Northern Busways Park & Ride Terminals
Entrant: Structurflex Ltd
Client: North Shore Council
Entered in the LSAA 2007 Design Awards (Cat 1, 1022)
The architect's requirements were:
- To create a space that retained a sense of daylight.
- To provide a unique roof as a landmark for the bus stations.
- To provide a number of connected canopies that gave a cloud effect.
- To provide a means of hiding the florescent lighting and components within the "clouds".
Northern Busways Park & Ride Terminals - STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
A series of I beams were used supported on 6 columns joining the two sides of the building.
These beams have a duel purpose on the top side acting as both structural member and gutter.
Underneath the area within the beam is used to conceal the lighting components and fixing cleats.
Northern Busways Park & Ride Terminals - MATERIALS
Ferrari 1002T2 fabric was used for the top skin due to its strength and self cleaning properties.
Mehler 8964 fabric was used on the lower skins due to the quantity of defused light it allows through.
FABRICATION:
The steel structure was supplied by the main contractor to our design.
Northern Busways Park & Ride Terminals - CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
The top skins were installed using clamp bars inside a pocket in the fabric.
By using large square washers we were able to achieve a good weather seal with these canopies.
The under skins were installed when all the lights and fixings were completed.
The 16 points of contact on the fabric are connected to the cleats on the steel with cable ties.
The design required that these lower skins were able to be easily removed when a fluorescent tube needs replacing or for general cleaning and maintenance.
