Structural Designer
China Architecture Design & Research Group
Client Name
Qingdao Cosmopolitan Exposition International Conference and Exhibition Co., Ltd.
Location
Qingdao, China
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR China Railway Tianfeng Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
ARCHITECT China Architecture Design & Research Group
KEY CONTRACTORS China Railway Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. - Steel manufacture China Railway Huatie Supervision Co., Ltd. - Supervision Shenzhen Qixin Construction Group Co., Ltd. - Curtain wall manufacture
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This crossed-shaped exhibition gallery is 507m x 287m. The arches of the prestressed cable-arch structure span 47.5m and a height of 28.8m.
Judge's comment: As a result of ingenious and thoughtful structural engineering, this excellent cruciform exhibition gallery achieves a beautiful clarity and transparency in spite of its enormous scale. The span of the tall and slender arches is up to 48m. This would normally demand relatively deep arch ribs to ensure stability against buckling. But here, the designers have introduced a tensioned cable system to provide the necessary stability to the steel ribs, enabling them to be only half a metre deep. Furthermore, the three-dimensional nature of the arrangement reduces horizontal displacements substantially and facilitates bay-by-bay construction. The judges were delighted with this scheme and impressed by the elegance of the detailing, as well as the clarity of the overall engineering solution.
Judge's comment: