hdg magazine 3_2009

2009

3/4 Hot Dip GalvanizingInternational Magazine | ISSN 1363-0148 | www.galvanizing.org.uk

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Some of you may remember back in the first

issue this year, I moaned about having to write

about ‘summery’ projects on the coldest day

of the year and wondered if we would feature

galvanized steel in a very cold situation in the

issue that we put to bed on the hottest day

of the year. Well, this is early August when we

usually have our hottest day (even if it looks

unlikely this year), and lo and behold there

is an article on an Antarctic research station

(opposite) waterless where the average

temperature can be around -50°C. The god of

irony must be beaming down upon us.

It would seem that the thing beaming down on

the research station is the sun and the grea-

test problem for corrosion protection for the

steelwork is not necessarily the extreme cold

but the very high levels of UV (ultraviolet).

Galvanizing is not affected by UV but it can

be a big problem for organic coatings.

Elsewhere there is a vaguely watery theme

linking several of the articles. We have two

harbourside buildings in Spain and in The

Netherlands and a waterless fountain in New

York (you will have to read it yourself on the

back page).

And, of course, all the frozen water that the

Antarctic research station is built upon.

David Baron, Editor

Contents

2 Editorial

3 Neumayer Station lll Galvanized high-tech structure

in the Antartic

6 Hot Dip Galvanizing Awards 2009

The Winners

13 House extension in Bergen Optimising existing footprint

14 Street furniture design from Germany

16 Simple, modernistic design

18 Harbour Post, Utrecht Multi-functional building

20 Galvanizing in Detail

Front cover:

Elmpark Green Urban Quarter

Photo:

Michael Moran

Editorial

2 | Hot Dip Galvanizing

Architecture

Neumayer Station III Galvanized high-tech structure in the Antartic

By Holger Glinde

On 20th February 2009, Neumayer Station III, which had taken only seven months to

build, started its scientific work on the Ekström ice shelf in Antarctica.

Neumayer Station lll has been designed to

obtain long-term data relating to global ecology

and climate research. It is also the base station

for expeditions to the continental ice sheet.

In the Antarctic Summer, up to sixty scientists

from various nations can be working at the

station simultaneously.

Neumayer III replaced the Neumayer II station

which had been operating since 1991. This was

slowly disappearing, sinking deeper into the ice

due to the constant snowfall, and movement of

the ice had led to damage to the structure.

Neumayer III was built in Bremerhaven, where

all the important components were tested.

The station was then dismantled into individual

sections and transported to Antarctica on a

cargo ship. Neumayer III has a total weight of

approximately 2,300 tonnes, about half of this

being galvanized steel. The major problem with

protecting steel in Antarctica is not so much the

prevailing weather conditions – average tempe-

ratures of -50 degrees centigrade, snow or high

winds – but the very high levels of UV radiation,

to which galvanizing is resistant.

One other very important parameter that

needed to be considered as a result of the new

environmental protocol to the Antarctic Treaty,

was the use of environmentally neutral

construction materials. Galvanizing was also

the favoured solution from a sustainable

point of view.

Quite apart from the corrosion stresses,

functional structures for use in areas such as

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Hot Dip Galvanizing | 3

Architecture

2009

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the Arctic and Antarctic are subjected to

additional stresses from the snowfall, snow

drifts and deformation of the base foundation.

Various construction concepts have been

developed to reduce these stresses with the

structures having to be designed to suit the site

specific conditions. Steel plays a major role in

its adaptability and off site capabilities.

The Neumayer Station III is a building combi-

ning several functions - research, day-to-day

running and accommodation, constructed on a

platform above the snow surface and linked to

a garage built in the snow.

The heated, two-storey section lies within a

protective envelope on the platform, which is

itself 68 metres long and 24 metres wide.

The platform stands 6 metres above the sur-

face of the snow. The total height of the paten-

ted structure, from the floor of the garage to

the roof of the balloon hangar, is 29.20 metres.

One necessary feature of the new station is

the ability to compensate for the ever changing

effects of snow and ice on the foundation level

of the structures compensated for with the help

of hydraulic lifting devices.

This is the only way in which the complicated

conditions on the drifting ice shelf can be over-

come technically. The total load from Neumayer

III is distributed over 16 raft foundations, which

stand on an ice sheet 240 metres thick.

Before the entire station was lifted up, these

foundations were individually raised hydrauli-

cally and filled in with snow, and then the

entire garage area was packed with snow.

Neumayer Station III has a protected usable

floor space of about 4,473 square metres,

which is spread over a total of four station

levels.

About 1,850 square metres of this is available

to the scientists as air-conditioned working and

living areas.

A staircase and lift link the four floors, from

the garage to the balloon hangar, and thus

provide for comfortable access to all the

station’s rooms. The best aerodynamic form

for the external envelope of the station was

determined using wind tunnel experiments.

4 | Thermisch Verzinken

Meteorology

The meteorological observatory

at Neumayer Station has been

providing meteorological and

radiation data relevant for climate

research since 1981.

The observatory serves as a weather

forecasting centre for all of Dronning

Maud Land.

Geophysics

The geophysical observatory began

operating in 1982.

Long-term changes of the Earth’s

magnetic field are measured here,

and earth quakes, local as well as

anywhere on the globe, are recorded

continually.

Architecture

Hot Dip Galvanizing | �

The form of the building, in combination with

the garage roof, is designed in such a way that

snow depositions are reduced to a minimum in

the vicinity of the building.

The service life of the station depends mainly

on the flow of the ice shelf, which means a

realistic period of operation of 25 to 30 years.

The use of galvanized steel guarantees

maintenance-free protection against corrosion

during the entire service life.

This avoids any maintenance, as well as the

associated negative effects on the sensitive

ecosystem of Antarctica.

Photos:

page 3: Â©Alfred-Wegener-Institut

page 2: Lars Wehrmann©Alfred-Wegener-Institut

page 4 above, middle: Jens Kube©Alfred-Wegener-Institut

at the bottom of the page 4:

Hans-Christian Wöste©Alfred-Wegener-Institut

page 5 above, middle:

Ude Cieluch©Alfred-Wegener-Institut

at the bottom of the page 5:

Gert König-Langlo©Alfred-Wegener-Institut

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Atmospheric chemistry

Since 1983, green-house gases, such

as water vapour, carbon dioxide,

methane and ozone, have been

recorded continuously at the air

chemistry observatory.

The optical and chemical properties

of aerosols are investigated here

as well.

Galvanizing in Architecture WinnerSt Marylebone School - Gumuchdjian Architects (1-4)The existing ‘inner city’ state school catered

for 900 girls with less than 5% of required

outdoor space.

It had no dedicated gym, refectory and virtually

no accessibility for the disabled.

The school wanted to use sport, dance, drama,

art and music as essential components in

drawing the individuality and talent out of their

students.

Gumuchdjian Architects were set this difficult

task within a very small existing footprint.

The obvious solution of creating a volume of

space that could be used as a possible

gymnasium and dance studio had to overcome

some major logistical problems. Being located

in a conservation area adjacent to expensive

sites meant that expansion upwards and

sideways was very limited.

The clever design solution was to locate the

new building beneath the playground, with the

Art and Music Departments above ground in

a building scaled to its historic context. The

playground lay on the site of an old churchyard.

During excavations, the remains of over 2,000

bodies had to be exhumed, including those of

the painter George Stubbs and the architect

James Gibbs.

The underground structure needed to retain

buildings on three sides and keep the water

out that sits half way up its sides.

The facility also had to be bright, fresh

and open to the elements — an apparent

contradiction for a basement.

The Hot Dip Galvanizing Awards competition attracts a wide variety of entries from

the small-scale highly crafted to the large, urban environment changing projects.

This always creates a dilemma for the judges to achieve a balanced approach in

weighing up the merits of each individual entry. The 2009 competition, sponsored by

Zinco UK, continued to elicit strong views and opinions.

Galvanizing Awards

Hot Dip Galvanizing Awards 2009 The Winners

By Iqbal Johal


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Galvanizing Awards


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The completed building has a two-storey deep

gym, lit from one side, via a light well, creating

an unusually dynamic space that is part inter-

nal, part external. On the south side of the gym,

still underground, are two floors of studios, and

above these are three further floors of class-

rooms all linked by a new vertical circulation

core. Materials used throughout the project

were lightweight and industrial (hence the use

of galvanizing) but detailed to give the impressi-

on of a highly bespoke piece of architecture.

Judges comments

“It is often that the most ambitious of briefs

married with the most restrictive of sites drives

an architect to new levels of invention, in this

case the restrictions of an inner-city site, com-

plicated by issues of conservation and history

drove the architect underground. There is a

sense that materials and technology were

harnessed for the purposes of making architec-

tural space of a particular quality – the making

a place of learning, of community, a memo-

rable place just to be a young student.“

Sustainable Award WinnerElmpark Green Urban Quarter –Bucholz McEvoy Architects (�-8)Elmpark offers the possibility of a new type of

urban environment in Dublin. It is a large func-

tionally diverse ensemble of elements integra-

ted harmoniously within its urban landscape.

The urban quarter took 4 years to complete at

a cost of 310 million euros. It comprises of a

hospital, hotel, offices, apartments, a leisure

centre, restaurant and seven acres of public

garden. Orientation of buildings along a north

south axis provides maximum constant daylight

and open views of the nearby mountains and

the sea. Through orientation of the buildings,

employment of the façades and building fabric

as replacements for mechanical ventilation has

resulted in an overall energy footprint of just

20% of Electricity Supply Board estimates.

The palette of materials used also plays a

major role within the sustainable context of

the project with timber and galvanized steel

making a vital contribution.

The elegant façade system is supported

both internally and externally by a network

of galvanized steel and the flowing landscape

is broken by a series of pergolas that are

constructed also using galvanized steel.

Fundamental design concepts were followed

to maximise the sustainability credentials of

the whole development:

Energy Strategy

• Minimizing energy consumption through

design of the built environment by means of

orientation, building height and width

• Employing the buildings structure and

façades as part of the ventilation strategy

which harnesses the energy of the significant

prevailing winds

• Electricity is generated on-site and hot water

supplied to apartments as a by-product.

• Residential buildings – design of individual

apartments as through apartments with

west facing areas and east facing sleeping

areas

Design Strategy

• Landscape taken from the 3 major lands-

capes of Dublin: seaside, mountain, and

park landscapes

• Buildings lifted off the ground. Ground plane

and ‘finely-scaled’ programme elements

added to the landscape to provide scale and

activity

• Orientation of office buildings to minimize

energy use

• Location and orientation of residential buil-

dings to establish residential quarter within

the site.

Galvanizing Awards


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The dynamic space that has been created at

one level is huge in scale but at the same time

still manages to communicate a perception

of space that provides a feeling of comfort

and ease. This no doubt helps to formulate

clear patterns of movement across the site for

pedestrians, bicycles and cars.

The public concourse acts as the heart of the

scheme becoming a meeting place where

general communal facilities can be located –

cafes, bookshops and sheltered, lightweight,

tensile-fabric canopies.

Judges comments

“Minimising energy use has fundamentally

influenced both orientation and façade design.

Together these factors have produced a design

that is not only highly sustainable, but one

which is undeniably architecture with a

capital 'A'.“

Galvanizing in Engineering WinnerColchester Community Stadium - Barr Technical Services (9,10)The Colchester Community Stadium, cons-

tructed in a prominent location adjacent to the

A12 on the northern outskirts of Colchester,

is an all-seater football stadium, the home of

Colchester United.

The stadium has a capacity of 10,000, with

potential to increase this to 18,000.

The project was largely paid for by Colchester

Borough Council, with additional grants from

the Football Foundation, the Communities and

Local Government, and the East of England

Development Agency.

The site contains more than 600 parking

spaces and two synthetic surface football

pitches, for use by the Colchester United

Community Sports Trust.

The complex also encompasses a variety

of sporting, leisure and business facilities,

including hospitality suites.

Galvanizing Awards

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The decision to use a simple four stand design

principle helped keep costs down and this ethic

was further enhanced by the extensive use of

galvanized steel throughout the project.

Judges comments

“The clarity of the proposition - the matter-of-

fact repetition of four independent stands –

is reinforced by the directness of the cons-

truction. This is not a flamboyant display of

over-complicated engineering solutions, it is the

resolution of a brief through the use of stan-

dard steel elements. The quality of the design

is in its directness, economy and clarity, cha-

racteristics essential to good engineering.“

Duplex Award WinnerVassall Road Housing and Medical Centre - Tony Fretton Architects (11,12) Tony Fretton Architects has completed this

hybrid development located on the corner of

Holland Grove and Vassall Road in Lambeth,

South London.

The 1490m² building comprises of ten apart-

ments and a medical centre, which occupies

the entire ground floor.

The new three and four storey development

replaces a derelict pub, which originally served

residents of the surrounding housing estate.

The building is designed to mitigate the dispa-

rity between the 1960’s brick social housing

which has been retrofitted with plastic framed

windows and pitched roofs, and the dignified

arrangement of eighteenth century suburban

villas opposite.

The design of the building presents itself as a

formal terrace within a galvanized railed garden

consisting of the doctors’ surgery as a base,

a row of seven maisonettes and three single-

storey flats arranged in a tower configuration

on the corner of the development.

Windows and balconies at the first floor are

a response at a smaller scale to the villas

opposite.

The galvanized steel and the red brick façades

have been painted to simulate the aged qua-

lity of the locale. All the apartments have two

bedrooms and are scaled to appeal to small

families, retired couples or single people wor-

king from home. The flats are also south facing

and feature balconies providing connections to

the wider neighbourhood.

This is accentuated by the rear elevation being

stepped back to create a planted communal

terrace. The essence of the project exudes the

feel of an elegantly, carefully crafted, light filled

building proving that economically conceived

housing can be attractive and desirable.

Judges Comments

“The use of galvanizing here for external bal-

conies and railings, albeit coated in MIO paint,

shows a belief by the architects in the reliability

and longevity of the material in keeping with

the aspiration that the development bed down

into its context. Like the villas opposite and

housing around, it is hoped that this contempo-

rary vernacular will become language accepted

by the locality and integrate over time, into the

broader urban grain.“

Galvanizing in Detail Joint WinnerKielder Observatory - Charles Barclay Architects (13,14) Charles Barclay Architects won an inter-

national competition to build an astronomical

observatory at Kielder Water and Forest Park,

Northumberland.


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Located in the wild landscape close to the

border with Scotland, the area is perfect for

siting an observatory as it has the lowest level

of light pollution in England.

The design brief called for an inexpensive

building suitable to house two telescopes and

a warm room, primarily intended for amateurs

and outreach work but also suitable for

scientific research.

The telescopes have concrete-filled tubular

galvanized steel columns as their mounts,

entirely separate from the timber structure to

ensure they are vibration-free.

The traditional domed form of the telescope

enclosures was rejected to take advantage of

the self-transforming possibilities of rotating

architecture.

The observatory accommodation was arranged

sequentially as a series of event spaces,

creating a 'promenade architecturale' and the

possibility of having a number of separate

groups on the observatory at the same time.

Judges Comments

“The project might be described as a finely-

crafted timber vessel containing precious

cargo - two elegant telescopes. It seemed to

the jury to be more reminiscent of the

technology of the sea – a Victorian pier or

promenade rather than that of the sky, an

astronomical instrument.

The project exemplifies how attention to detail

and assembly can transform a modest palette

such as timber and steel.“

Galvanizing in Detail WinnerSpringhill/Hockley Sculptures - Ian Moran - Artist Blacksmith (1�)The sculptures are a result of working with five

primary schools in the Springhill/Hockley area

of Birmingham initiated by Birmingham City

Council with Urban Living Funding.

The aim of the project was to inspire the

children and educate them about their local

history and heritage, building a greater Commu-

nity cohesion through working with a variety of

schools.

Although there are five separate sculptures

at the moment they can be relocated together

as 25 frames in any number of interesting

configurations. The frame solution came from

collaborative work with some of the children.

The use of galvanizing was an integral part of

the project using its crystalline appearance to

enhance the detail of the sculptures and to

give them uniformity.

The galvanized finish also enabled an extra

dimension to be added to some of the

elements by polishing, gilding and decorative

welding.

One of the objectives of the sculptures was to

relate them back to the myriad of associated

metalworking trades prevalent in the area.

Judges Comments

“Once this project had grabbed the imagination

of the judges it refused to let go.

The result is five galvanized sculptures at the

entrance to five schools that not only speak of

a successful creative endeavour by individual

students, but a wider wish to connect, through

design, a whole inner city community.

The pervasiveness and importance of this

vision, realised despite limited funding, has

resulted in a project on a scale of social ambi-

tion, that punches way above the requirements

of the original brief.“

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Innovation Award WinnerThe Roundhouse - Roundhouse Building Solutions (16-18) Agricultural buildings have barely changed

since the development of the portal frame over

50 years ago, their monolithic structures having

striking similarities with warehouses in the

urban environment.

The design of an agricultural building that

provides natural ventilation without signifi-

cantly increasing the cost of the building was

considered to be the Holy Grail of agricultural

design. The Roundhouse was a eureka moment

with the realisation that a round building

would naturally aspirate like a chimney.

Round buildings are obviously not new,

having their origins in the Bronze Age, but

conventionally constructed they are notoriously

expensive.

The Roundhouse has been designed in

conjunction with Newcastle University and

Arups, using tensile fabric technology for the

roof. More usually associated with architec-

tural feature roofs, this technology would

have prohibitive costs for one-off projects in

agriculture.

One of the challenges facing the designers was

to find ways of reducing the manufacturing and

construction costs in order to compensate for

the more expensive roof covering.

It was felt that a round building could offer

other significant benefits for animal welfare,

handling and safety. By including a crowd pen

in the centre of the building all pens could

funnel to the centre allowing the animals to be

moved into the handling area safely and with

minimum stress.

By careful engineering, the final design concept

results in a light yet stable structure.

Galvanizing was a natural choice to protect

all of the steelwork in order to increase the

buildings longevity and give clean light

reflecting lines.

Judges Comments

“The Roundhouse combines simplicity with

originality and this is what makes it stand out

as an exceptional example of innovation.

The new design concept has created a

portable, demountable building that creates

minimum stress to the animals it houses.

It has saved 50% on labour costs, 75% on

veterinary medication and a 15% saving on

bedding materials compared to standard

buildings of its type.“

Photos:

(1, 3, 4) Richard Davies

(2) Morley von Sternberg

(5, 6, 7, 8) Michael Moran

(9, 10) Barr Technical Services

(11, 12) Peter Cook

(13, 14) Charles Barclay Architects

(15) Ian Moran

(16, 17, 18) Simon Pelly

Architecture

House extension in BergenOptimising existing footprint

By Gerard Reimerink

Hot dip galvanized steel plays an important part in the extension of a house in Bergen

op Zoom. The lightweight extension, where every additional kilogramme was critical,

has been added to the existing office bungalow.

Archipelontwerpers (designers) have come up

with a clever idea of doubling the floor area of

an existing bungalow by extending vertically,

optimising the existing footprint with the light-

weight additional storey.

Extensive savings have been made in the total

weight of the extension by using steel instead

of concrete. This was essential because the

foundation of the existing bungalow was barely

able to support any additional weight.

Galvanizing ensures the steel has the best

possible protection against corrosion and long

life is therefore guaranteed while the galva-

nized steel which is largely visible requires little

or no maintenance.

In order to reduce the weight and make maxi-

mum use of the view, the living area of the new

and extended building has been situated on

the first floor. The bedrooms, hall and storage

area are situated on the ground floor within the

existing building, which has been completely

renovated. Galvanized steel has been used

extensively throughout the house, particularly

for the stairs, ceiling and kitchen components.

The new extension protrudes over the shorter

walls of the bungalow. Along one of the longer

walls, space has been reserved for a wide

terrace over the whole length of the living floor.

A second outside area offering fine views of

a historic windmill and sports fields in the

neighbouring area has been constructed on

the roof of the extension.

The additional extension provides a surface

area of approximately 250 m2 and has been

constructed on a rectangular galvanized steel

frame on the roof of the original bungalow.

The extension is made from pure and plain

materials and consists of aluminium walls and

a timber terrace.

Project details:

Architect: Ir. Eric Vreedenburgh (Archipelontwerpers),

Scheveningen

Construction: Goldwijk bv, Doetinchem and Breda

Photos: Stichting Doelmatig Verzinken, Nieuwegein

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Hot Dip Galvanizing

Street furniture design from Germany

By Holger Glinde and Iqbal Johal

Recent work that has been done by CABE

(Commission for Architecture and the Built

Environment) highlights the problems and

issues that need to be addressed:

“Our streets, squares and town centres

embody thousands of years of collective

wisdom about urban place making.

But the quality of these spaces has been com-

promised with pollution, congestion and noise.

To be sustainable and fit for purpose in the

21st century, streets need to respond to the

demands of climate change and shifts in

culture. As streets make up about 80 per cent

of our urban public spaces it’s critical that we

get their design right.

Professionals working in design and manage-

ment must make a combined effort to produce

the best possible streets. We need to build

the knowledge and confidence of professionals

to deliver streets and spaces that put

people first.”

Principles of successful street designCABE Space has developed five key principles

that local authorities and others involved in

street design should follow.

“The challenges we face in achieving better

streets are not merely technical. This way to

better streets looks at the challenges facing

practitioners who believe streets are much

more than conduits for traffic.”

Five key principles have emerged:

1. Vision

Maintain a strong physical and organisational

vision. Solve problems within the framework

of a strong physical vision, adapting structures

and service delivery accordingly.

2. Commitment

Be committed to long delivery timescales

and to management and maintenance after

delivery.

3. Integration

Accommodate people and the various ways of

travelling in streets. Connect street networks to

help people to choose to travel sustainably.

4. Adaptation

Take account of climate and culture change in

order to deliver sustainable spaces that are fit

for purpose in the 21st century.

�. Coherence

Deliver well-conceived projects where organisa-

tional, political and technical issues are

resolved into a coherent design solution.

Examples of street furniture from GermanyStreet furniture has a fundamental role to play

within the context of the above framework laid

down by CABE. Important aspects of street

furniture design have to take into account the

external location and problems of permanent

exposure to the environment. Unfortunately,

acts of vandalism also have to be considered

within the design brief.

Our streets make up a large portion of our public space so it is vital that we get

the design right and improve upon scant regard that sometimes past generations

have given to our urban context. We feature excellent examples of street furniture

design from Germany.

4 | Thermisch Verzinken

2009

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Hot Dip Galvanizing

Hot Dip Galvanizing | 1�

But even for normal use, robustness is a

necessary and indispensable characteristic

for present-day street furniture design.

Apart from being appropriately constructed, its

most important criterion is to be made from

materials which guarantee these requirements.

This is where hot dip galvanized steel offers

one of the best solutions. It not only provides

long-term corrosion protection, but its inherent

toughness characteristics enable it to withstand

the rigours of everyday use.

The featured products not only show an eye

for detail but also how they easily fit into their

urban context:

The Isarna product family (4) highlights a

minimalist effect that uses galvanized coated

steel plate to create an organic flowing design.

The bench for “hanging around” (2) the

objective of this product is to counter the habit

of youngsters who prefer to sit on the back

support rather than the seat itself.

One of the products (1) takes the equivalent

of a modern office chair and creates a light,

elegant version for the outdoors.

This is a simple, linear design which combines

the use of galvanized steel and solid timber

providing a modern equivalent to the traditional

park bench (6).

Manufacturers’ websites:

www.westeifel-werke.de

www.michow.com

www.reichenberg-weiss.de

Photos: (1,2,3,4) Michow, (5) Reichenberg-Weiss,

(6) Westeifel-Werke

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Cangas still has a fishing fleet, even today, and

it leaves harbour every day to head out into the

Atlantic to fish. However, there is an absence of

dilapidated fishermen’s huts and boathouses,

such as can be found in quite a few ports in

Southern Europe.

Instead, you see a long, stretched-out harbour

building, which blends harmoniously into

its background, and which is used by the

fishermen.

The building stands along one of the harbour

walls which dampens the waves from the

Atlantic Ocean. Jesús Irisarri Castro and

Guadalupe Piñera Manso have designed the

new buildings.

The modernistic design plays with the effects

of light, shade and transparency. Its façades

and surfaces contribute to this, and are con-

sciously restricted to the use of one material –

galvanized steel.

Hot dip galvanized plates are used as façade

panels for the building itself and grids made

from galvanized steel envelop the building

and create net-like cages which can be used

as storage areas. They also link and define the

individual buildings.

Apart from the design qualities of space and

volume, there were also corrosion technology

grounds for using hot dip galvanizing.

The harbour building is very close to the sea,

and so is exposed to a high level of salt and

sea spray. There was also the expected rough

treatment that the fishermen would impose

on their surroundings. The robust nature

of galvanizing would also withstand such

treatment.

The harbour building for the fishermen of

Cangas was awarded the European

Galvanizers’ Prize for 2009.

Architects: Jesús Irisarri Castro y Guadalupe

Piñera Manso

Photos: ATEG, Spanien

Architecture

Fishermans' Wharf Warehouses, Spain Simple, modernistic design

By Holger Glinde

The small port of Cangas lies not far from the North-Western Spanish town of Ponte-

vedra, one of the stations for millions of pilgrims following St. James’ road to Com-

postella. It is a place of bustling activity. Boats arrive and leave, fishermen bring their

catch ashore, and little cafes, bars and restaurants cater for the tourists and the

locals. As in many places, the scene in the harbour is dominated by modern motor-

powered and sailing yachts, together with smaller leisure vessels, large numbers of

which can be found at the moorings along the jetties.

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Since 2002, a completely new urban district called the Dichterswijk has been created

in the centre of Utrecht, south of the Central Station on a former industrial site.

This is also the location of the old harbour which was very important in the days when

fruit and vegetables were being supplied and shipped for the auction.

The harbour at the exhibition and congress

centre known as ‘de Jaarbeurs’ in Utrecht has

been given a modern role as a result of the

efforts of the Historic Harbour Initiative Group.

At the same time, history is being preserved by

repositioning the funnels and a crane on the

embankment, and the mooring of ten historic

ships including a copy of the Utrecht State-

Yacht of 1746.

Harbour Post The Dichterswijk was created

completely in line with the function and layout

of this complex of harbours and waterways.

Three functionsThe building houses a restaurant, an area for

the volunteers who maintain the historic ships

and installations and an information centre

for the current and future residents of the

new district.

The Utrecht State-Yacht spends part of the year

moored at the Harbour Post and can be

booked for events via the restaurant.

Construction The whole of the supporting structure has been

carefully designed and detailed so that it can

be constructed from galvanized steel.

This will ensure the durability of the supporting

structure for many years in a location where

rain, wind and condensation have free rein.

Architecture

Harbour Post, UtrechtMulti-functional building

By Gerard Reimerink

2009

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MaterialThe solid volume of the building is brought

to life by the introduction of large protruding

glazed areas.

A bay is situated between each of the four

purple brick walls. This is where galvanized

steel is being used, in a similar way as on the

terrace above the harbour.

Part of the building has been constructed on

the historic embankment and part of it has

been built in the water.

To this end, a concrete container which serves

as a cellar has been sunk into the water next to

the embankment.

Sluijmer & Van Leeuwen architects have used

the structure as a starting point and integrated

this into its surroundings. The details are pure

and refined.

The combination with bricks has been brought

together in a harmonious way. The architects

have used the galvanized steel structure as a

starting point for the building; this structure

supports and dominates the construction and

is made into one entity with the brick skin.

Project details:

Architects: Michael van Leeuwen and

Mariken van Nimwegen, Utrecht

Steel construction: Gebr. Van Echteld, Wijk bij Duurstede

Construction advice: Pieters Bouwtechniek, Utrech

Photos: Ger van der Vlugt, Amsterdam

Architecture

HOT DIP GALVANIZING

An international journal published jointly by the galvanizing associations of Germany,

The Netherlands and Great Britain. It is licensed to associations in Spain.

Edited by: G. Deimel, H. Glinde (Editor in Chief), I. Johal, D. Baron,

Drs. G. H. J. Reimerink

Published by: Galvanizers Association, Wren’s Court,

56 Victoria Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B72 1SY, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 121 355 8838 Fax: +44 (0) 121 355 8727

E-Mail: [email protected] Internet: www.galvanizing.org.uk

This magazine may not be copied without the written permission of the editor © 2009.

Distributed in Australia by: Galvanizers Association of Australia, 124 Exhibition Street,

Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia, Tel: 0396541266, Fax: 0396541136,

E-mail: [email protected]

The Electric Fountain is a spectacular, public

artwork by British artists Tim Noble and Sue

Webster which was temporarily displayed in the

plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York earlier

this year.

The 10.72 metre high, 10.6 metre diameter,

3D steel and light sculpture weighs over

27 tonnes and contains 3,390 LED bulbs and

527 metres of neon tubing. The design and

sequencing of the blue and white lights

replicates the movement of water: streaming,

pooling, splashing and flowing, creating a

hypnotic experience for the estimated 250,000

people who viewed the spectacle daily.

A team of experts from Aachen, Germany, spent

over a year fabricating Electric Fountain from a

rough sketch provided by Noble and Webster,

who also helped install it. The Fountain

represents Noble & Webster's modern take

on the world's oldest form of public art, the

fountain.

It simultaneously references iconic pop culture

symbols, such as marquee signs in Las Vegas

and Times Square, and historical fountains

built in civic spaces, such as Bernini's Triton

Fountain.

"The project mimics the tradition of a fountain

as a monument found in public squares around

the world, but its magic lies in the emulation

of light where water should be," said artist Sue

Webster. "During daylight hours the viewer will

really get a sense of Electric Fountain's archi-

tectural and sculptural qualities as the lights

react with the changing moods of New York

City's daily weather conditions.

As nighttime falls, the sculptural form will

slowly disappear into darkness leaving only the

illusion of bright cascading water in its wake."

Photo: Michael Hammers Studios, Wesseling

Galvanizing in Detail

Galvanizing Delight

2009

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hdg magazine 3_2009

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