"Gadget" - an artwork by Olaf Nicolai
General information
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Location address
Berlin
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Location country
Germany
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Year of construction
2012
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Function of building
Airports
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Degree of enclosure
Fully enclosed structure
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Climatic zone
Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
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Number of layers
mono-layer
Description
The artist Olaf Nicolai created a sculpture called Gadget for the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport – an oversized luminous pearl necklace draped around one of the glass air bridges. This necklace consists of 67 pearls, each with a diameter of 1.50m.
In order to meet the stringent fire protection requirements and weight limitations for the illuminated balls, the architects Schimmelpfennig / Mittig had the idea of using a fabric out of incombustible fiberglass for the shells. As a specialist consultant, 3dtex was commissioned with the development of an appropriate design concept. With the idea of the “twisted pearls” we developed an exceptionally simple design that could fulfil all technical requirements, while our design for the individual pearls was enthusiastically accepted by the artist.
The connection and tensioning mechanisms are arranged in a specially designed aluminium extruded profile and completely covered to achieve the desired minimalist design.
Description of the environmental conditions
Material of the cover
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Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
Fabric
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Type (code)
Interglas Atex 3000 TRL
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Material Fabric/Foil
Fiberglass
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Material coating
silicon
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Weight (g/m2)
595
Main dimensions and form
Duration of use
Involved companies
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Architects
Schimmelpfennig / Mittig
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Engineers
IB Zapf
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Contractors
3dtex GmbH
Editor
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Editor
Stev Bringmann