4167x
000903
2014-09-15

Amphitheater in Bytom, Poland

Since August 2014, there has been an extraordinary new outdoor theater in Bytom, Poland.

From the structural engineering point of view, the timber structure consists of two parts (the theater stage and backstage) geometrically interconnected by a spatial-shaped roof. This gives the structure its remarkable design.

Theater Stage Structure

The curved roof structure of the theater stage is comprised of ten longitudinal frames of glued-laminated timber with various shapes that are hinge connected to the reinforced concrete supporting walls.

The frames have a thickness of 3.9 inches, a variable cross-section from 23.6 to 40.5 inches, and a camber rise from 145.6 to 253.9 inches. They span a distance of 59 ft in the longitudinal direction. The distance between the trusses in the transverse direction is 3.9 ft.

The glulam trusses in both the longitudinal and transverse directions are arranged as squares and coffers. A wooden reinforcing system of diagonal crosses secures the stability in the transverse direction. The entire structural arrangement of the members and particularly the connections was designed with maximum respect to the clear visual aspect of the structure as a whole.

Backstage Structure (Dressing Rooms)

The wall structure is designed in a "two-by-four" system with constructional gypsum fiberboard.

For the roof structure over the backstage, a combination of the two technologies is used. The visible part includes the same system of glued-laminated timber elements as the main theater stage. The non‑visible part consists of trusses with nail plates.

The RFEM program was used for the structural model, considering all nonlinearities of the members and foundation properties. When designing the theater, RFEM was effectively used together with the SEMA 3D timber construction software.

Construction STAIRS design s.r.o.
Structural Design PlusEight System AB, Sweden
www.pluseight.net
Structural Design Ing. Pavel Korejčík
Ing. Jan Mařík, Ph.D.
Ing. Jan Seifert


Project Specifications

Model data

Number of Nodes 363
Number of Lines 667
Number of Members 581
Number of Surfaces 27
Number of Load Cases 15
Number of Load Combinations 396
Number of Result Combinations 3
Total Weight 194.757 tons
Dimensions 80.54 x 35.43 x 26.09 feet
Program Version 5.03.00

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