Wooden Airship Gulliver Above DOX Centre in Prague, Czech Republic

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RFEM model of airship made of timber and steel (© Ing. Šrůtek)

Airship Gulliver above the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague (© Jan Slavík, DOX)

Timber airship supported by two steel truss columns (© Jan Slavík, DOX)

Entrance to the airship (© Jan Slavík, DOX)

Side view of the timber-steel airship structure with the membrane 'umbrella' (© Jan Slavík, DOX)

Customer Project

20 December 2016

Czech Republic RFEM Timber Structures Steel Structures Tensile Membrane Structures

Structural Engineering	Ing. Zbyněk Šrůtek (timber, steel, membrane) Česká Skalice, Czech Republic www.timberdesign.cz Ing. Pavel Kocourek (steel) Ing. Jana Divíšková (foundation) Prague, Czech Republic
Concept Design	Leoš Válka Prague, Czech Republic
Architects	Prof. Ing. arch. Martin Rajniš MgA. David Kubík Prague, Czech Republic hutarchitektury.cz
General Contractor	STYLBAU, s.r.o. Hradec Králové, Czech Republic www.stylbau.cz
Subcontractors	Timber Structure TIMBER DESIGN s.r.o. Česká Skalice, Czech Republic www.timberdesign.cz Steel Structure ELEKTRO MOSEV spol. s r.o. Hradec Králové, Czech Republic www.elektromosev.cz
Investor	DOX Centre for Contemporary Art Prague, Czech Republic www.dox.cz

At the beginning of December 2016, a giant wooden airship 'suspended' above the Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague, Czech Republic, has been opened to the public.

The unique airship structure made of timber and steel has been named ‘Gulliver’ and, just like the early zeppelins, it represents the eternal human desire to fly and a certain utopian ideal. Gulliver will serve as a space for literature related to the themes of DOX’s exhibitions, which are characterized by critical reflection on the situation of our contemporary world.

Structure

The supporting framework of the airship consists of 14 truss hoops arranged in a transversal direction at a spacing of 2.2 - 3 m. The hoops are connected to each other by lateral and auxiliary elements, which converge together in a top steel ring. The structural elements are made of larch wood, hot‑dip galvanized elements, and stainless and hot‑dip galvanized fasteners.

The framework includes steel cables that ensure the overall spatial stability. The timber frame is coated by larch wood lamellas and is protected against weather conditions by a membrane structure in the upper half of the structure. Thus, the membrane structure consisting of the ETFE foil creates something like an umbrella above the entire airship structure.

The timber framework of the airship is anchored to an inclined steel supporting structure at the respective height, which serves as the supporting foundation for the interior timber floor of the airship. The structure is supported by two steel truss columns located along the walls of the buildings in the DOX Centre's yard. The columns are built on newly built pile foundations. A spar and cables in the horizontal direction stabilize the cantilevered part of the steel supporting structure that exceeds the building walls. The airship can be accessed on two side staircases made of steel.

The basic airship body is complemented by a gondola that can be accessed from the airship board by a steel ladder. The airship includes audiovisual and lighting equipment. Due to the installed infra panels, it is possible to operate the airship all year long.

The total construction area is 322 m², the accessible interior area is 161 m², and the space enclosed by the construction is 2,050 m³.