Based in Ottobrunn near Munich, IABG is a ground-breaking high-tech company; and the design of its technology centre, which opened in 2006, is equally pioneering. The showpiece of the building complex created by WSSA architects is the covered atrium with a membrane roof that is both high-tech and aesthetic. The six floors of the technology centre provide room for 500 workstations and an integrated test and simulation centre. The crowning glory of the atrium consists of an attached steel supporting frame and a 2,300 -m2 membrane roof. Because of the trapezium shape of the building’s floor plan, 5.5-metre wide membranes in various shapes and lengths were combined to create the roof.It consists of eight rectangular cushions and one triangular and one 30-metre trapezium-shaped cushion. Each of the two
rectangular air cushions is equipped with two RWA membranes that can be opened. The elevated lateral supports of the roof structure are made up of 34 façade membranes, 10 of which are RWA elements that can also be opened up, ensuring good air circulation. Triple-layered pressed double-chamber membranes were used, with the middle layer separating two different pressure chambers. Owing to the width of the membranes and in order to guarantee internal stability, the lower chamber must always be at a higher pressure than the upper chamber. Constant monitoring and an emergency electrical system ensure the safety of the air cushion roof system. Polyamid-coated stainless steel cables provide static support for the membrane cushions. The system is drained along the slope of the main girders.
