Netherlands: high-tech fastening for high-speed track ... - Hilti

Magazine Fall/Winter 2005
Construction
Page 11
structure, that would support a suspended
ceiling. Due to the exposed
location of the ceiling, which will
cover a generous passageway out
of doors, it will be exposed to
strong winds and, as a result, substantial
tensions and pressures. Mr.
Das Neves initially decided on a
welded mechanical solution and
shared this with Gilles Christien,
who looks after the construction
site for Hilti. Mr. Christien immediately
saw the disadvantages of
the original system and instead
suggested Hilti installation channels.
This system is modular and
allows flexible usage, can be
adapted to the changes that are all
but unavoidable on a construction
site of this size, is unique and simple
to calculate thanks, to the corresponding
software, and quick to
assemble. These advantages were
lacking in the original solution and
they spoke clearly in favor of following
Mr. Christien’s idea. Mr.
Christien and Mr. Das Neves became
partners when speaking to
the engineers who calculated the
force loads that would influence
the ceiling and they traveled together
to Belgium to speak with
the manufacturer of the suspended
ceiling about its assembly.
Cutting assembly time
in half with the right
solution
Mr. Das Neves races from one
meeting to the next, “I’m pleased
that the issue of the suspended ceiling
has been settled once and for
all,” he admits. The three kilometers
of channels (1.9 mi) were installed
in two weeks, instead of the
four that had been originally
planned. The modular Hilti installation
channels are so flexible that
alterations can be made at the construction
site. This allows, for example,
installation of ventilation
pipes at a later date. Instead of
merely making mathematical observations,
the Hilti-developed
software makes individual and efficient
calculations.
Mr. Christien takes another look at
the progress being made on the
outdoor ceiling before striding energetically
into the building to
where the museum’s theater will
be. This is where the success story
of the Hilti installation channels
began. Project manager Alain
Fleury, also a drywall specialist,
contacted the various suppliers for
the suspended ceiling. The job was
not a typical one for him either.
“How is a drywall specialist supposed
to suddenly carry out very
complicated mechanical work?”
he wondered. He then tells of how
he found someone who took his
concerns seriously in Gilles
Christien. “He was a partner who
not only provided the material but
also offered technical support.”
It pays to carefully
study all possible
solutions
The solution suggested by Gilles
Christien allowed for the hanging
of a suspended wooden ceiling that
will make a significant architectural
impression but that places a
great challenge on the assembly requirements.
The Hilti HUS screw
anchor was used to fasten the
brackets to the concrete ceiling.
The installation channels, that run
completely through the theater,
were then attached. Wooden elements
attached to threaded rods
were then hung from the installation
channels, forming both horizontal
and vertical waves. As Alain
Fleury tells it, “I gained a full work
week during the time we installed
more than a kilometer of channels
and was able to have my people
work elsewhere on the site. This
was an experience that showed me
how valuable it is to closely analyze
possible solutions in order to
choose the best one. If we hadn’t
done this we would have certainly
selected a welded mechanical solution.”
Once the Musée du Quai Branly
opens, none of the Hilti products,
such as those used to anchor the
load-bearing structure to the concrete
foundation, will be visible.
This is, simply put, the art of Hilti:
offering comprehensive and targeted
consultation and supplying
the correct products so that no one
need ask, once the project is complete,
how modern architecture is
realized in the first place.
In the museum’s theater installation channels were fastened to concrete.