, Sydney
Expo 88 Brisbane Major Structures
Floreat Mall, WA
Frei Otto's Munich Olympic Stadiums
Homebush Indoor Sports Centre
Various Hypars, Sound Shells and Undulating Forms
Jupiters Casino Gold Coast
Melbourne Central Spaceframe
Miscellaneous Structures - Towers, Timber Gridshells, Cable Truss
Penguin Parade, Phillip Island
Queen Street Mall
Some Early Knitted Shadecloth Structures and Prototypes
Shell Westgate Service Station
Some Spaceframes - Mt Cootha Dome etc
Some Stadium Roofs
St Anne's Church (PTFE)
Sydney Exhibition Building
The SergeFerrari Group announces the acquisition of Verseidag-Indutex thus strengthing its global leader position in Tensile Architecture and Modular Structures and becoming a key player in non-combustible solutions.
See the Press Release by SergeFerrari
See the Press Release by Jagenberg (Verseidag)
Article added July 31 2020
New Canopy Holds Up Adelaide’s International Tennis Position.
North Queensland Stadium construction progress, Townsville. From the video you can see what a great location it is relative the city centre.
Further details of the completed stadium with a capacity of about 25-30,000 can be found HERE
The progress fly through of Al Bayt Stadium that featured at our 2018 conference. The cladding is nearing completion and the bespoke patterned fabric roof soffit is impressive. Click on the blank image below.
LSAA member Tensys have been developing tensile aviary structures for the Mandai Project, as part of the ever expanding eco-precinct in Singapore. If you haven't been before the highlight is the Night Safari.
#MandaiProject #Nightsafari #Singapore #Tensionstructures #CablenetsVisitSingapore
Anish Kapoor's Sculpture, "Sectional Body Preparing for Monadic Singularity", 2015. A steel frame clad in PVC
This morning at Lisson Gallery #AnishKapoor announced his first large-scale solo exhibition in China. Kapoor will open a solo show across the Central Academy of...
See more on LSAA FacebookA BBC article on current and future thinking in robotic construction and construction monitoring
A BBC article on current and future thinking in robotic construction and construction monitoring
A tower that used the drying process of timber to make the structure self twist
An experimental temporary structure "TemporActive" was constructed as part of Tensinet's latest symposium in Italy. A single skin form with cable stiffended ribs.
Google HQ under construction. A steel frame diagrid with a tension form supported by columns at the high points. Also recommend checking out BIG's page for some context https://big.dk/#projects-gce
The Centaur Pod is the result of a research project between Arup and UNSW. It is a kinematic folded plate structure that defines an internal space such as a meeting room and can change form based on the changing environment or need. The mechanism is powered pneumatically.
Scattered domes, in a beer garden, to warm up in on a beautifully sunny winters day. Darling harbour, Sydney
Great find Thin shells, very clean detailing.
Boathouse, by
Architecture: Shigeru Ban
Engineering: Buro Happold
Tensinet, our European equivalent, publishes a newsletter twice a year. Even if you are not a member there are a few articles that they share as a teaser
Just a short note to say that Boxing Day is a day of sporting highlights in Australia - as well as a lot of mahem at the sales.
The first day of the third cricket test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground - The "G" - saw a crowd of some 73,000 watch a slow scoring day on a flat pitch. India batting.
Also Boxing Day is the start of the annual Sydney to Hobart classic ocean yacht race.
From a lightweight structures viewpoint we have the extensive roof structures at the cricket. Also the fast sailing machines with their composite lightweight hulls, prestressed tensile rigging, tensioned fabric sails precisely cut to give a form to generate maximum driving force.
In recent years we have twin rudders and canting keels to maximize the functions of these appendages and in doing so further reduce the weight of the boats.
Some of the super-maxis have very large beams to enhance the planning ability and effects of the crew as ballast.
What an iconic venue in the Kings Domain in Melbourne! And Happy 60th Birthday!! WOW
This is a unique tensile cablenet structure was designed by Barry Patten of the Architectural firm Yuncken Freeman Brothers, Griffiths and Simpson. Engineering was done by Irwin Johnstone.
In Sydney for the past 35 or so years there has been great free pre-Christmas Concerts for families.
The event is held in the Domain, and each year the quite large stage and the canopy is erected.
The founding President of the then MSAA (now the LSAA) was largely responsible for developing the canopy concept.
Vinzenz Sedlak started with a lycra model at a scale of 1:100 and envisaged four masts located near each corner of the stage. Diagonal cross cables spanned between the opposite mast heads and a long front edge cable gave an uninterrupted view of the stage area.
I recently had a short trip down to Melbourne and took a few pictures of the Arts Centre Spire which was constructed in the late 1970s.
Conceptually, the spire is a sculpture which was intended to indicate the location of something special located under the tall, tapering open lattice structure.
The "upper spire" is from bolted steel tubes with a geometry utilizing tetrahedrons so as to reduce the number of members meeting at a joint. Four joints are at each higher level and these four are rotated by 45 degrees in plan from those at the adjacent levels.
The LSAA committee has spotted two LSAA member projects in the shortlist of the World Architectural Festival 2018. Congratulations to your respective architects and the LSAA members that have contributed to the project’s success. Please let me know if I have missed a project. #WAF18
http://fabritecture.com/project/westfield-chermside-urchin/
https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/
Shopping Completed Buildings: Westfield Chermside Outdoor Dining and Leisure Precinct
- Architects: Scentre Group Design / Urbis / Armada Australia
- Fabrication & Construction: Fabritecture - Custom Fabric Architecture
- Structural Design: Wade Design Engineers
Sport Completed Buildings: Optus Stadium, Perth, Australia
- Architects: HASSELL COX HKS
- Structural Design: Arup
- Fabric Design and Install: MakMax Australia Tensile Membrane Specialists
There has been a number of curved and interesting footbridges built recently here in Melbourne. See these pics:
Lightweight Structures such as cablenets and tensioned fabric structures often exhibit relatively large deformations under changing loads.
Rock climbers will rely on the extension characteristics of their ropes to cushion any fall to a deceleration that the body can withstand.
However the following link points to an extreme case of an engineered net to safely catch a dear-devil sky diver from a 7600m free fall without a parachute.
A parachute is also an example of a tensioned fabric structure which adopts a geometric form in response to applied loads (person plus air resistance).
See: https://www.createdigital.org.au/extreme-engineering-luke-aikins-skydive/ where the source of this image is acknowledged.
Project Highlight: Opening of HOTA (Home of the Arts) at the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct
LSAA Member Contributors: Structural Engineer - Arup, Fabric Supply and Installation - Fabritecture, Fabric Design - Wade Design Engineers
Designers: ARM architecture and Topotek1
Above image by Andrew Lane - see here
For more photos refer to:
http://fabritecture.com/project/gccp/
Also to an article HERE
Bunjil Place has opened!
This exciting new facility is designed as a cultural hub for the Narre Warren area in Melbourne’s east, and its opening weekend was celebrated with two full days of exhibitions and performances for the community.
Centralised from our Melbourne office, LSAA Member TTW’s team contributed
structural, civil and façade engineering services and worked closely with FJMT Studio and Multiplex to bring this striking multi-functional building to life.
The building's dominant feature is the timber gridshell, the first of its kind in Australia.
Congratulations to all involved in this exciting project!
http://www.ttw.com.au/
Congratulations to New Zealand for the terrific result in winning back the America Cup.
The boats truly represent a pinnacle in terms of Lightweight Structures:
- superlight and stiff fabrics used for sails
- elaboarte cutting patterns to achieve the desired three dimensional shapes in the sails
- orientation of the fabric to resist stresses and maintain the profiles to generate maximum driving forces
- like many fabric structures, the wind loadings are the dominant load case
- very flexible supporting systems from high tech materials
- minimal weights and reliance on moving ballast etc.
In 2013 the LSAA had their Conference in Auckland and we were fortunate to have a presentation about the 2013 NZ efforts.
Well done guys.