Steelcase
This custom Interior tensioned fabric structure was modeled, patterned, fabricated and installed by Duvall in conjunction with Pheifer Structures for the Steelcase Design Innovation Center in Grand Rapids. Pheifer provided design, engineering and installation support.
The 40 ft x 40 ft x 25 ft high structure is installed inside the larger renovated warehouse space as a unique showcase for the new felt mobile walls and other fabric workspaces. A suspended tilted obelisk at the top allows direct daylight into the inside.
The fabric connects to the window wall with a special custom “live” Keder track allowing for horizontal tension. The obelisk is tensioned with six adjustable wire ropes to one hang-point above.
The concept by the architect and Steelcase is to create a human scale environment within the larger showroom space. The Gale Pacific heavy 350 white HDPE knitted FR fabric structure extends down to just 7-0 ft above the finished floor and transforms from a structured conical form above to a Freeform “wing”. The environment defines a classroom for educating customers.
The Gale Pacific fabric strikes a balance between opacity and translucency. It is illuminated with LED lamps from above and below. The dense knit provides an excellent projection surface, and backlights nicely in the afternoon sun.
The challenge technically was to create a lightweight fabric structure which could be fully tensioned to the existing building structure using a flexible outdoor knitted fabric. The fabric pattern actually wraps around the obelisk and the overall structure has only four primary seam lines. The fabric has the durability to last for twenty years. The structural edge is made with webbing belts with a UV edge cover. So the construction is lighter weight but sufficiently strong to pretension to 800 pounds at each connection.
