project

Icon Outlet at The O2, London – Parametric Tensioned Fabric Cloud Ceiling

Membrane
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  • Internal fabric features
  • Fabric cladding
  • Sculptural fabric features
  • Fabric in a retail space

General information

  • Home page
    https://www.architen.com/projects/tensioned-fabric-cloud-ceiling/
  • Location address
    The O2, Greenwich Peninsula, London, UK
  • Location country
    United Kingdom
  • Year of construction
    2018
  • Name of the client/building owner
    AEG Europe
  • Function of building
    Shops and stores
  • Degree of enclosure
    Fully enclosed structure
  • Climatic zone
    Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
  • Number of layers
    mono-layer
  • Type of application of the membrane
    internal
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Space defining elements

Description

The Icon Outlet opened in October 2018 inside The O2, formerly the Millennium Dome and still one of the UK's best-known tensile structures. Its centrepiece is a feature ceiling made of 256 fabric-clad fins, concept-designed by CallisonRTKL. Every fin has a different shape, and together they form a rippling cloud overhead.

Because of that variation, Architen Landrell's design team built the ceiling as a parametric model in Grasshopper, with Tensys supporting the parametric design. Defining each fin from rules rather than drawing it by hand meant site dimensions and design changes could be absorbed late in the programme without losing accuracy. Fabrication drawings were then generated directly from the 3D model.

Each fin has a rigid frame of aluminium extrusions and CNC-cut plywood, which slot together like a jigsaw. Both faces are skinned in lightweight blackout PVC-coated polyester, which hides the internal structure and gives a clean white finish. The fins were made on an assembly line at Architen Landrell's Chepstow factory by a team of 12 over six months. With some fins up to 17m long, they had to be stored vertically in custom stillages, and both fabrication and delivery needed careful logistics planning.

Client: AEG Europe. Architect: CallisonRTKL. Main contractor: ISG. Parametric design: Tensys. Design, fabrication and installation: Architen Landrell.

Description of the environmental conditions

Internal application within the climate-protected retail street beneath the PTFE-coated glass fibre roof of The O2. The fins are not exposed to weather; the blackout PVC-coated polyester provides a clean white finish and conceals the internal aluminium and plywood framing.

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Fabric
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    PVC - coated polyester fabric
  • Material coating
    PVC-coated polyester

Main dimensions and form

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Permanent

Involved companies

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