Architectural Tent in Freiburg

Designed as a temporary centre for exhibitions, lectures and other events on the theme of architecture, this tent structure has the iconic form of an archetypal house, with sharp arrises and smooth planar surfaces. As such, it is also emblematic of the occasion for which it was built. The structure stands on a platform constructed from formwork panels which also form the internal floor finish. The central space, used as a forum for discussions, is enclosed by a two-layer outer skin. The 2.50-metre-wide peripheral zone between the skins accommodates exhibitions, refreshment facilities and technical installations. The structure was built with a system of newly developed scaffolding elements laid out to a 2.57 x 2.57 m grid. After dismantling the tent, the components can again be used for scaffolding work. Special elements such as the eaves, ridge and roof supports were installed with simple socketed connections. Deadmen anchor the structure in the ground against wind uplift. The fabric used for the outer skin – impregnated and vapour-coated with a thin aluminium film – is made by the same company as that used to wrap the Reichstag building in Berlin. It is fixed to timber studs specially connected to the scaffolding framework. The inner skin consists of the same fabric, but here it is point-fixed to the structure by means of pipe clips. The folds it creates internally form an aesthetic contrast to the smooth, taut external skin.