Prototype of a System of Addable Roof Units Made of Lightweight Surface Structures
When using trapezoidal sheets for roofs, doubts often arose as to whether sheet metal as a construction material is truly economical when used primarily as roofing or as a substructure. The attempt to create a self-supporting, watertight roof membrane from aluminium sheeting, one that utilizes the material's structural possibilities to the greatest extent possible, has so far led, in collaboration with engineers, to the prototypes of the "umbrella structure" made of hyperbolic paraboloids. These prototypes are also intended to demonstrate whether they could be an economical alternative to the conventional flat roof constructions used in industrial and institutional buildings. The exclusive use of aluminium ensures a virtually maintenance-free roof with excellent reflectivity. The profiled sheet panels are riveted to each other, to the stiffening ribs, and to the edge and ridge beams. The individual components of the truss are bolted together. Only the column head and the stiffening ring of the column at the point where the compression struts connect are welded.
