Bahá’í Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile
Customer Project
An extraordinary structure was built in Chile: the "Temple of Light". It is one of eight Bahá'í temples worldwide. The monotheistic Bahá'í religion has about seven million followers, mainly in India, Iran, Africa, and North and South America. It took many decades to plan the temple.
| Structural Engineering |
Structural analysis, construction, and completion (steel and roofing) Josef Gartner GmbH, Würzburg, Germany josef-gartner.permasteelisagroup.com |
| Architect |
Hariri Pontarini Architects Toronto, Canada www.hariripontarini.com |
| Investor |
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís rel="noopener noreferrer" of Canada www.ca.bahai.org |
Model
Josef Gartner GmbH, a German customer of Dlubal Software, was given the job of planning, design, and construction of the entire structure above the foundation.
Structure
The shape of the temple resembles a nine‑petalled blossom of a lotus flower. The building has a diameter of about 111.5 ft and a height of 98.4 ft. The substructure consists of a two-story concrete structure and a flat footing.
As the site is placed in a Chilean region with a high seismic risk, it was necessary to uncouple the structure horizontally from the ground with regard to vibrations. That is why a total of ten friction pendulum bearings were arranged between the concrete columns and the second intermediate ceiling.
The steel supporting structure is a kind of space frame with an upper and lower chord layer consisting of rectangular cross‑sections as well as round pipe diagonals serving as connecting elements.
The nine petals, which are identical in construction, close with their leaf apices at the maximum point, forming a light dome (oculus). The structural skeleton is formed, as with real plant petals, by an interior framework consisting of round pipes with thicker section walls of d = 12.7 in.
First, the building was modeled using the Rhinoceros design software. Then, the complete 3D model was transferred to RFEM and RSTAB and optimized in close cooperation with the architect.
Finally, Gartner calculated the steel structure in RFEM and RSTAB considering the impact of earthquakes.
Write Comment...
Write Comment...
Contact Us
Do you have further questions or need advice? Contact us via phone, email, or chat or find suggested solutions and useful tips on our FAQ page available 24/7.
New
X-Brace Effective Lengths According to AISC 360-16 in RFEM 6
Defining the appropriate effective length is crucial to obtain the correct member design capacity. For X-bracing that is connected at the center, the engineers often wonder if the full end-to-end length of the member shall be used or using half of the length to where the members are connected is sufficient.
This article outlines the recommendations given by the AISC and provides an example on how to specify the effective length of the X-braces in RFEM.
New
Steel Joints | Stability Analysis Software
For the joint components, it is possible to check whether the stability failure is relevant (requires the Structure Stability add-on for RFEM 6 / RSTAB 9).
In this case, the critical load factor for all analyzed load combinations and the selected number of mode shapes is calculated for the connection model. The smallest critical load factor is compared with the limit value 15 from the standard EN 1993‑1‑1, Clause 5. Furthermore, a user-defined adjustment of the limit value is possible. Moreover, the corresponding mode shapes are displayed graphically as the result of the stability analysis.
For the stability analysis, an adapted surface model is used to specifically recognize the local buckling shapes. The model of the stability analysis, including the results, can also be saved and used as a separate model file.
- How can I neglect torsion in the steel and timber design?
- Is it possible to display the deformation analysis of a surface (limit 0.5‰)?
- How do I perform stability analysis to determine the critical load factor in RFEM 6?
- How can I optimize cross-sections within the steel design?
- Where can I find the materials for the corresponding National Annexes in RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9?
- How do I apply wind load on members of open structures?
- Is it also possible to use RF‑/TOWER Loading without the other TOWER add-on modules?
- I do not want to design a cross-section in the RF‑/STEEL EC3 add-on module. Can I quickly remove this cross-section from the selection?
- I have a roof structure resting on a steel column that runs to the foundations. The column runs through a perimeter wall that supports the false ceiling. A considerable part of the load from the roof is transferred to the wall. I want the steel column to carry all the vertical loads from the roof. How can I do it?
- Are the models and presentations from Info Day 2018 freely available, and can you send them to me?
Programs Used for Structural Analysis
Main Program
The structural engineering software for design of frame, beam and truss structures, performing linear and nonlinear calculations of internal forces, deformations, and support reactions
2,550.00 USD
Main Program
Structural engineering software for finite element analysis (FEA) of planar and spatial structural systems consisting of plates, walls, shells, members (beams), solids and contact elements
3,540.00 USD
Add-on Module
Dynamic analysis of natural frequencies and mode shapes of member models
850.00 USD
Add-on Module
Seismic and static load analysis using the multi-modal response spectrum analysis
580.00 USD
