Yanbu Tech Building

Key Project Info:

Studio 65, the Italian architects, wanted the design of the new Technical Building for the Yanbu Cement Works to showcase the versatility of the material. They chose to create an illusion of the ferrocement cladding panels falling off the building, and being propped back up by long slender columns and spheres, all of which were to be made from ferrocement with minimal hidden structure just sufficient to give the required strength.

The key duties undertaken included:

Steve King led a small team undertaking the structural analysis and design to realise these designs in a way that would appear to be entirely in ferrocement yet be capable of taking the direct loads and those caused by a 500 Celsius temperature range.