Wisdom Hall Facades

ABOUT

The triangular inclined cable-net and adjacent fin walls form the focal point of a proposed Museum of Thai Culture, located above the Icon Siam, a large mixed-use development – allowing unobstructed views along the banks of the Chao Phraya River in central Bangkok.

The central triangular facade prioritises the view across the river, using clear low-iron single-glazed laminated glass.  At either side, external structural shading fins permit oblique views but filter the intense tropical sunlight with cold-bent insulated units, coatings and a graduated frit pattern.  The subtle shadow-play on the fins mediates the contrast between the stark exterior light and cavernous interior.

All details of the cable-net and structural fin glazing were designed in a collaborative process with the local team and fabricator. Custom designed cable-clamps of semi-reflective electro-polished cast stainless steel minimise the obstruction of the view from the public gallery.

The clarity of the design strategy established at the outset has run through the whole design development, fabrication and installation process. The triangular cable-net frame is attached to the main floor plate by two large pin connectors and was assembled horizontally on the external terrace and pulled up into place, pivoting on the pins. The hoisting process of lifting the 20m high triangle from the horizontal to its final position, pinned to the prow of the roof, was a significant event in a topping-out ceremony, in summer 2018.

C|L also produced the concept design for the skylight on the terrace immediately below the facade, to provide a level of design consistency.

Lifting of the A-frame: photo by Seele (left) and drawings by Hebetechnik (right)

Link

Embed

Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed.

Cable clamp detail: photo by Seele (left) and 3D visualisation by C|L (right)

Photos of the Wisdom Hall Facades by Lisa Rammig