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DAGLE, MONOCAY
2019117641 / 2019091601
SPACE FRAME
SPACE FRAME
SPACE FRAME
SPACE FRAME
SPACE FRAME
SA2 / FA8
Dagle, Angel Shundrey & Monocay, Alysson Shei L.
ARC1418 - Sec 2 ; SA2 and FA8
I. Projects with Space Frame Construction Method
I.a. Triangular Grid: Terminal Building of Stansted Airport, London
The Terminal Airport of Stansted Airport located in Bassingbourn Rd. Stansted, London, UK.,
used the Space Frame construction method using Triangular grids that was meant for the
smoke reservoir. The area of the building consists of 85,700sqm of almost free from column
obstruction since the concept of the building is to be easy in terms of wayfinding, allowing
passengers to clearly see where they are heading towards. The Architect of the said terminal
building is Ar. Norman Foster, while the Structural Engineer is Engr. Peter Rice from Arup
Construction. Norman’s architectural design goal for the building was not only centered on
wayfinding, but also, to hide mechanical systems found in the ceiling of the building.
With cooperation from structural engineer Peter Rice, Foster Associates created the terminal
building, which has a "floating roof”, supported by a space frame of inverted-pyramid roof
trusses, giving the image of a swan in flight. Each truss structure has a utility pillar at the
base that houses the air conditioning and serves as a source of indirect up lighting.
telephones, electricity outlets, and water. Initially, the airport's layout was intended to allow
passengers to arrive at the short-stay parking lot, proceed through the check-in area, go
through security, and then proceed to the departure gates all on the same level.
Structure - The building is composed of structural tees made up of lightweight steel grid
domed ceiling foundation which are independent from columns, hence, space frame
construction. They utilized lightweight steel material and tensile fabric in order to allow the
posts and columns to support the upper portion of the connection detail.
- Four massive steel columns section support and cantilevered edges hold up the
triangular trusses that make up the roof structure.
Connections - Each space frame panel consists of four cylindrical steel columns that make
up the tee trunks. Above these trunks is where the roof structure is diagonally built on all four
branches of the steel column. The connection detail used for this is braced by a tension
member attached to a cluster of single bolt pyramid-shaped elements on top of the trunk
which they call the “Jesus Nut”.
I.b. Square Grid: Maintenance Hangars of Stansted Airport, London
Another feature of the Stansted Airport in London, UK., is the use of another space frame
construction method found in their Maintenance Hangars. A patented, modular,
three-dimensional structural structure without diagonal components is called the Cubic
Space Frame. The proposed hangar would primarily be used to house two Boeing 747-400
series aircraft, it also needed to be able to handle a number of other smaller aircraft. For this,
a building's interior with no columns at all was ideal. It was decided to offer the maximum
required headroom of 22.75m over the full plan area in order to allow for versatility in use, to
make roof construction easier, and to enable the installation of overhead cranes covering the
entire floor space of the hangar.
Lattice columns spaced at about 6 meters apart completely support the space frame along
two of the building's sides, while doors with a 72-meter clear span on the other two sides
enable access for planes. The space frame is supported over these openings by 5.9m-deep
lattice girders. There are no interior supports and the hangar roof structure has overall
measurements of 98 by 170 meters along the diamond's axes. On a roughly 3.5m by 2.0m
modular grid, the space frame is 4m deep overall.
Structural - The final design consisted of two 98-meter-long isosceles triangles, giving the
hangar its largest possible overall dimensions of 98 x 170 meters. Two of the 98m long faces
needed large apertures of 72m for the doors, although the rest of the building's perimeter
could have had reasonable column spacing of roughly 6m. Initially, a latticed girder ceiling
structure using girders around 6 meters deep had been suggested for the hangar.
Additionally, the CUBIC Space Frame's 4m depth—2m less than the latticed girder
solution—reduced the hangar's overall height in this environmentally sensitive area.
A modular, three-dimensional structural structure without diagonal bracing that can support a
variety of spans and loading situations is called the Cubic Space Frame. It is built utilizing
three different kinds of factory-welded modules. The space frame roof was made to support
its own weight, imposed snow loads, and the installation of services in the roof space.
Additionally, it was made to support two 3.5 ton safe working loads. The axes of the diamond
were parallel to the grid lines that separated the plan form into an orthogonal grid. A notional
grid with a module size of 2.048m x 3.547m was created by forming 48 bays in each
direction.
I.c. Hexagonal Grid: The HEX-SYS of Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
In Guangzhou, China, a prototype of a construction system featuring flexible use, quick and
easy assembly and energy sustainability has been created. Called HEX-SYS, it has been
developed and patented by Open Architecture, the Chinese studio that designed the famous
Gehua Youth and Cultural Centre in Beidaihe, much appreciated for application of the
concept of flexible environment to an educational facility.
The HEX-SYS system is based on an aluminium structural module available in three

versions, covered with outdoor cladding panels, with an uninterrupted glass wall, or entirely
open. The modules are hexagonal in shape and are covered with aluminium with a standard
surface area of 40 sqm, and can be combined in various ways with easily reversible
mechanical connections. By avoiding processes such as gluing and welding, the project
aims to achieve flexibility of use with standardised parts that can be used again when
dismantled. The choice of structural aluminium and bamboo, a quickly growing, long-lasting
plant, for the false ceilings and flooring, is consistent with the goal of energy sustainability.
In Open Architecture’s system, every module has a hexagonal aluminium roof supported by
a thin pole in the middle; on the side facing the road are a number of modules with infill side
surfaces, while on the side facing the green inner courtyard there are glass panels with a
sunscreen capacity of 0.4 or less. Extending the floor plan, with the same modular structures
with no infill, is an arcade extending out toward the artificial embankment that serves as an
open-air auditorium.
The module’s great flexibility is complemented by two interesting details for sustainability:
the upside-down umbrella shape conveys rainwater into an irrigation tank. The triangular
roof panels which can be opened and the central patio created by flattening a hexagonal
module convey air into the building for natural climate control.
References:
Chilton, J. C. (1991, September). Design and Construction of the “CUBIC” Space
Frame Roof, Maintenance Hangar, Stansted Airport. Research Gate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321490172_Design_and_Constructi
on_of_the_'CUBIC'_Space_Frame_Roof_Maintenance_Hangar_Stansted_Air
port
Davies, C. (2020, July 16). Foster’s Stansted: how it was built - Architectural Review.
Architectural Review.
https://www.architectural-review.com/archive/fosters-stansted-how-it-was-built
Space Frame Structure-stansted Airport , London. (n.d.). Scribd.
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/424577475/Space-Frame-Structure-stan
sted-Airport-London
Griffiths, A., & Griffiths, A. (2016, June 17). Open Architecture develops
reconfigurable construction system of tessellating hexagons. Dezeen.
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/16/open-architecture-develops-infinitely-rec
onfigurable-hex-sys-construction-modular-building-system-guangzhou-china/
Dezeen. (2015, November 16). Open Architecture develops reconfigurable
construction system of tessellating hexagons [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBpuaEU-pIc

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DAGLE, MONOCAY

I. Projects with Space Frame Construction Method

I.a. Triangular Grid: Terminal Building of Stansted Airport, London

The HEX-SYS system is based on an aluminium structural module available in three

Chilton, J. C. (1991, September). Design and Construction of the “CUBIC” Space

Frame Roof, Maintenance Hangar, Stansted Airport. Research Gate.

Space Frame Structure-stansted Airport , London. (n.d.). Scribd.

reconfigurable construction system of tessellating hexagons. Dezeen.

Dezeen. (2015, November 16). Open Architecture develops reconfigurable

construction system of tessellating hexagons [Video]. YouTube.

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