Project overview
The H-Hotel Social Club in Abu Dhabi has an openable roof, and Wrenze Steel carried out its structural design. The client was H-Hotel and the consultant was Vision Engineering Consultancy.
The drawings on this page are two cross-sections through the structure. They show a curved roof sitting on a supporting frame. In section A-A the curved roof extends beyond the frame on one side.
Our scope
Our scope was the structural design of the openable roof structure. An openable roof is one of the more demanding things to design in steel, because the structure has more than one shape. It has to work when closed, when open and at every stage in between.
Structural design for a roof like this covers:
- the curved roof members and the fixed frame that supports them;
- loads in each roof position, including self-weight, wind and maintenance loads;
- the support points where moving sections bear on the fixed structure;
- connections, including the interfaces with the opening mechanism;
- deflection limits tight enough to let the roof move freely.
The structure
A curved steel roof uses its shape to carry load efficiently. An arched member pushes outward at its supports as well as down, so the supporting frame must resist that horizontal thrust, either through ties or through stiff columns and beams.
Making part of the roof movable adds several conditions.
Changing load paths. As a section moves, the points where it bears on the fixed frame move too. Each position is a separate load case.
Wind in every position. An open roof catches wind differently from a closed one. The design normally sets a wind limit for operating the roof and checks the structure for the full design wind in its parked positions.
Stiffness and tolerance. Rails, wheels and drives only work if the structure under them stays straight and level. Excessive deflection can jam a moving roof, so stiffness often governs over strength.
Coordination. The steel engineer works alongside the mechanism supplier so that bearing points, drive fixings and stops are designed into the steel from the start.
Read about our structural steel design and steel connection design services, see our work in Abu Dhabi, or request a quote.
