HDG Magazine 4_2008

Hot Dip GalvanizingInternational Magazine | ISSN 1363-0148 | www.galvanizing.org.uk2008

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If we are heading into leaner times - and at

the time of writing it looks as if we are, then

we all have to become used to having less and

making what we have got more efficient.

I don’t suppose that a photo-voltaic array farm

(see opposite) would be particularly economical

in northern Europe, but for those countries with

many days of sunshine they obviously are.

In the same way, I always envy the rather ugly,

but very economical, water tanks with solar

panels on the top of every house and villa in

the Mediterranean area.

Almost free hot water for most of the year -

bliss. A point that we in the soggier climes

forget is that the support steelwork is not

galvanized so much for its long term resistance

to rain as its long term resistance to ultra-violet

rays - something which is a far bigger problem

for many organic protection systems.

In a country with a limited amount of land,

housing is always going to be expensive.

So cheaper, or more affordable, housing is

going to have to be very efficient with the

way that it uses space.

The nine-storey high, modular Abito Apartments

in Manchester (see p10) seem like a good

response to the problem.

A very ingenious design has resulted in

compact living units which do not appear

claustrophobic.

David Baron, Editor

Contents

2 Editorial

3 Following the sun Innovative tracker system for

photo-voltaic arrays

4 Cruquius Tower Sinuous beacon

6 Herne Central Bus Station

Light, elegant and robust

8 Teaching block at Zittau College

Sculptural yet functional

10 Abito Apartments “Not bigger but smarter”

12 Multistorey car park Clever combination of steel

and glass

14 SS Rotterdam Last port of call

16 Galvanizing Delight

Front cover:

Herne Central Bus Station

Photo by Partnerschaft Heiderich Hummert

Klein Architekten

Editorial

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Fußgängerbrücke | Ernst Steiner1

Solar technology

Following the sunInnovative tracker system for photo-voltaic arrays

By Holger Glinde

The SunCarrier system, from the firm of a+f GmbH, Würzburg, sets new standards in

the use of solar energy and is revolutionizing the photo-voltaic market.

The sun is a gigantic power source and gene-

rates 10,000 times as much energy as the

world needs for its primary energy require-

ments every year. Some of the sun’s energy

can be converted into electrical power with the

help of photo-voltaics.

The SunCarrier system uses a highly sophistica-

ted way of optimising the efficiency of the use

of solar energy. It uses a mechanical single-axis

tracker system which matches the module area

of photo-voltaic arrays to the current position

of the Sun.

In this way, an optimal angle of incidence is

guaranteed for the sunlight and an additional

yield of 30% is obtained by comparison with

systems which are rigidly orientated to face

south.

Module areas of up to 287.5m² can use the

SunCarrier technology to supply a kilowatt peak

of up to 40 kWp. Thus one module in Southern

Europe can provide more than 20 households

with their average consumption of 3,500 kWh

each per year.

The SunCarrier system adjusts the equipment’s

position to match it with wherever the sun

happens to be every ten minutes, with a

change cycle lasting about seven seconds.

The information needed for tracking is obtained

by the system’s drive motor from a stored-

programmable control system.

Orientation takes place using a chassis with

four sets of wheels and a circular rail system

with a diameter of approximately 12 metres.

In spite of the omnibearing rotatability which

follows the horizon, the SunCarrier is cons-

tructed so that it is able to withstand gale

force winds.

The streamlined design of the SunCarrier

diverts wind forces and snow loads securely

and reliably, so that no risk is created for the

valuable photo-voltaic module.

The system’s solid technology means it can

be used reliably, even under extreme environ-

mental and weather conditions.

The SunCarrier owes its extraordinary stability

to a supporting frame taking the form of a steel

structure with anti-lifting safety features, which

has a positive-locking connection to a concrete

base with a diameter of 12 metres.

All steel components within the design are

galvanized providing long term protection from

the wind and rain. In addition, the inherent

robust characteristics of the galvanized coating

provide additional protection to the moving

parts of the design.

Manufacturer: a-+f GmbH, Würzburg

www.suncarrier.com

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Architecture

Cruquius TowerSinuous beacon

By Gerard Reimerink

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The town of Cruquius in North Holland

is named after Nicolaas Samuelsz

Kruyckuis (1678-1754), a Dutch land-

surveyor and one of many promoters of

a plan to pump the Haarlemmermeer

(Haarlem Lake) dry. During his lifetime,

the issue of pumping out the Haarlem

Lake was international news. 250 years

later, his name is linked to a modern

furniture retail park which occupies the

polder (site of the former lake).

In order to make shopping in Cruquius more

attractive, the existing furniture retail park

was renovated and expanded. Cruquius Plaza

has been designed by Fons Verheijen of VVKH

Architects in Leiden. It has become a cosy

shopping area which is situated around an

events square, where the landmark 30 metre

high Cruquius tower has been constructed in

the centre.

The structure of the Cruquius tower is made

completely of hot-dip galvanized steel and is

covered with special cladding units with rows of

lights fitted in between. The light patterns are

controlled by computer programme.

Galvanized steel constructionThe spatial structure of the tower consists of

a large number of square hot-dip galvanized

steel hollow sections. These galvanized steel

elements were assembled by Vic Obdam Staal-

bouw, partly at their own company and partly

on location. The structure curves at interme-

diate heights of 10 metres and 20 metres.

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Thermisch Verzinken | 5

Architecture

Twelve intermediate platforms have been

placed in the tower structure at 2.5 metre

intervals and can be accessed via a staircase

for maintenance. Rectangular manholes which

can be closed with a hinged hatch with a view

to clearance safety have been installed in the

platforms.

The platforms have an irregular rounded shape

and vary in size which is determined by the

distances in between the rising sections.

Recesses have been created in the platforms

for these sections. The intermediate platforms

have been made accessible by using galvanized

Arco grating with a mesh size of 3 x 30 mm.

The total weight of the tower is 28 tonnes.

It is hoped that the unusual shape and design

of the tower will act as a landmark for the new

retail park for many years to come.

Architect Plaza:

Fons Verheijen (VVKH Architects), Leiden

Client: Sorba Projects, Winterswijk

Tower design: Vic Obdam Staalbouw BV, Obdam

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Almost all of the suburbs of Herne can be

reached using local public transport services

passing through the bus station. It is also the

main transfer point to the national and local

rail systems. As a result of a restricted appeal

for tenders, the Dortmund architectural

partnership of Heiderich Hummert Klein won

the contract for the redevelopment of the

station forecourt.

The original brief from the civic authorities

required the entire area of the bus station to

be under cover, with the intention of connecting

the station buildings with the bus stands and

the tube system, and to guarantee protection

from the weather for passengers transferring

from one transport system to another.

With an area of approximately 250 x 80m and

surrounded by a variety of buildings, the station

forecourt had little three-dimensional definition

in terms of town planning. The areas to be roo-

fed over were largely covered by traffic plans

already in existence. The architects developed

a concept, in accordance with which a self-con-

tained large frame was intended to surround

the covered area and create a single location

within the forecourt. At the same time, an

attempt was made to establish a clear struc-

turing of the remaining open areas, so that a

continuum of individually defined spaces would

be created. The solution was a roof structure

which, with the outline form of two ellipses

merging at the ends, floats approximately 6m

above the bus island as a transparent body.

Opposite the main entrance of the station

building the roof narrows. At its narrowest

point, a secondary connecting roof has been

suspended, which provides protection from the

rain for passengers moving from the bus island

to the station building and simultaneously

indicates the access to the station from the

surrounding area.

Architecture

Herne Central Bus StationLight, elegant and robust

By Holger Glinde

The central bus station in Herne handles over 12,000 passengers a day, and is one of

the most important public transport hub in the Herne municipal area.

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Architecture

Execution and project progressThe project was planned and installed in close

collaboration with the structural engineers

Bollinger & Grohmann, Frankfurt a. M. The

main roof structure consists of a steel frame-

work made from circular hollow sections:

two parallel rows of columns (d=25cm) at 7.5m.

Carrying a system made up of two longitudinal

girders and 37 parallel transverse girders,

these are mounted at centre distances of

3.75m so that every second transverse girder

is suspended freely between the supports.

The girder ends are connected through a

peripheral edge girder.

The top and bottom flanges of the transverse

girders are bent inwards and generate a roof

cross-section which is convex above and below.

The structure is braced in that the supports are

restrained in the foundation.

The top of the roof body is covered by clear,

accessible safety glass. The bottom is under-

clamped with a skin made from transparent

stainless steel wire cloth.

The rainwater flows off the roof surface into a

conventional roof gutter within the facing edge

and is channelled away through the bottom

flanges of the main girders and the supports.

The entire roof measures approximately 142 m

long and approximately 26.30m (at the widest

point). The construction consists of approxi-

mately 100 tonnes of steel and approximately

3,100 m² each of glass and stainless steel wire

cloth. The developed length of the edge girder

is approximately 300 m.

Hot dip galvanizingAll the large components that make up the roof

structure are galvanized including the sheet

purlins (that carry the glass covering) and the

columns. Some of the external steel was galva-

nized and painted.

The end result is a simple yet eye catching

structure that definitely makes a statement for

the travellers in Herne.

Architects/photos:

Partnerschaft Heiderich Hummert Klein Architekten

Structural planning:

Bollinger & Grohmann, Frankfurt a. M.

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The two building wings were designed by the

Berlin architects Tillman Bock and Norbert

Sachs.

On the south side, two staircases are cut into

the building, demonstrating that grey walls can

produce an impressive effect of depth

and colour.

The staircases are constructed entirely from

galvanized steel sections and are connected

by brackets with the carcass, which takes

the form of a solid reinforced concrete

structure.

In order to increase the plasticity of the stair-

case body, both the steps and the strings are

made from galvanized steel plates and

flat made-to-measure rectangular gridiron

elements were used for the steps (both risers

and treads).

To reinforce the flexible play between the dark

plaster background and the metallic surfaces,

depending on the light conditions, a silver-

coloured coating has been applied to the

galvanizing, using a lacquer with an alkyd

resin base (used within the car industry).

The façade surface is made from a dark grey

plaster which is typical for the overlay.

The use of galvanized steel elements is thus

deliberately limited to the items which are

decisive for the flexible impression produced

by the building.

Architects:

Tillman Bock und Norbert Sachs Architekten, Berlin

www.bock-sachs-architekten.de

Photos: Daniel Sumesgutner, Dortmund

Architecture

Teaching block at Zittau CollegeSculptural yet functional

By Holger Glinde

Grey doesn’t always have to be synonymous with sadness, as is shown by two new

additions to Zittau College - a teaching block and a laboratory building. The structures,

which house the Civil Engineering and Building Construction Department, are

distinguished by lucidity and by an unambiguous architectural language.

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Description“Not bigger but smarter”, is the strapline on

the Abito website, which perfectly summarises

the thinking behind this project.

The design team were approached to develop

a new compact apartment scheme, aimed at

both first time buyers and clients wanting a

city ‘crash pad’. The objective was to deliver

high quality design on a budget, with a brief

to innovate, and ‘test assumptions’.

The design team initially had no site or

specifics to work with and developed the

product from inside out creating a generic

microflat, which minimised dead space.

The final concept delivered an innovative

spatial design with clever features including a

central ‘fold-away’ command module creating

bathroom space out of a corridor.

The generous volume more than compensates

for the compact floor and is flooded with day-

light from the full height windows which frame

the view of the city.

Building Description The Greengate site, near Manchester, forms

part of a wider master plan and presented a

number of constraints. The most difficult being

the triangular nature of the site. Corner options

were appraised but these paralysed much of

the site and this led to the development of a

courtyard option which was called the

‘Greengate Ark’.

The nine-storey, 256 apartment building, with

commercial units at its base, filled the plot

and by pushing the apartments to the edge of

the site, a private, semi-external courtyard was

created at its centre. This was protected from

the weather by a fabric canopy that animates

the skyline.

Within the landscaped courtyard, occupants

gain access to their flats via a single lift and

stair core that rises up to the light just below

the canopy.

The grand central space is overlooked by

open galleries and bridges providing an

open circuit and space for tenants to meet

their neighbours.

By definition, the building is extremely

repetitive and modular and this transposes

itself on the elevation.

Although the designers were keen to embrace

the nature of the building it would be all

too easy for the building to become rather

relentless.

The Abito apartments in Greengate, Salford, are deemed to be different in many ways

to the standard apartment blocks that are appearing on many of our brownfield sites.

The attention to detail of the internal space and the many ways that this can be custo-

mised deserves our attention. The other unusual aspect of the overall design is the use

of a repetitive balcony module that creates an undulating elevation that immediately

grabs your attention.

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Abito Apartments “Not bigger but smarter”

By Iqbal Johal

2004

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Thermisch Verzinken | 11

The approach was to create a glazed elevation

maximising the daylight into the apartment onto

which a grid has been imposed to secure a

system of ‘clip-on balconies’.

The balcony incorporates side cheeks creating

a private external space with the splayed form

creating interest and a social aspect.

The whole of the structural form of the balcony

structure was formed from galvanized steel.

This had a dual role of providing protection to

the steel but also created a natural aesthetic

that the design team were interested in

promoting.

The wavy, splayed form creates an interesting

architectural feature that is added to by the

galvanized coating. This not only acts to reflect

light at different angles but also adds to the

harmony of the different materials used within

the project.

In the same way that the apartment was a

pre-fabricated element, the design of the

elevation was detailed to embody a similar

methodology. This enabled full control of the

quality of the elements as they were manufac-

tured off site. Due to the unique nature of the

design of the Abito apartments ‘Tunnel form’

construction was adopted allowing it to be

easily replicated.

The Abito apartments are innovative, quirky,

and less expensive than many other city centre

apartments and are designed with passion and

a great deal of care that is not normally found

in a project of this type.

Architects: BDP

Photos: David Barbour/BDP

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This is one of three big multistorey car parks

erected to serve the individual structural areas

and had already been planned for in the

master plan, framework plan and building

plan by the Darmstadt architects, Lengfeld &

Wilisch, who carried the project through.

The three multistorey car parks were intended

to provide decentralized facilities in the

entrance area of the site.

Following the erection of the T-Online multi-

storey car park during the first phase of

construction, the multistorey car park in GE 5

was the second large-scale parking facility to be

built, having a total capacity of 826 spaces for

private cars and 80 for bicycles.

The multistorey car park was planned as a

d’Humy or split-level system, with 17 staggered

split levels and was erected as a galvanized

steel structure.

The internal layout of the area for cars includes

split-level ramps running between the individual

levels, providing single-lane routes for vehicles

going up and down. There are two access lanes

on the ground floor, while vehicles drive out via

the sunken exit route a half-level lower.

The external walls of the car park, classified in

accordance with the garage ordinance as an

“open” multistorey car park, are provided with

a metal façade made from one storey high,

5 cm deep galvanized grids, the solid appea-

rance of which is broken up by a set of irregular

apertures with laterally attached coloured

plexiglass struts.

Grid panels are also used inside the staircases

for separation purposes and as crash barriers

located between the lift groups and the split-

level flights of stairs.

The plexiglass struts are the only coloured

markers in the architecture of the functional

building.

All the other elements of the construction, from

the façade through the primary steel structure

right down to the staircases, with the side rails

and the wall coatings, match the grey scale

values of the galvanized steel in their colour.

Thanks to the use of galvanizing, the multi-

storey car park has permanent and robust

protection against corrosion.

Client: TC Darmstadt Objektgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG,

Heidelberg

Architects:

Lengfeld & Wilisch Architekten BDA, Darmstadt

Building data:

Client: FOM GmbH, Heidelberg

Erected: 2006

Project team: C. Larbig, J. Peters, S. Frey, K. Wilisch

Total built area: 17.550 m²

Parking spaces.: 826

Architecture

Multistorey car park Clever combination of steel and glass

By Holger Glinde

The GE 5 multistorey car park has been erected to meet the need for private vehicle

parking at the Rhein-Main Technology Centre, a newly-developed office block for

Deutsche Telekom in Darmstadt.

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The ‘Rotterdam’ was taken onto the water by

the H.A.L. in 1959 and sailed the North Atlantic

route between Rotterdam and New York

and served as a cruise ship for many years

after that.

The Foundation for the Preservation of

SS Rotterdam saved the ship, which was

almost 50 years old, from being scrapped

and managed to secure a fixed mooring

space.

Plans for the ship include a theatre, shops,

three restaurants, a 289 room hotel as well

as special conference rooms for approximately

2,500 people.

Four buildingsApart from the utility building for the electric

power supply, heating, air conditioning etc. the

mooring facility also includes the crew building,

the cruise building and the promenade-entry

building. Visitors and personnel can access

the ship via these three buildings and five

walkways. The steel structures of the four

buildings are in view from almost everywhere.

The components have been manufactured

in the company’s assembly hall and are

assembled on location.

Much attention has been paid to careful

finishing, in particular where welding and

joints are concerned.

Distinguishing features of the buildings

are the openness and the glass façades.

The gable ends of the buildings have a hard

wood front coping.

The buildings are only 5.10 metres deep due

to the restricted width of the quay.

Architecture

SS RotterdamLast port of call

By Gerard Reimerink

Hot dip galvanized steel is the main construction material used to build the new

mooring facility for the S.S. ‘Rotterdam’. The new terminal, located on the site of

the former Holland America Line in the Maasstad, has been built by

Willems Constructie BV of Boven Leeuwen and consists of four buildings.

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Architecture

The length and height of the buildings vary

from 2.5 to 14 metres and from 3.5 to

14 metres respectively.

Galvanized steel has been used as one of the

dominant materials for the project.

The main profiles and circular hollow sections

(200mm in diameter) are all galvanized.

The steel structures are fitted to the concrete

foundations by means of re-adjustable steel

anchors.

The five walkways each have a total length of

17 metres and consist of two parts with a

5 metre overlap, which can be extended or

collapsed over a length of approximately

4 metres. The walkways are fixed to the

buildings by means of two suspension rods.

Hot dip galvanized steelSome of the galvanized steel is coated with a

lacquer system that includes a zinc phosphate

epoxy primer and a polyurethane silk gloss

system. The areas that have used the duplex

system to provide mutual protection offered by

the zinc and the organic top layer of paint.

The end result is a subtle structure that enhan-

ces the quay area and helps to promote the

history and experience of SS Rotterdam.

Design, structure and construction:

Willems Constructie BV, Boven Leeuwen

Photos: Stichting Doelmatig Verzinken, Nieuwegein

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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 © 2008.

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

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

E-mail: [email protected]

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Galvanizing Delight2008

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The original creative vision behind Halo was

created by LandLab, a practice with a back-

ground in collaborative, cross-disciplinary work

in landscape architecture, ecology and public

art. It is part of the Panopticons* project

funded by the Northwest Regional Develoment

Agency and the Lancashire Economic Partner-

ship. The design for Halo consists of an elegant

steel UFO-like disc mounted on a tripod, with

low-energy lighting applied to give it the night-

time appearance of hovering above the former

landfill site at Top 'O' Slate in Haslingden.

Halo is seen as an inspirational beacon for

both the future of Rossendale and its East

Lancashire neighbours. LandLab defines its

general work on landscape as a “contemporary

cultural engagement located at the ‘touch-

points’ where people shape their understanding

of a particular place”. LandLab believes that on

projects like Halo, these touchpoints strengthen

identity by creating new points of orientation

and experience. From the first competition

sketches, a steel lattice structure was an

obvious solution to deliver Landlab’s vision.

The strength of steel is exploited to make the

three legs as slender as possible, to give the

sculpture its desired, slightly implausible air.

The galvanized finish is key to Halo’s

objectives of an industrial aesthetic and

long term protection.

* Panopticon: structure, space or device providing a

comprehensive or panoramic view.

Photo: Michael Barham