Candela in Ice 50 civil engineering students of Ghent University in Belgium worked a full semester on the design of the Candela Pavilion in fibre reinforced Ice. The so-called “hypar” structure is inspired by the works of Felix Candela (1910-1997), a SpanishMexican architect famous for his thin-walled reinforced concrete shell structures. The design and construction are led by Prof. Jan Belis, Kenny Martens, Bert van Lancker and Bram Ronsse. The fi rst task of the students was the formfinding of the balloon, which was used to support the shell during its construction. This was done step by step by means of scale models and by computer simulations of the infl atable, until the right shape was found. In the meantime, material tests were performed to determine the compressive strength and bending strength of the ice reinforced by cellulose fi bres. Also the resistance of the textile for the balloon was tested in diff erent directions, and experiments were performed to quantify the quality of the welded joints. Then, the structural engineering was done. In particular, the minimum thickness of the ice was calculated to provide stability of the shell, also in case of heavy wind and snow. We would like to have a minimum wall thickness of fi ve centimeters at the tops of the outer perimeter, and thicker parts in the valleys between the hypars. The next step was the cutting and welding of the big balloon in a hall of the university. The membrane was delivered on rolls of about two meters wide, so many welds were needed. The curved parts were most diffi cult. Once the whole balloon was ready, a test inflation was organized at the faculty’s campus in Ghent so the last leaks could be fi xed. Then, everything was shipped by boat to Finland. After two weeks of spraying with cellocrete on the inflatable, the freezing period was just long enough to create a good layer of structural ice. After removing the infl atable the result was excellent. 36
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