project

"Gadget" - an artwork by Olaf Nicolai

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General information

  • Home page
    https://www.3dtex.de/gadget-en
  • Location address
    Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (BER) “Willy Brandt“, Berlin
  • Location country
    Germany
  • Year of construction
    2012
  • Function of building
    Airports
  • Degree of enclosure
    Fully enclosed structure
  • Climatic zone
    Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
  • Number of layers
    mono-layer

Description

The artist Olaf Nicolai created a sculpture called Gadget for the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport – an oversized luminous pearl necklace draped around one of the glass air bridges. This necklace consists of 67 pearls, each with a diameter of 1.50m.

In order to meet the stringent fire protection requirements and weight limitations for the illuminated balls, the architects Schimmelpfennig / Mittig had the idea of using a fabric out of incombustible fiberglass for the shells. As a specialist consultant, 3dtex was commissioned with the development of an appropriate design concept. With the idea of the “twisted pearls” we developed an exceptionally simple design that could fulfil all technical requirements, while our design for the individual pearls was enthusiastically accepted by the artist.
The connection and tensioning mechanisms are arranged in a specially designed aluminium extruded profile and completely covered to achieve the desired minimalist design.

3dtex GmbH: Implementation Planning, Assembly of membranes
Artist: Olaf Nicolai, Berlin
Architects: Schimmelpfennig / Mittig, Berlin
Static: IB Zapf, Belrin
Membrane Manufacture: aeronautec, Seon
Steel works: Bernd Euler Schlossermeister, Berlin
Material: Atex 3000 - VALMIERA

Description of the environmental conditions

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Fabric
  • Type (code)
    Interglas Atex 3000 TRL
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    Fiberglass
  • Material coating
    silicon
  • Weight (g/m2)
    595

Main dimensions and form

Duration of use

Involved companies

Editor