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Cristobal Correa, Assoc. Principal, Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, New York, NX USA
Summary
This paper details the author's experiences working with paper as a temporary building material in the work of Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. The paper is present in these projects as a structural element in the form of a paper tube. The mechanical properties of the material are examined and three projects are presented: Two, which have been designed, built, and dismantled and one which is currently being designed for construction in 2005. These projects illustrate the design challenges in using this innovative material.
and Germany. The information shown here is based on the testing done at
1'15 of.
a soft-
Introduction
Paper has emerged as an alternative material for use in temporary structures. Its obvious recyclability and low cost makes it an attractive choice, but its singular nature requires the resolution of numerous design obstacles.
- is sensitive to load duration - is sensitive to variations in moisture content up to about 7"/". After this value, strength reduces about 10% for every 17o increase has a significant rate of creep, with
creep occurring with as little as 10% of the failure load allowable bending stress is generally 50%" greater than allowable compression stresses. Some of the key design values are presented for illustration purposes (Table 1).
construction material, and there are no existing guidelines for its use as a structural element. In order to design with confidence using this material, it
is necessary, first, to understand its spe-
Readers should refer to the cited testing data for more precise information on specimen size, testing techniques
Parameter
Short Term
10001500 4,4
Long
Term
1000
in
Japan
Young's Modulus
(N/mm') Allowable
Compression Stress
))
aa
The paper in the tubes can be made from fresh or recycled paper pulp that is pressed into sheets, dried and then rolled with an adhesive to form the tubes. Natural moisture in the tubes is about 9% with a density of about 7000 N/m'.
There are no existing specifications for
tube
Fig. 2: Testing of paper tubes in Germany
treated with
TemoorarvStructures
271
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With regard to fire resistance, there is no formal rating for the paper tubes, the behavior is similar to that of heavy timber framing. The paper tubes will burn, but they will not support their own combustion. It is also possible to apply intumescent coatings to the paper tube surface to further increase fire resistance. Generally, for the projects reviewed, there was no significant fire load, so the issue of combustibility was not a controlling point in the design.
Detailing of the structure involved the resolution of some key connections. These are the cross points between two tubes, the connection of the tubes to the ground plane and the connection of the tubes to the cladding as well as to the wood ladders. Example detail construction for paper tubes will be reviewed in the next project. The completed structure is shown tn Fig.6.
Fig. 4: Physical model of Japanese Pavilion
Projects
Japanese Pavilion, Germany The Japanese Pavilion was built for the F{anover World's Fair in 2000 and remained in place for seven months. The building covers approximately 2500 m'
(Fig.3).
It was conceived as a flexible grid shell structure that would be assembled and laid flat on the ground, and then lifted and formed into place by a protruding scaffolding system that would give it a final geometry which would be fixated by a stiff border element at its perimeter edge. The material for the grid shell is 120 mm diameter,22 mm thick paper tubes that are lashed together where they cross by plastic straps. The overall dimension of the hall is 15 m by 35 m with a rise of up to 15,5 m.
The design and modeling of this structure was part of an intense design effort which included a form-finding exercise and the construction of physical models (Fig. q in order to determine the project geometry as well as the possible buckling failure modes. Rigidity is aided by wood arches at regular intervals. Steel strut at the ends were incor-
porated into the grid at the insistence of the German checking authorities although analysis indicated that these were not needed (fig. 5).
MoMA Arch, USA This temporary structure was erected as part of a retrospective of art and architecture of the 20th Century at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It is made up of 200 mm diameter, 25 mm wall thickness, tube sections that define the top and bottom chord of 600 mm deep paper tube arches.
Fig. 6: Japanese Pavilion completed
278
Temporary Structures
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N?'...
'7
t\A
Facade line
with a 25 mm wall thickness (Flg. 7). Cable stiffening ties are also located under the arch and attached to the bottom chord. The overall size of the structure is approximately 24 mby 24 m. It was installed over the summer season for a period of 90 days.
above Ol2mm
BA
lomm
Steel pla
0onst
Structural analysis of this structure was more straightforward than in Hanover. Grid shell behavior was conservatively ignored in the arch span direction with the grid shell contribution reduced to providing lateral support for the spanning arches.
Detailing of this structure was complex because of the mixture of material that created different connection conditions. The top and bottom chords of
the trusses are paper tubes but the vertical and diagonal elements are steel rods and cables. The attachment of the trusses to the building and base are by means of the steel connection plates.
Because
of the method of
construc6 mm
tion, element splices were also necessary for this project. These details are
shown in Flgs. 8,9 and 10.
thick
,Pl-a-stic
straps
2100 mm
angles of the pre-drilled holes for the connections which would follow the project geometry. After the tubes arrived on site, holes were drilled into them, then the bottom chord was laid down on the scaffolding, the vertical
Structural Engineering International 412004
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elements were inserted, and the grid shell elements were added. The diagonal truss cables were inserted into the truss and then the top chord was attached (Fig. 11) in order to complete the truss. Once assembled and painted with a waterproof coating, the struc-
Adjacent to the museum site the pieces were partially connected together, lifted into place and then attached to the receiving support points (Fig. 13). The completed project is
shown in Fig. 14.
ture was cut into eight half-arch slices in order to be able to transport it on flatbed trucks to the museum (Fig. 12).
210 mm Cable
12x75mm
50 mm vertical
m2 temporary exhibition hall is intended for a traveling venue that will highlight the work of a contemporary artist. The hall is approximately 20 m wide by 200 m long. It is constructed of materials typical used in temporary structures including fabric, scaffolding, cribbing and even the containers used to ship them. It has a central roof support that is made up of two large diameter paper tubes surmounted by a paper tube triangle that connects to the roof ridge (Figs 15 and
This 4000
added condition that all pieces must be able to fit within a standard 6,1, m container. For this reason, the paper tube
16).
detailing has been designed in such a way as to minimrze the wear and tear on the paper tubes. This has been accomplished by permanently affixing steel plates and elements to the paper tubes. In this way the connection points can be restricted to more durable connections which are steel on steel.
The project is currently being designed
can be determined from a straightforward analysis. The difference from the previous projects is that in this case although the structure is temporary it is meant to be assembled and disassembled a multitude of times. with the
Fig. 14: Complete installation
and built and should be installed in NewYork City in March of 2005.It will then be disassembled and shipped in its own containers to Los Angeles,
Tokyo and points beyond.
280
Temporary Structures
Conclusion
Paper has been used successfully in a number of temporary structures. Although there are specific design constraints to using this material, with careful detailing and calculations backed-up by testing results, it is possible to design structures that serve their purpose
and are both beautiful and elegant.
[3] CORREA, CRISTOBAL. Nomadic Exhibition - Fire Study Strategy and Literature Review Internal Buro Happold document October 2003. [4] BLOCK, KLAUS. Report Nr 99.03.01-1 The Structural Behavior of the Load Carrying Paper
Owner:
Made
2000, Institut
for
Most importantly, this work shows that as engineers we should enthusiastically accept challenges to use materials and technologies in new and interesting ways. We should not underestimate our strengths as professionals, as many problems can be successfully solved using first principles, a testing regime and our own natural inventiveness as
designers.
USA
Structural Design: Buro Happold, New York/Takenaka Corporation, USA Contractors:
Date:
APril2000
References
[1]MCQUAID, MATILDA, Shigeru
Phaidon Press,2003. [2] CRIPPS, ANDREW. Constructing
Ban,
Structural Design:
Card-
board Building-Design Guide - Internal Buro Happold document unpublished September 2001
available at www.cardboardschool.co.uk
ntr acto
r s.' B
ovis, USA
Construction
Date:
FebruarY 2005
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ATE,NA
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