• fig 1
  • fig 2
  • fig 3

General information

  • Location address
    London dock
  • Location country
    United Kingdom
  • Year of construction
    2015
  • Name of the client/building owner
    Canary Wharf Contractors Ltd
  • Function of building
    Vehicle services
  • Climatic zone
    Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
  • Number of layers
    multi-layer
  • Type of application of the membrane
    covering
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Rain protection
    • Space defining elements
    • Sun protection

Description

The Canary Wharf Crossrail station, one of ten new stations, connects the business district with more than 100.000 workplaces along the new line. The new station was designed by the architects Foster & Partners. Three floors with shops and restaurants are situated below water level. Above the waterline the building rises up like a ship with further floors and a partly open rooftop garden. The station is crowned by a 30m high and 310m long timber roof construction covered with ETFE film cushions, which are illuminated after dark. The high performance material 3M Dyneon ETFE is extremely resistant to chemical effects of all kinds. Films made from 3M Dyneon ETFE 6235Z are very resistant to tearing and to UV radiation.

The curving support structure of the roof construction, manufactured by Wiehag GmbH Timber Construction from Upper Austria, consists of visible glued laminated spruce timbers. 780 triangular airsupported film cushions curve over it in an arch. ETFE films are fundamentally highly transparent and allow the sunlight with the UV-A radiation that is important for plant growth to pass through virtually without hindrance.

For the Canary Wharf station, the majority of the films were printed with a pattern of a varying density in order to scatter the light with a pleasant translucence in plant-free areas. Seele Cover GmbH from Germany, the internationally renowned specialist for complex roof and facade constructions, began installing the triangular ETFE cushions even before the assembly of the timber construction was complete. The cushions were assembled in Seele's own production facilities. Seele was also responsible for the development, design, manufacturing and assembly of the aluminium clamping profiles, the made-to measure cover plates to protect against the weather and the four air supply stations.

Description of the environmental conditions

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Foil
  • Type (code)
    3MTM DyneonTM Fluoroplastic ET 6235Z

Main dimensions and form

  • Covered surface (m2)
    11500

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Permanent
  • Design lifespan in years
    31-..

Involved companies

Editor