ArcelorMittal Europe – Tubular Products supplied tubes for the 'Senda dil Dragun', the longest treetop path in the world, located in Laax, Switzerland, offering an interactive and unique nature experience for all visitors.

Take a walk 28 metres above the ground

Opened in 2021, the Senda dil Dragun (or Path of The Dragon) is the longest treetop path in the world. It connects the two villages of Laax Murschetg and Laax Dorf in southeast Switzerland.

This 1.56-kilometre-long footbridge offers visitors the opportunity to take a scenic stroll 28 metres above the ground in the Laax forest. Along with viewing platforms, it also includes an impressive 73m-long slide for visitors to make their way back down to the ground.

JÄKL tubes from Karviná

The Senda dil Dragun project was designed by the local company Hofmann & Durisch Architects and implemented by the City of Laax and the Weisse Arena Group. The structure was built using JÄKL round tubes manufactured by ArcelorMittal Europe – Tubular Products in its plant in Karviná, Czech Republic. The tubes were supplied by long-term business partner, Kindlimann AG, a member of the Van Leeuwen Group. Kindlimann AG delivered approximately twenty-three tonnes of seamless thick-walled tubes 139.7x5, S355. The company Ragettli Metallbau AG (Flims Dorf) installed 6000 metres of galvanised gas tubes 33.7x3.2, S195 as supports and as railings for this impressive construction.

In 2021, ArcelorMittal Europe - Tubular Products launched the revival of the JÄKL brand, which has been used for more than a century in Karviná and is undoubtedly an iconic brand in the Czech industry. ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Karviná has long been successfully developing the production and sale of steel sections with a heavy emphasis on the precision and quality of each product.

René Fabik, Karviná plant manager says: “It is a great pleasure for every manufacturer to see that their products are used on such extraordinary construction sites. At the same time, it is clear that Swiss standards and quality requirements are among the most demanding in the world. We perceive this result as an appreciation of our work. It has been proven that the original JÄKL products from Karviná exactly meet these maximum client requirements."

Sustainability at the heart of the project

As for other building materials, in accordance with the ecological concept of the whole building emphasising sustainability, the Senda dil Dragun was built exclusively with wood from local sources. It has been designed to blend in with the surrounding nature and minimise its impact on the environment.

The route was chosen in the most natural way possible to minimise deforestation during construction. The project is fully barrier-free with lifts at both ends of the trail. Four observation platforms with plenty of seating and a unique view of the iconic alpine landscape offer a refreshing natural experience for the whole family.

The Laax region believes that this new and completely unique tourist attraction will attract more visitors to this region from literally all over the world.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
Kindlimann AG
Shutterstock

Related link(s)

Senda dil Dragun treetop path

This joint European Convention for Constructional Steelwork (ECCS)-Joint Research Centre (JR) report is part of a series of background documents in support to the implementation of Eurocode 3. It provides background information on the specific issue of design rules affected by the toughness of steel.

In its various parts, EN 1993 – Eurocode 3 currently addresses steel properties essentially with regard to strength. The toughness properties are also dealt with in Part 1-10 and Part 1-12.

The interrelation between toughness properties and the safety of steel structures is not commonly known; therefore, EN 1993-1-10 does not explicitly address this issue.

© European Communities, 2008. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Eurocodes: common rules for the design of construction works

The EN Eurocodes are a series of European standards which provide a common series of methods for calculating the mechanical strength of elements playing a structural role in construction works, i.e. the structural construction products. They make it possible to design construction works, to check their stability, and to give the necessary dimensions of structural construction products.

They are the result of a long procedure of bringing together and harmonising the different design traditions in the Member States. At the same time, the Member States keep exclusive competence and responsibility for the safety levels of works.

A series of background documents have been published to provide technical insight

The so-called background documents on Eurocodes were established and collected to provide technical insight on the way the NDPs have been selected and may possibly be modified at the national level. In particular, they intend to justify:

– the theoretical origin of the technical rules

– the code provisions through appropriate test evaluations whenever needed (e.g. EN 1990, Annex D)

– the recommendations for the NDPs

– the country decisions on the choice of the NDPs

Collecting and providing access to the background documents is essential to the Eurocodes implementation process as they are the main source of support to:

– the Member States when choosing their NDPs

– the users of the Eurocodes where questions are expected

– provide information for the European Technical Approvals and Unique Verifications

– help reducing the NDPs in the Eurocodes when they result from different design cultures and procedures in structural analysis

– allow for a strict application of the Commission Recommendation of 11 December 2003

– gradually align the safety levels across Member States

– further harmonise the design rules across different materials

– further develop the Eurocodes

Toughness properties: an area not so well known

The background material to EN 1993-1-10 presented in this report provides the necessary explanations on the underlying principles and their application rules. It also opens the door to the application of these principles to situations not yet fully covered by EN 1993.

Due to its rather innovative character, some of the content in this joint ECCS-JRC report still needs to be complemented through additional research, which is likely to be carried out in the context of the further development of Eurocode 3.

The ECCS initiated the development of this commentary in the frame of the cooperation between the JRC and the ECCS for works on the further evolution of the Eurocodes.

ArcelorMittal Europe has been a member of the ECCS for more than 20 years.

Related link(s)

Commentary & worked examples to EN 1993-1-10 'Material toughness and through thickness properties'