Sony Center, Potsdamer Platz
The roof over the Forum

Forum roof
Photo by Aoki Tsukasa
The roof construction
The roof looks like parabola-shaped objects revolving around a slanted axis. Roughly speaking, you can obtain this oblong image by horizontally cutting open the lower part of a slanted strobile. The roof is constructed by truss-rings rotating on the roof, central rings, axis and cables, which bind and connect these parts. The cables fulfill three functions: At the top of the roof, they suspend the lower side of the fiberglass skin. They are also used to connect the top of the axis and the midsection of the roof. Other cables are used to pull the underside of the fiberglass sheets. The roof is divided into two sections. While the inside is all made of glass, the outside is segmented into glass at an angle of 5 degrees and a fiberglass-skin at an angle of 10 degrees. (The inclination is measured from the center of the circle.)
The roof glass
The roof glass is glazed with tempered laminated glass, established to the structure by means of DPG. Originally, the glass panes were designed to slide into the body. The construction company, however, suggested that they be molded in various figures. Computer programs calculated the flexures and setting angles in order to nicely adapt to the forms created by the tensile strength of the fiberglass skin.


Forum roof
Photo by Aoki Tsukasa
Data of this building
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