The glass facade and the glass skylight are supported entirely by the cable structure. This design was conceived as a cello’s strings fanning over a bridge and fret-board.
The structural analysis of the atrium steel‑glass structure was performed using RSTAB by the Dlubal Software customer Novum Structures. In addition, Novum was responsible for engineering, fabricating and constructing the project.
Structure
The two massive steel constructions that house the theatres (Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall) hold the upper end of a series of parallel cable trusses. The low end of the cables is anchored externally in the second floor slab after crossing pipe columns that define the line of the glazed walls and act as cable stays. In addition, they form the primary roof and perimeter frame structure.
Lightweight steel purlins, spanning between adjacent roof cable trusses, which support the skylight glass units are secured with Novum's Edge Clamp Glass System. A secondary cable system of vertical and inclined cables supports the glass wall units. These walls are further secured with Novum’s Corner Clamped Glass System.
The atrium contains 48,300 ft² (4,488 m²) of insulating, laminated glass that is comprised of 1,147 irregularly shaped segments, each weighing between 600 to 800 kg. The primary rectangular glass panels on the roof are 2 1/16 in (53 mm) thick. The wall panels are 1 3/4 in (45 mm) thick.
| Architect | Safdie Architects, USA www.safdiearchitects.com |
| General Contractor | JE Dunn Construction Co., USA |
| Plant Engineering | Novum Structures LLC, USA www.novumstructures.com |
