Revitalization and Extension of Supporting Structure of Stage Roof in State Playhouse Dresden, Germany
Customer Project
The theater built from 1911 to 1913 has a varied history. The building was destroyed by the allied air attacks in February 1945, reconstructed in the post‑war years, and damaged by floods in August 2002. Within an 18‑week break, the Dresden theater has been extensively renovated and modernized.
Investor |
Saxonian Real Estate and Construction Management Dresden, Germany www.sib.sachsen.de |
Project Planning | Architekturbüro Wagner Dresden, Germany |
Structural Design |
KREBS+KIEFER Ingenieure GmbH, Germany www.kuk.de |
Model
Due to the short time limit, there were up to 230 workers on site, working in three shifts. The reconstruction included, among others, the renovation of the stage equipment and strengthening the roof structure of the stage tower. KREBS+KIEFER engineers scrutinized the stability of the stage roof using RSTAB. The stability analysis detected deficiencies in load‑bearing capacity, which required reinforcement measures.
Roof Structure of Stage Tower
The total height of the stage tower is about 38 m, measured from the stage floor to the top of the roof. The primary structure of the roof consists of five steel trusses arranged parallel to each other. The trusses have a height of 4.10 m and a span of about 32.2 m, and are placed on reinforced concrete columns. The top chord nodes of the outer truss girder are partially braced on the existing walls by inclined members. Together with the members perpendicular to the trusses, an additional load transfer occurs in the transverse direction, which can be taken into account by 3D modelling in RSTAB.
Recalculation
In the bottom chord plane of the truss girder, there is a new fly loft including twelve point hoists with a self-weight of 4.0 kN, among other things. Rope lines are used for moving loads of up to 1.1 kip, such as stage sets, decorations, lighting equipment, etc. Furthermore, the old machines were replaced by new, heavier ones, and various imposed loads were increased.
For the design of structural components and connections, the acting internal forces in the current state were determined in the analytical model. In another model, all new structural components were added and the newly entered permanent and variable loads were applied. Using super combinations, it was possible to superimpose the internal forces and perform the ultimate limit state design.
The structural recalculation for the final state after installing the new stage equipment resulted in overloading various structural members. This required the implementation of various reinforcement measures. For example, the load of the most loaded outer truss girders was reduced by implementing diagonal bracing to the adjacent trusses in the transversal direction. Also, numerous site joints and node areas had to be reinforced by arranging supplementary metal plates and replacing rivets by fitted bolts with a higher load-bearing capacity.
On 29. October 2016, the successful renovation project with the total cost of € 11 million was celebrated by performing Shakespeare's Othello.
Source:
[1] Stroetmann, R., Fuchs, A., Oertel, R.: Schauspielhaus Dresden - Revitalisierung und Ausbau der Tragkonstruktion des Bühnendaches. In: Stahlbau 11-2017, pages: 972-985, published by Ernst & Sohn
Project Location
Theaterstraße 2Write Comment...
Write Comment...
Contact us
Do you have questions or need advice?
Contact our free e-mail, chat, or forum support or find various suggested solutions and useful tips on our FAQ page.

New
Manual adjustment of the buckling curve according to EN 1993-1-1
The RF-/STEEL EC3 add-on module automatically transfers the buckling line to be used for the flexural buckling analysis for a cross-section from the cross-section properties. In particular for general cross -sections, but also for special cases, the assignment of the buckling line can be adjusted manually in the module input.

SHAPE-THIN | Cold-Formed Sections
SHAPE-THIN determines the effective cross-sections according to EN 1993-1-3 and EN 1993-1-5 for cold-formed sections. You can optionally check the geometric conditions for the applicability of the standard specified in EN 1993‑1‑3, Section 5.2.
The effects of local plate buckling are considered according to the method of reduced widths and the possible buckling of stiffeners (instability) is considered for stiffened sections according to EN 1993-1-3, Section 5.5.
As an option, you can perform an iterative calculation to optimize the effective cross-section.
You can display the effective cross-sections graphically.
Read more about designing cold-formed sections with SHAPE-THIN and RF-/STEEL Cold-Formed Sections in this technical article: Design of a Thin-Walled, Cold-Formed C-Section According to EN 1993-1-3.
- Why do I get large differences for the design of a longitudinally stiffened buckling panel in comparison with the German and Austrian National Annex?
- How can I perform the stability analysis in RF‑/STEEL EC3 for a flat bar supported on edges, such as 100/5? Although the cross-section is rotated by 90° in RFEM/RSTAB, it is displayed as lying flat in RF‑/STEEL EC3.
- How can I create a curved or arched section?
- How are the signs for the release results of a line release and line hinges interpreted?
- How are hot-dip galvanized components considered for fire resistance in the RF‑/STEEL EC3 add-on module?
- How is the rotational stiffness of a buckling stiffener determined in PLATE‑BUCKLING?
- In RF‑/STEEL EC3, is the "Elastic design (also for Class 1 and Class 2 cross-sections)" option under "Details → Ultimate Limit State" considered for a stability analysis when activated?
- How can I get the member end forces to design the connections?
- I would like to calculate and design "temporary structures." What do I need for this?
- How can I create a drilled beam in RFEM?
Programs Used for Structural Analysis