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| Elegant sculpture in flexible shoring  In his hometown of Valencia, the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has realized the "Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias". With the Edificio Ágora, the complex is currently being extended with a multi-function centre. At present, a gigantic PERI UP Rosett construction has been erected in the almost 70-metre high interior with a volume of around 141,000 cubic metres. The scaffold is used for different working operations - from the assembly of the remarkable steel-glass construction through to the installation of the lighting technology. The different requirements of the individual tradesmen regarding access means and working platforms require continuous adjustment of the scaffold corresponding to the building progress being made. Flexibility, high load-bearing capacity and wide cantilevers in spite of the small number of diagonals make the PERI UP solution both fast and cost-effective.For the Edificio Ágora, 49 vaulted steel fins have been arranged in an elliptical ground plan. Along a length of almost 100 metres and a width of 60 metres, the arched supporting structure spans a surface area measuring 5,000 square metres. The particularly ingenious feature here is the folding roof with its lamellae-type construction: when closed, the building´s shape is in the form of a conquistador´s helmet. If the movable part is opened, the Edificio Ágora resembles the helmet of a general. In addition, the hinged glass roof regulates the amount of natural light entering into the room below. The key requirement placed on the scaffold was that it should provide safe access means and working areas. The complex design of the building and the range of activities which are carried out from the scaffolding itself have determined the degree of difficulty for this particular task. For the erection of the load-bearing building construction – assembling the steel segments as well as the welding and coating work – the individual steel fins must be accessible from all sides. These are arranged with two-metre axis centre distances and curved both vertically and horizontally. All access ways and work platforms must be constantly adapted to match this form. For subsequent work such as installing the insulation or mounting the glass facade, the scaffold is limited in size on the inside of the Ágora, i.e. dimensionally reduced in part. For assembly of the steel construction, machinery and the drive mechanism for the sliding roof, the scaffold has to be then extended up to a height of nearly 75 metres. Due to the scheduled construction period of only 13 months, a particularly fast solution is required. The contractor has to strictly adhere to the planned completion date as the "Valencia Open 500" tennis tournament at the beginning of November 2009 has already been scheduled as the opening event. The contractors decided in favour of the PERI UP Rosett scaffold system. The modular scaffolding fulfils all requirements and is currently proving its considerable advantages on a daily basis on the construction site through a wide range of applications. With the installation of the steel fin assembly, the height of the scaffold increases in step with the construction progress. The basis is a PERI UP birdcage scaffold with a grid dimension from 3.00 metres by 2.00 metres which varies according to the form and position of the ribs. The 50 centimetre rosette height increments, together with the metric basic grid, provide optimal adjustment options for the height, width and depth. In the direction of the facade, the grid size is halved by simply mounting standards on the ledgers so that the platforms can also be positioned between the steel fins through to the outside of the eventual building shell. Due to the tapering building form between the individual steel ribs, cantilevered scaffold units are also required for the work carried out on the facade. These cantilevers are assembled using UBK node diagonals and UCB brackets. The brackets are able to carry high loads and can be mounted at any height - regardless of existing decking or ledger levels. In many areas, reinforced UHV ledgers are also used which in turn serve to support the rising standards. This means that the form of the scaffold can be problem-free and optimally adapted to the complex building structure. As soon as the steel supporting structure is completed, the scaffold is altered to correspond with the construction progress. The wide cantilevers are to a large extent reduced in size so that the outside steel sheeting, insulation and the curtain wall construction can be installed. At the top of the building, the scaffold helps construction crews to attach the glass cladding and to install the movable steel structure including the required machine and drive technology. Also four freight elevators have been integrated without any problem, each offering a lifting capacity of 1,500 kg up to 70 metres. Not only do site personnel always have to reach their designated working areas quickly and safely, the required materials must also be efficiently transported to the respective place of work. For integrating the PERI UP stairs, simple adaptive measures to the scaffold is sufficient. Using PERI UP UDI industrial decking with 25 cm width sections, working platforms and access ways are installed throughout without leaving any gaps. The integrated lock against lifting secures the deck without the need of any additional measures, and immediately after being installed. The surface of the decking is perforated as well as non-slip. Even in completely assembled scaffold sections, PERI UP decks can subsequently be removed and re-installed without any problems – a big advantage regarding continuous adjustment, not only for the scaffolding in Valencia. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |