ARIES/HK

Status - Pre-production prototype

ARIES was a two year project to develop a radical new cover for temporary grandstand seating. It was a joint venture between the University of Dundee and Arena Seating with 60% funding from the DTI. The result is probably the most advanced temporary deployable grandstand canopy in the world.

ARIES is based on a concept developed by staff in the Lightweight Structures Group at the University of Dundee, a joint initiative between the Civil Engineering and Architecture departments. The supporting structure is assembled from straight sections at, or immediately above, the seating deck. Once complete the assembly is winched up and the flexibility of the compression chord allows the truss to form into a predefined shape, supported by a network of cables. Finally the truss is preloaded with an end cable to indurate the structure.

The design removes the risk of working at height by allowing the sections to be fully assembled from the seating deck. The sections are light and easy to handle, they clip together and are then secured by simple pins. Once the supporting structure is completed the membrane is pulled into place and fixed off. The roof is then raised into position using the integrated winches. Finally the membrane and truss are tensioned from the tie down cables.

The canopy is cantilevered from the back of the stand and as a result loads over the front section have a large influence on the behaviour of the structure. Uplift forces along the front edge are significantly influenced by the roof profile. In order to minimise wind loading the profile was optimised in a wind tunnel using small scale models. The result was a 40% reduction in uplift while at the same time maintaining the required sight-lines and weather protection.

The compression chord extrusion is a fundamental part of the structural concept. The section needs to deform elastically into the required profile whilst maintaining sufficient axial capacity to carry the compression force through to the supporting structure. Buckling is resisted by a supporting system of struts and tension cables positioned on the outside of the curve. The section also provides the carrier for both the main membrane and the infill panel, and needs to accommodate connections to the supporting structure, A-frames and adjacent compression chord sections. These requirements, often at odds with each other, could only be met with the development of a custom extrusion. A number of specialised connections were required to allow compact storage and rapid assembly of the truss sections in addition to providing structural integrity and continuity.

Shadeplus^tm

Shadeplus was the first piece of product specific design carried out after the formation of tensARC in 2002. The product was designed with a view to providing a low cost option for tensile shading within the domestic market.

As with many of our solutions we looked at this problem afresh from first principles. The result is a hugely simplified structure compared to what had gone before. The canopy itself does away with the need for complex corner plates and steel cables by the use of a single webbing bonded around the edge of the canopy. This makes it easy to handle and install as well as making for easy storage during the winter months.

The key element of the design is in its unique baseframe system. This simple frame sets out at the necessary geometry (critical in canopies of this type) whilst also providing all the necessary fixings for the structure and cables.

The canopies are also uniquely designed to be easily erected or dismantled by a single person in less than 5 minutes. Each mast is stayed by a single stainless steel cable one of which is modified to provide a simple tensioning mechanism.

For more information regarding the Shadeplus range please see our domestic products website

Freeform^tm

Freeform is tensARC's flagship internal membrane. Taking our design skills and flare for tensile structures we have developed a highly flexible and versatile product that offers a whole new range of options for providing internal shade.

Aimed initially at the domestic market Freeform is rapidly finding a place in the commercial and exhibition markets where clients are looking for a more modern aesthetic.

The sails are made from an inherently fire retardant Lycra based fabric. This is cut to engineered shapes and then stiffened around the edge with a silicone based custom extrusion. Carefully considered corner detailing allows the sails to be easily fixed in place using a unique swivel hook fixing. Because the sails have no hard fixings they can easily be washed in a domestic washing machine.

Each sail can be stretched into a large variety of sizes and shapes whilst maintaining a smooth surface - both anticlastic and flat shapes can easily be created offering great flexibility in terms of composition and form.

For more information regarding the Freeform range please see our domestic products website