252
X4
Category 4: Special Projects
Bank of Moscow - Moscow, Russia
Introduction
The Bank of Moscow desires a building in Moscow with
a complete glass skylight and a big glass façade above
a concrete structure.
The skylight measures approximately 16 m x 38 m,
while the height of the façade is +/-25 m. The structure
has to be very transparent, thus minimising it. The glass
of the roof is heated to prevent any snow from settling.
The glass of the façade is fire-resistant glass.
Task
We were asked to calculate the design for a very thin
structure with glass panels on top for the skylight and
the façade.
We designed a structure with square tubes as beams.
In order to fit the cables of the heating system for the
glass panels, we designed holes in the square tubes.
The crossings of the beams are round tubes, so the
tubes could be connected by welding.
In collaboration with Pauwels Glassprojects and our
Russian client, the contractor Poits, we designed a
system that works like meccano. The idea was that
there would be no (or much less) measuring on-site
and in the production factory to avoid mistakes and to
speed up the production time as well as the time for the
erection.
So we made the tubes with small protrusions and the
round tubes with cut-outs to fit into each other. We
designed this system in a way that meant the orientation
of the beam could not be mistaken. If turned around,
the beam would not fit into the cut-outs of the tube.
The cut-outs of the tube were also designed so that
they could not be turned. When some elements are
assembled together, the next beam has to glide in from
the top. To ensure they could glide in from the top, some
beams had protrusions on top that fit into the cutouts
on top of the tubes. This way the beams and the tubes
could be put together without mistake. Since we made
the construction drawings ourselves, and the tubes and
beams were cut by laser-cutting, we gained full control
of this and there was a perfect fit.
That was the initial part. In the second part, we
designed for each section that was transportable (half of
the width of the skylight and about 3 m in its expanse) a
caliber so that when the elements were put together the
position and the angles were 100% correct without any
required measuring.
In the main section (a metric tonne), the calibers could
be used for several parts, at the edges, and for the
façade the calibers could be used for just for one part.
To avoid measuring (and mistakes in measuring) during
the process of assembling and welding, the calibers
were also made with cut-outs and protrusions.
The whole system worked perfectly and the precision
and the erection time on-site were fabulous.
Both the glass panels and the aluminium and rubber
parts were designed together with the drawings.
This rendered the taking of measurements on-site
unnecessary. Exactitude in the sizes of the glass panels
was achieved by drawing.
Application Scia Engineer
The calculation of the stresses in the profiles and the
displacements were carried out with Scia Engineer. As
the shape of the skylight is a circular part that comes
close to a reverse cable line, the forces in the beams
are mainly normal forces. But because a circular part is
not a cable line, and because of the asymmetric wind
loads, there are moments in the beams and crossings.
This requires a 3D-model, for which Scia Engineer was
very useful.
We also used a separate 3D model in Scia Engineer
to calculate the stresses and deformations of the
pre-welded parts when hung on the crane during the
erection and to define the points of leverage.
The calculation of the glass panels was also performed
with Scia Engineer with the plate-module.
Software: Scia Engineer
