Czech Pavilion – EXPO 2020 DUBAI

FormosaAA / str.ucture GmbH

The Czech Pavilion for the Expo 2020 in Dubai features an ornamental shading canopy made of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) elements which envelop the the entrance of the service building. The canopy serves as a shading system for the plaza in front of the service building as well as sculptural piece that defines the entrance for the visitors. The bounding box of the canopy roughly spans 26 m x 22 m reaching a maximum height of 9 m. The GFRP rods have a circular cross-section of 32 mm diameter. The rods are bundled together in the transversal direction using steel connectors that form a rigid link between the individual elements. In this way, ribbon-like strands of GFRP rods are created. The ends of the rods are subsequently secured to the foundation areas distributed on the ground, as well as to the primary structural arches and the support points allocated on the main steel members of the service building. By doing so the GFRP rods are elastically bent into position. The deformation of the elements happens exclusively within the elastic range of the material to not damage the fibres of the GFRP sections and to ensure enough structural capacity for external loading. Strands of rods laying onto each other are additionally coupled using steel connectors.

Images © str.ucture GmbH