Project Bauhaus Berlin – STEEL STRUCTURE PROJECT OF THE YEAR 2023

According to the design by Staab Architekten, the Bauhaus object (behind the glass casing of the tower, consisting of solar glazing and internal covers) was to have slender steel supports. And this is exactly the task that was assigned to Zekon.

Challenges during the implementation of the Bauhaus project in Berlin

The challenge was to implement the aforementioned steel supports in a form as delicate and elegant as the design promises, in order to give the building a discreet, sculptural overall effect.

 Due to the diverse distribution of forces resulting from the architectural concept assuming tilt at different angles and in different planes of steel supports, each element of the structure was different from the others – complete lack of repeatability. The steel supports were made of the same outer diameter of bars and pipes with different wall thicknesses. Each pipe and each bar was cut in a different plane and at a different angle and had an edge suitably prepared for welding.

Process optimization for box profiles

The sheets from which the box profiles were made had different thicknesses. The edges of the inner sheets, the so-called “diaphragms”, were beveled at the appropriate angles for butt welds on the appropriate sections.

There were no two identical elements, therefore, in order to avoid mistakes during assembly of individual elements in the workshop into shipping positions, each pipe and each rod, in addition to the position number, had three orientation points on its circumference, which had to be matched to the corresponding points on the box profile sheet metal

 Due to the high requirements for the flatness of the box profile surface, each sheet had to be straightened after being fired on the burner. The need to weld the internal sheets, the so-called “diaphragms”, forced the assembly process of individual elements into shipping elements to be carried out in stages, according to the appropriate previously prepared sequence. For each “diaphragm”, welding guidelines were prepared specifying the parameters of the welds on individual sections of a given sheet, because in the areas of the “diaphragms” located in the support points of the brackets, the welds had different parameters than those in the other areas.

Welding and securing utility materials

In the next step, the pre-assembled box sections were connected to each other with brackets and then welded. “Guiding plates” were added to the “free” outer surfaces of the box sections, which served to properly assemble the pipes from the subsequent segments.

The structure was protected against corrosion with three different systems. Each system assumed preparation of the surface to the cleanliness class SA 2 and ½ and application of two layers of paint to a total nominal thickness of about 200 µm.

The project implementation was associated with carrying out a very complicated production process, which required the development of many instructions and procedures regarding the method of making the elements, the order of execution, and the welding process itself. Supervision over the correct implementation was carried out continuously 24 hours a day.

The structure was delivered to the construction site by road. The assembly of the structure on the construction site took place without any complications and, because no corrections were necessary, it was completed ahead of schedule.

 Our Bauhaus Berlin project won the title of Steel Structure – Project of the Year 2023 in a prestigious competition organized by the Polish Chamber of Steel Structures P.T.

Presented photos by Catherine Schmitt.