HDG Magazine 4_2009

2009

4/4 Hot Dip GalvanizingInternational Magazine | ISSN 1363-0148 | www.galvanizing.org.uk

2009

4/4

This seems to be the ‘tower’ issue. Well, we

have three towers and a visitor’s centre with

fantastic views which makes it a little bit like

a tower. Actually, one of the towers is one that

makes noises as opposed to one that you look

out from, but it is still a tower. But apart from

the use of galvanized steel, the name is about

all they have in common.

One is a water tower which had been conver-

ted into an observation tower. One is covered

in crystal bells, balls and bowls which can be

struck with electronic clappers and played by

a keyboard - it must sound fantastic.

And the one on the back page looks like some-

thing out of a sci-fi film set, or maybe the plans

were folded badly and the erector put it up

wrong. Either way it is weird.

When you build a new visitor’s centre on the

top of Snowdon one thing you have to consider

is corrosion protection for the steelwork as it is

being transported and erected.

The conditions can be so harsh that if you

decide to transport it black or with just a

token lick of paint, it will be rusting by the

time the building is completed.

The tough, alloy layers in galvanized coating

will put up with quite a lot of physical abuse

and still protect the steel underneath.

David Baron, Editor

Contents

2 Editorial

3 Transformer Substation, Frankfurt Vandal proof

4 Builders' Merchants transformed

Semi-translucent façade

6 Observation Tower

7 Snowdon Visitor Centre Hafod Eryri

10 The Singing Tower, Utrecht Unique glass carillon

12 “Grille Royale”, Versailles Galvanized and gilded

14 The Media Wall, Liverpool Digital advertising

16 Galvanizing in Detail

Front cover:

Kraft Baustoffhandel, München

Photo: 03 Architekten, München

Editorial

2 | Hot Dip Galvanizing

Architecture

Transformer Substation, Frankfurt Vandal proof

By Holger Glinde

Operational buildings are part of the technical infrastructure of a town. The Renn-

bahnstrasse transformer substation in Frankfurt am Main, provides power to the

local tram network.

Hot Dip Galvanizing | 3

2009

4/4

Operational buildings are often erected with

no thought for design, and the short-term

assumption is made that this means they can

be built more economically.

These “dummy buildings” or “shells” often act

as focal points for anti-social behaviour and

vandalism, and in the long run they continually

generate renovation and/or cleaning costs,

without ever attaining a really high level of

quality. However, vandalism on structures of

this kind can be prevented by using simple

design solutions within the design concept

of the structure. The Mainz firm of Schoyerer

Architekten, were entrusted with the design

work and the implementation of a new

substation project in Frankfurt.

The architects’ simple solution for vandalism

was to create an external galvanized steel grid

that envelopes the structure.

This was created 11cm away from the core

façade of the building, constructed from

(VGF shade “traffic orange RAL 2009“)

ready-made reinforced concrete elements.

The façade sub-frame is also made of

galvanized steel.

The false façade constitutes an unsuitable

background for graffiti and fly-posting and

consists of individual surfaces with varying

intervals between the support bars. This leads

to varying degrees of transparency – i.e. the

colour of the core structure varies, depending

on the angle of view.

An observer in a moving stream of traffic never

obtains a complete, static image of the object,

but instead perceives a series of changes in

contrast through which the monochrome cube

emerges with varying degrees of intensity.

The galvanized grid façade can be removed for

maintenance purposes.

The substation has been in place for six

months, and it is already clear that main-

tenance expenses are considerably lower

than those for standard operational buildings.

Architects/Photos: Schoyerer Architekten BDA, Mainz

2009

03

2009

4/4


The builders’ merchants have occupied their

current site for 50 years, next to commercial

and residential buildings. Through its new

corporate identity, the traditional firm has

strengthened its external presence and simul-

taneously optimised its customer service

within. The newly-constructed translucent

façade, made from polycarbonate panels, adds

an interesting profile to the existing building.

It wraps the entire site in a uniform envelope

that simultaneously functions as soundproo-

fing. The business premises are contained

within a single building - offices, a training cen-

tre with a market, and a storage and customer

area in a hall, all brought together by the faça-

de. The lining principle is continued internally,

using expanded metal, and here too it creates

a uniform, clear framework. Simple materials in

a pure form are used as construction materials,

such as are offered for sale by the company

itself.

In the same complex of buildings, the storage

hall has been designed using the same archi-

tectural principles.

This construction method, which provides a

structure and at the same time is robust,

optimises the storage hall design.

Thanks to the improvement in efficiency, the

customers and the staff alike have a better

shopping/working experience.

The firm’s products can be seen from out-

side as an interplay of colours through the

semi-transparent façade, and thus act as

their own advertisement.

DesignThe design brief for the architects was to

concentrate on the type of goods sold by their

client and try to make this the focus of their

design philosophy.

The internal design focuses on making the

storage areas stand out in their own right.

The builders’ merchants array of materials with

their different colours and textiles have been

emphasised. Each shelf contains a different

example, distributed at random. A material’s

aesthetic is displayed here such as could not

exist anywhere except in a builder’s merchants.

In an ever-changing display, depending on

how full the shelves are, the purely functional

high bays compete with each other and

move into the foreground or the background;

Architecture

Builders' Merchants transformed Semi-translucent façade

By Holger Glinde

Commercial projects in an urban context constitute a challenge for clients and plan-

ners – in particular when commerce is involved. A good example of the architectural

transformation of an existing business is the Kraft builders’ merchants project by

03 Architekten of Munich.

2009

4/4Architecture

Hot Dip Galvanizing | �

2009

04

the rigidly mounted cantilever arms form a

framework for the changing image of the con-

struction materials which emerge, or, when

the shelves are empty, make their mark on the

architecture through the galvanized, silvery,

shimmering steel surfaces.

Here architecture represents the frame, the

background for this. It restricts itself to

achromatic shades and to a strong, clear

arrangement of components. The customers

can concentrate on the things which are

essential for them.

The patchwork can be appreciated in the

abstract as a visual impression from outside.

The translucent polycarbonate panels bring the

stored goods in their colourful packages to life.

The enclosure wraps itself around the entire

structure like an envelope and creates multi-

plicity within a uniform picture.

Depending on the time of day and the weather,

trees and clouds are also reflected within the

plastic panels.

A superimposition of the images takes place:

the outside world reflected on the façade,

the shimmering, galvanized sub-frame

lying behind it, and the gleaming coloured

construction materials in the interior.

Each element is established through its

pure functionality and is appreciated

in abstract terms through the

superimpositions.

ConstructionSo that the construction project could be

carried out quickly, the administration and

sales building was constructed entirely from

prefabricated components.

Filigree wall elements were used for external

walls and staircase walls. Moreover, the inner

load-bearing skeleton, the ceiling joists, the

columns and their foundations were made

entirely from prefabricated components.

The largest clear span of the ceiling joists

is 19.3 metres.

The storage hall was erected as a steel

skeleton structure. The supports are subjected

to partial shearing restraint, so that the escape

routes for the rows of shelves can be arranged

on the street side.

The maximum clear span of the load-bearing

structure is 24 metres. The hall’s load-bearing

structure is based on point foundations and

the high bays are dowelled onto a base plate

which is suspended from this.

Due to the requirements of stacker operation

and the load distribution of the shelves,

the base plate was manufactured without

joints.

The building is subjected to continuous

stress-loading; the use of hot dip galvanized

elements, with their specific characteristics,

was able to meet the constructional and visual

demands in an ideal fashion.

Architects/Photos: 03 Architekten, München

6 | Thermisch Verzinken

Architecture

Observation Tower

By Holger Glinde

2009

4/4

The plans drawn up by petersen pörksen part-

ner architekten + stadtplaner bda, who were

appointed to carry out the job, were intended

to strengthen the covers over the tanks and to

incorporate a new ring beam above the window.

A new, 10m high steel structure was positioned

on this ring beam, so that an observation

platform could be created at a height of

approximately 15m.

To emphasize the design detail, vertical steel

cantilever segments are attached to the vertical

external columns of the load-bearing system,

between which horizontal timber cantilever

segments are incorporated in 16 sections.

These have been mounted in such a way that

it is relatively difficult to see through them in

the lower area, but there is more and more

transparency towards the top of the building.

The steel spiral staircases at the entrances

combine strings made from steel plate and

screwed-on steps made from tilted stud plates.

The steel railing is screwed on, and the top and

bottom flanges, together with the vertical rods,

are made of steel flats. The combination of

galvanized steel with the untreated larchwood

timber cantilever segments transform what

was a drab brick structure into an elegant

transparent tower.

Architects/Photo:

petersen pörksen partner architekten + stadtplaner bda,

Lübeck

This simple design for an observation

tower incorporates an existing rainwater

pumping station from the 2008 State

Garden Exhibition in Schleswig.

2009

4/4Architecture

Snowdon Visitor CentreHafod Eryri

By Iqbal Johal

How do you build a sustainable visitor centre on top of a mountain summit?

The Snowdon team solved this problem by creating a meccano design constructed

at ground level. To protect the steel on its journey to 1,08� metres and subsequent

harsh weather conditions, the entire frame was constructed from galvanized steel.

The existing visitor centre, designed by Clough

Williams-Ellis, had come to the end of its life.

After long deliberations, a competition to

design a new summit (visitor centre and café)

building was commissioned by Snowdonia

National Park Authority.

The competition was won by Ray Hole Archi-

tects with the building being finally completed

in June 2009.

At 1,085 metres, this unique visitor centre is

the highest building in the UK, responding to

one of the most extreme climatic locations:

the mountain endures facing winds of 120mph,

temperatures that can go below -20°C and 5m

of rain every year.

The combination of extreme weather conditions

and the logistical difficulties of building

on top of a mountain meant a collaborative

effort was needed by the design team and

client. Some of the design criteria that would

have to be considered included capital costs,

life cycle costs, projected building life and

sustainable development principles.

Visiting the peak of the mountain is helped by

a railway line laid in 1896 which today is used

by more than 140,000 people each year and

400,000 who visit the café. There can be more

than 250,000 climbers on the mountain on any

given day.

When the existing café came to the end of

its life – described by Prince Charles as

“the highest slum in Wales” there were

campaigns to leave the site to its natural state.

This seemed economic folly of the highest

order and after extensive local consultation,

the architects arrived at the final design.

This was not the end of their travails – the

extreme weather meant that the summit could

only be reached during the summer months

from April to October. This led the design team

to carry out a dry run at sea level.

The building was assembled in a warehouse

where the overall design and construction

techniques were perfected. This enabled the

whole structure to be prefabricated so that it

could be transported to site on the existing

train.

Hafod EryriHafod Eryri – meaning 'A summer residence in

Snowdonia' – was chosen from 500 entries in

a competition to name the new visitor centre.

The final design resembles a rock-hewn bunker

emerging from within the mountainside.

There are two key components: a building

that forms the spine running alongside the

railway line that houses the ancillary equip-

ment and a main building that includes the

visitor facilities.

Special Design ConsiderationsThere were many special design considerations

that needed to be taken into account for


Galvanizing Awards


this unique project: The entire frame was con-

structed from galvanized steel sections which

had to be sized to resist the significant wind

speed and snow loadings that the building

would be subjected to. In order to optimise the

frame design, special 3-D software was used

to model the building and efficiently calculate

load paths. This also had to take into account

the temporary stability of the frame as it was

being erected in stages. This was perfected

during the trial erection of the frame.

The external envelope of the building was clad

in local granite with each granite block being

scheduled and pre-cut before being taken to

the summit. The granite is left with a rough

finish to merge comfortably with its surroun-

dings and arranged at varying heights around

the perimeter to mimic the sedimentary nature

of the formation of the mountain.

Panoramic ViewsThe timber lined interior offers a welcoming,

practical and comfortable feel with the sedi-

mentary theme continued internally via the

granite floor. The dramatic, sweeping fabric

ceiling adds movement and fluidity to the inter-

nal space. Unlike any of its predecessors, the

new building provides unrivalled views of the

summit and surrounding landscape via large

slanting windows. These also help to bring light

deep into the building. Small details such as

the engravings on the granite floor and screen

printed words of Welsh poet Gwyn Jones add a

nice finishing touch to the warm interior.

In order to make the windows secure during

the winter, shut down galvanized steel roller

shutters were integrated into the window and

cladding assembly. The severity of the weather

conditions, with high levels of water saturation

and constant freeze thawing, called for an

extremely robust shutter design. The shutter

assembly including guides, access panels and

running gear, were all exposed to the elements

so achieving the correct levels of material

protection was critical.

One interesting concern was that locals thought

that the galvanized shutters would cause glare

and reflection problems. For this reason, all

components were pre exposed so that the

finish had a chance to dull down to its normal

blue/grey colour before installation. The roof

also fits in with the rest of the design ethic.

It is curved both in plan and profile and looks

tough and instinctive.

The necessity of every detail of the structure

needed to be taken into consideration due to

winter shutdown of the centre imposed by

weather conditions. The external balustrade to

the platform is constructed from galvanized

steel components which are designed to be

easily dismantled for winter removal. If they

were left in situ the weight of the horizontal

sheets of wind driven rime ice build would

cause them to buckle. The simple key clamp

system with mesh infill panels provided an

elegant and durable solution.

The debate of whether there is a need for a

visitor centre on top of a mountain may never

be resolved. What this new design succeeds

in providing, is an unobtrusive building that

not only fits comfortably into its external sur-

roundings but also exudes warmth and a cosy,

welcoming feel internally. Maybe for the first

time in the long history of buildings at the

summit of Snowdon, one has been erected

that does justice to the spectacular views

that the mountain provides.

Architects: Ray Hole Architects

Photos: Ray Wood

2009

4/4

Hot Dip Galvanizing | �

2009

4/4


On the cultural campus in Vleuterweide, an

extension of the Leidsche Rijn town in Utrecht,

a concert is being held complete with a choir,

soloists, numerous musical instruments and

a 30 metre high tower with many blue, red,

brown, green and yellow glass objects.

Electrically controlled clappers produce the

sounds on the objects. I am listening to the

creation of glass artist and architect Bernard

Heesen, who has created a strikingly expres-

sive work of art as well as a special musical

instrument: The Singing Tower.

The Singing Tower is a 30 metre high structure

in which fifty crystal bells, fifty crystal sound

bowls and 750 glass balls have been suspen-

ded. The combination of sound bowls and

bells, the largest of which weighs 25 kg acts as

a unique carillon.

The chimes have a range of four octaves. Once

the bells had been blown the correct pitch was

obtained by accurate polishing which in turn

led to a particular timbre. The sound bowls vary

in shape and have not been subjected to any

particular finish.

ConstructionThe tower consists primarily of a steel suppor-

ting grid in which the coloured glass elements

(bells and sound bowls) have been suspended.

The tower has been constructed in situ from

a number of pre-fabricated hot dip galvanized

steel components. It consists of a number

of elements which are stacked on top of one

another.

Each element is shaped by three galvanized

steel poles on which a galvanized steel ring has

been placed. The whole construction has then

been covered in a segmented cladding.

Architecture

The Singing Tower, Utrecht Unique glass carillon

By M. Franke/Gerard Reimerink

On a warm summer’s evening I can hear a mixture of musical sounds and background

noise from houses being constructed on a new estate in the distance. I think I can

hear bells but I’m not sure. A carilloneur is playing on a console underneath the tower

construction. When I get closer, it all becomes clear.

2009

4/4


Architecture

The blue coloured glass balls were fixed onto

the cladding. Finally the carillon was hung in

the tower.

A floor consisting of galvanized steel grids was

constructed at various heights.

In order to avoid ongoing maintenance costs

and the practical difficulty of access to all parts

of the complex structure galvanizing was cho-

sen to provide a long maintenance-free life.

The bells of The Singing Tower can be played

using a keyboard and are controlled by a

computer.

Electronic controls are used for the connection

to the glass bells in order to avoid the tower

being defaced by a network of metal wires.

The advanced wireless system uses small

servo motors.

The system used ensures the carilloneur does

not have to climb into the tower, instead he can

operate the carillon at ground level. The carillon

and the untuned sound bowls can be played

individually as well as collectively.

Architect: Bernhard Heesen, Acquoy/Leerdam

Photos: G. Reimerink, Amersfoort

2009

4/4


2009

4/4

Although there may have been an argument

to replace the original “grille” with a more

contemporary design, any such debates were

quickly overlooked and a replica was designed.

This was only the first step in what became

a very complex project. It is an extraordinary

testament to the blacksmiths art that it was

still conceivable to reproduce designs from over

300 years ago.

In the days of the “Ancien Régime“, the “Grille

Royale“ separated the nobles’ courtyard from

the royal courtyard in Versailles. Entry was

forbidden to all those who did not have explicit

permission. The “Grille Royale“ was created

in around 1680 by the greatest smiths of

their time.

The destruction of the railings and the gates

during the revolution resulted in a fundamental

change to the site. Ten years ago, the decision

was taken to recreate the old footprint for

the site.

Under the direction of the architect-in-chief,

Frédéric Didier, a study was carried out of the

historic construction, so that original sources

could be used to create an identical copy.

Eighty continuous metres of new royal railings

had to be forged, culminating in the monumen-

tal gates which were 6.40m high in the centre

of the structure. Sixteen tonnes of pure iron

were used. There were 1,600 iron castings

and 2,970 bronze castings, as well as 4,300

leaves of chased black plate. The aim of the

project was, as far as possible, to make the

copy identical with the original. The task was

entrusted to the Saint-Jacques de Saint-Rémy-

lès-Chevreuse studio, who are specialists in

historic structures. Drawings were produced to

the original sizes and to the architect’s graphic

standards. These were used as the basis for

models on a 1:1 scale, forming the transition

from two-dimensional representation of the

project to the authentic dimensions.

Once these models had been established as

the templates to be followed, the manufacture

of the components could begin.

All wrought elements, as well as the recreated

decorations, were created using traditional

techniques.

To protect the gates from corrosion, all

elements and decorations were first hot dip

galvanized and painted. The steel elements

were then erected on site, following which they

were gilded with gold-leaf.

Here the oil gilding was in large part carried out

on-site after erection, under giant umbrellas.

A total of 100,000 sheets of gold leaf was

applied, which corresponds to 2,300g of

pure gold.

Smithery:

Atelier Saint-Jacques de Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse

Photos: (page 12/13) Cabinet Didier, (page 2, right)

Arnandet/Lewandowski

Craft professions

“Grille Royale”, Versailles Galvanized and gilded

By Holger Glinde

Large-scale construction sites offering work for Blacksmiths are rare: The reconstruc-

tion of the “Grille Royale“ at the chateau of Versailles was just such a project, and a

quite extraordinary one. The railings and gates were destroyed during the French

Revolution and only recently, replaced with a replica of the original design.


2009

4/4


2009

4/4

During its time as European Capital of Culture, Liverpool launched the largest media

wall of its kind. The wall is �0 metres long and features a high resolution digital

LED screen. The wall welcomes visitors to the city, being located in a prime site

opposite the main Liverpool Lime Street railway station. The screen is capable of

generating a high quality image even in bright sunlight.

Hakes Associates Architects and Price & Myers

were appointed by Land Securities to design

an art hoarding and digital media display as

part of a £100 million redevelopment of the

St John’s Shopping centre – one of Liverpool’s

biggest shopping destinations.

The brief was to create a bold sculptural

statement that would have an immediate

impact on visitors to the city.

The media wall stretches over 90m across the

façade of St John’s shopping centre and car

park.

The length of the media wall helps to conceal a

variety of disparate façade elements including

a multi-storey car park and access ramps,

while rising 12 metres in the air and finishing

adjacent to a Grade 1 listed hall.

The sculptural form of the undulating fabric

screen is reminiscent of ripples on the

surface of the Mersey River, billowing sails

or flags.

This was then conceptually ‘frozen’ to retain

a sense of movement and create a dynamic

sculptural screen which wraps around the

Lime Street elevation of St John’s.

ConstructionThe media wall is made up of a number of

separate elements: the 31m long x 7m high

LED media screen, displaying images of iconic

Liverpool people, places and events, is enca-

sed within a psychedelic printed, undulating

fabric and a steel support structure.

Architecture

The Media Wall, LiverpoolDigital Advertising

By Iqbal Johal

HOT DIP GALVANIZING

An international journal published jointly by the galvanizing associations of Germany,

The Netherlands and Great Britain. It is licensed to associations in Spain.

Edited by: G. Deimel, H. Glinde (Editor in Chief), I. Johal, D. Baron,

Drs. G. H. J. Reimerink

Published by: Galvanizers Association, Wren’s Court,

56 Victoria Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B72 1SY, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 121 355 8838 Fax: +44 (0) 121 355 8727

E-Mail: [email protected] Internet: www.galvanizing.org.uk

This magazine may not be copied without the written permission of the editor © 2009.

Distributed in Australia by: Galvanizers Association of Australia, 124 Exhibition Street,

Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia, Tel: 0396541266, Fax: 0396541136,

E-mail: [email protected]

2009

4/4

There were a number of significant challenges

in the design of the structure for the project.

Where it spans over the car park entrance

ramps, a prismatic steel ‘mega truss’, 12m

tall and 60m long was constructed to span

between two braced steel cores.

These are founded on mass concrete founda-

tions woven into and around the foundations of

the existing building. Where the façade wraps

around the existing car park, it is propped back

to the existing reinforced concrete structure by

means of steel struts. The primary structure is

made up of CHS sections of various sizes.

This supports secondary steel props which in

turn support extruded aluminium sections that

hold the fabric in place.

These extrusions are shaped to give the fabric

its curvature. The use of steel allowed the

various elements of the structure to be erected

during out-of-hours periods. The structure was

designed to be stable through the various

stages of erection.

Geometrically complex connections were resol-

ved using a simple system of nodes formed

from straight lengths of CHS. All the steelwork

was galvanized to provide both long term

corrosion protection and a simple aesthetic

to the structure.

The launch of the wall featured a specially

commissioned film produced by creative

agency Un.titled, using a mixture of black and

white photography sequences and colourful

graphics featuring famous landmarks around

Liverpool. The screen is capable of generating

over 1 billion colours even in the brightest

sunlit conditions.

Architects:

Hakes Associates Architects, London

Photo: Peter Carr

Architecture

‘Belvedere’ and ‘Rechtop in de wind’ [Upright in

the wind]. Two names which have been given to

this dynamic 22 metre high construction along

the A16 near Breda.

The artist, Martien Kuipers, has made

reference to the high-speed railway line and

the fast motorway traffic by using the zigzag

shape to give this observation tower a

high-tech image.

The tower consists of two tapered open truss

plates with stairs in between.

The top and bottom edge as well as the dia-

gonals of the truss plates have been made

from hollow sections varying in size from

160 x 160 x 10 mm to 400 x 200 x 10 mm.

Stability is obtained by interconnecting both

protruding truss plates with tie bars.

Diagonals have been used for the connection

of the transparent expanded metal covering.

Design: Martien Kuipers, Breda

Steel construction: De Klerk, Werkendam

Construction:

Ingenieursbureau Boorsma, Drachten & Amersfoort

Client: Breda Council

Photo: Mw. Akkermans

Galvanizing in Detail

Galvanizing DelightBy Gerard Reimerink

2009

4/4

Documents

HDG Magazine 4_2009