Structures

Flying over Germany's highest mountain

At 2962 metres, Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain and highest ski resort. There, you can enjoy powdery ski slopes in the winter and hiking trails in the summer. To transport visitors to the summit, a new cable car was installed. Its construction involved HD profiles supplied by ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products and ArcelorMittal Downstream Solutions in Neckarsulm.

The world's highest structural support for aerial tramways

After three years of planning and construction, Zugspitze’s new cable car started its ascent last winter. For this unique project, our colleagues at ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products, together with ArcelorMittal Downstream Solutions, delivered HD profiles in steel grade S355 J2, which were used to build the structure of the cable car. The beams were produced in ArcelorMittal’s Differdange mill in Luxembourg, where they were cut to length, and the team at ArcelorMittal Downstream Solutions in Neckarsulm sold the final products to the customer.

Zugspitze's cable car holds three world records:

1. First, the particularity of this cable car is that instead of using two supports, it only has one support measuring 127 metres high making it the tallest tramway support in the world.
2. Then, the distance between the support and the mountain summit station is 3213 metres.
3. Finally, another unique feature is the height difference of 1945 metres between the valley station and the mountain summit station.

A new era

The modern cable car is a strong investment marking the beginning of a new era for the Zugspitze mountain.The 50-million-euro project has been providing visitors with maximum comfort and giving tourism a boost throughout the region.

So far, around half a million visitors are transported annually, but the historic Eibsee cable car from 1963 reached the limits of its transport capacity on peak days. The new cable car should attract about 10 percent more passengers, which means an increase for the entire, predominantly touristy, region.

The two new cabins with a sparkling new and elegant design can carry up to 120 passengers each with the floor-to-ceiling glazed open-plan cabins offering grandiose panoramic views of Germany's highest peak. They now guides alpinists, summer hikers, winter sports enthusiasts, and tourists from all over the world to the mountain top.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
    
Photos: ©Victor Maschek / Shutterstock.com  ©Trey Waggener / Shutterstock.com

These best practice design manuals consist of a series of technical guides for engineering offices, steel fabricators, and architects that aim at facilitating the application of the Eurocodes in the design of single-storey and multi-storey steel buildings.

The presented design manuals consist of a series of technical guides facilitating the application of the Eurocodes in the design of single-storey and multi-storey steel buildings.

These design manuals are helpful for steel fabricators and engineering offices, but the presentation of the advantages and possibilities of the use of steel also applies to architects. They provide a useful source of knowledge for designers in accordance with the Eurocodes and include topics such as numerous design details, fire engineering issues, member and connection resistance calculators, etc.

The design guides 'Single-Storey Steel Buildings' and 'Multi-Storey Steel Buildings' were produced in the framework of the European project 'Facilitating the market development for sections in industrial halls and low rise buildings (SECHALO) RFS2-CT-2008-0030', which was carried out with a financial grant from the European Union's Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

The design guides were prepared under the direction of ArcelorMittal, Peiner Träger, and Corus. The technical content was prepared by CTICM and SCI, collaborating as the Steel Alliance.

Giving structure to Romanian stadiums

Sport has a very important place in Romania, especially football. ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Europe recently contributed to the construction of two stadiums in the country: the Craiova stadium, inaugurated in November 2017, and the Targu-Jiu stadium which will open this year. Steel produced in Romania was used for both projects with Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) produced in Iasi and made from coils produced by ArcelorMittal.

About the stadiums

Craiova stadium:

Architect: Dico and Tiganas architecture and engineering
Contractors: CON-A S.R.L., ACI CLUJ S.A., and NISAL S.R.L.

Targu-Jiu stadium:

Architect: Dico and Tiganas architecture and engineering
Contractors: ACI CLUJ S.A. and CON-A S.R.L.

100% Romanian steel from ArcelorMittal

Two football stadiums were recently built with ArcelorMittal steel, in Craiova and in Targu-Jiu. For both projects, ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Europe supplied HSS (in EN 10219 standard) to KonigFrankstahl, which were used to build the tribunes and the structure of each stadium.

The HSS were produced by ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Iasi, part of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Europe. The sections were produced through the Electric Resistance Welding process, which consists of forming a tube with a steel strip by heating the edges and forming them together. The name of the process comes from the heat necessary for welding that is generated by electric currents passed through the steel strip prior to the weld being forged.

Quality, communication and just-in-time delivery

KonigFrankstahl is one of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Europe’s most important distributors for the Romanian market. KonigFrankstahl has a long-term and strong partnership with one of Romania’s largest
construction companies CON-A (general contractor of these two projects) which demands punctual deliveries to be able to meet project deadlines. KonigFrankstahl received the HSS based on CON-A’s specifications in full bundles from ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Iasi to its warehouses in Bucharest and Sibiu and was able to deliver the material in the exact quantities, even cut pieces, to the different requested locations.

Three main factors convinced KonigFrankstahl to opt for ArcelorMittal products:

• the quality of the products, supported by certificates

• ArcelorMittal’s ability to ensure just-in-time delivery

• excellent communication with ArcelorMittal

Moreover, the collaboration with ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Iasi was very good due to the high support provided from production to logistics despite the high pressure regarding deliveries.

The Craiova stadium, inspired by modern art

The Craiova stadium located in the city of Craiova has a capacity of 30,000 seats and replaces the former Ion Oblemenco Stadium built in 1967. The new stadium was designed by the architects Dico and Tiganas architecture and engineering who took inspiration from the work of art “Mademoiselle Pogany,” carved by Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi. The iconic building offers a modern touch that will boost the development of the local area.

The building envelope has an elliptical shape, which protects the spectator seating area against adverse weather conditions while ensuring that the natural light hits the pitch and closes the secondary spaces under the stands. The volume of the bowl is enhanced thanks to the semi-open roof and the structural "ribs" wrapped with transparent and translucent materials.

The Targu-Jiu stadium comes into line with UEFA standards

Work at the new stadium in Targu-Jiu (in the south of Romania) is nearing completion; the tribune roofs are partially mounted, as well as the two scoreboards. The project involves the reconstruction of the Targu-Jiu Stadium to make it more modern and in line with the UEFA standards. Once completed, the stadium – which should be officially named Pandurii Arena - will have 12,500 seats and will also include an underground car park and a 40-room hotel. In the near future, the area around the stadium will enter into a modernisation process.

Text: ArcelorMittal Europe Communication

Copyrights: ©Laurentiu Nica, ©ArcelorMittal Iasi

On 10 February, the ČEZ City Cross Sprint skiing competition took place in Ostrava. Skiers competed under the blast furnaces and other facilities at Dolní Vítkovice, a former industrial area protected by UNESCO, which also hosts the Bolt Tower, a helix of 78 metres built with steel from ArcelorMittal Ostrava. This tower, which now includes an observation point, multifunctional spaces and a café, was named after Olympic champion Usain Bolt, who inaugurated the tower in 2015.

A former industrial complex turned into an educational, social, and cultural centre

Dolní Vítkovice is a former industrial area located near Ostrava. After its last blast furnace was shutdown in 1998, the government declared the area a national site. In 2009, it was decided it was time to breathe new life into Dolní Vítkovice, making the site accessible to the public and using it for educational, cultural, and social activities.

ArcelorMittal steel in the 2015 Building of the Year

As the largest steel producer in the Czech Republic, ArcelorMittal Ostrava proudly contributed to the construction of the Bolt Tower. Our mill supplied nearly 500 tonnes of steel for the construction of the tower, split between flat bars, angles, seamless tubes, and sheets.

Architect Josef Pleskot is behind the design of the Bolt Tower, which is reminiscent of the fire that constantly burned at the time when the metallurgical plants were functioning. The result is a steel and glass construction of 14.1 metres mounted on top of the 63.6-metre former blast furnace.

The construction of the tower began in February 2014 and the first visitors were welcomed in May 2015. The same year, the project was awarded the Building of the Year award in the Czech Republic.

Named after the fastest man in history

The Bolt Tower is geographically the highest point in Ostrava, making it a unique observation tower. It got its name from bolt (a metal bar) and from athlete Usain Bolt, world champion and Olympic winner, who officially lent his name to the Tower during the official inauguration in May 2015.

A unique education, social, and cultural centre

Apart from an amazing view of the Beskid Mountains and of the surrounding area, the Bolt Tower also offers a café and a club where students head for technical education. Guided tours are organised to present how hot metal was produced in the blast furnace at the time of its operation. The industrial complex has now been transformed into a unique educational, social, and cultural centre. On the premises you can find a Science and Technology Centre presenting science and technology as an entertaining game and a cultural area Hlubina, attracting not only musicians and bands but also sculptors, designers, visual artists, and music concert lovers to a variety of cultural events.

Steel is a familiar material for Belgian sculptor William Roobrouck. But when he decided to realise his latest artwork, Roobrouck turned to Indaten® weathering steel for the first time. Called ‘Désir Perceptible’ (Perceptible Desire), the monumental sculpture celebrates the longing couples can feel for a child. Thanks to Indaten® from ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products, Désir Perceptible will stand the test of time, and the rigours of the Belgian coast.

“I have a passion for steel which started when I was about six,” says William Roobrouck. “Around then I began to take my summer holidays with my grandparents on the Belgian coast. My grandmother was an artist, so I learnt painting from her, while my grandfather was an engineer in the aviation industry. He taught me a lot about working with metal.”

“When I was about eight, I started to study at the Academy of Art in Ghent. Over the next four years I went there every Saturday to develop my drawing and painting skills, and I also learned to make sculptures in clay. It was a good base for the art and sculptures that I make today.”

“After finishing school, I put my art on standby. But by the time I reached 30, I realised that I still had a passion for art and that it was something I wanted to pursue in my life. Although I did have my early experiences to fall back on, I’m largely self-taught. I’m curious about how things are made, how they work.”

Warm colours of Indaten® reflect desire for family

“I've used steel a lot in my sculptures, but Désir Perceptible is my first artwork in Indaten®. This sculpture represents a couple who desire a child. As it ages, Indaten® develops an orange, amber colour. It is a warm colour and it relates to the warm feeling you get when you think about bringing a child into the world.”

“Désir Perceptible began with very simple lines. Once I realised that I had a very strong artwork, I decided to make it in steel. I took a plate of Indaten® and drew the outline with chalk. When I was happy with the image I took a manual plasma cutter and cut the front and back out of Indaten®. It then took me some time to clean it up. Many people will wonder why I didn’t use a laser cutter as that is much cleaner. But it lacks the human touch – something that I think was very important with this subject.”

“I then cut strips to create the parts that join the front and back of the sculpture. While that was relatively easy for some parts, the head and inside of the child were difficult to form. I relied on a friend who had some rolling equipment to help me with that. With my friend’s advice – and some trial and error – I managed to achieve the result I wanted.”

Seawater gets the ageing process started

“Inside, the front and back are held together with steel tubes. Although they were not needed once the side strips were added, I left them in. They can be connected to tubes which go into the ground. This secures the sculpture and stops it falling over in the wind, or being stolen. Though at around 250 kilograms it probably weighs too much to be stolen!”

“In total it took three months to realise Désir Perceptible as I was working outside and at the mercy of the elements. I have a studio, but it was not big enough for this sculpture.”

“Désir Perceptible was finished in August 2017 and I immediately wanted to show it in an art exhibition that was held in the village where I live. To get the Indaten® ageing process started quickly, I soaked the sculpture in seawater. Almost overnight the warm orange tones of the steel started to show.”

Indaten® ensures the sculpture will endure

“Even though it appears to be corroding in front of your very eyes, Indaten® is actually much more resistant to corrosion than untreated carbon steel. Where untreated steel might last for 20 years, Indaten® will endure for up to 120 years, even in marine environments.”

“I’ve been invited to display Désir Perceptible at Tentuinstelling 2018. The name is a play on the Flemish words for exhibition (tentoonstelling) and garden (tuin), as the exhibition is held in gardens along the coast.”

“I’m also using Indaten® to create another sculpture for Tentuinstelling 2018. The second one will be about ten-metres high. Again, I’ve chosen Indaten® because of its ability to withstand the harsh environment of the Belgian coast.”

About Indaten®

Indaten® is a structural steel with excellent resistance to atmospheric corrosion, thanks to its protective and adhesive patina which evolves with time and the effects of the environment. Over time, the steel surface develops a beautiful purplish brown patina which acts as a protective armour for the steel.

Get to know William's art and design at
http://www.williams-design.be/

Photos: Maud Baron & William Roobrouck
Text: ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products