Dresden Main Station, Germany
Client: Deutsche Bahn AG Station & Service
As part of the recent major refurbishment of Dresden’s main railway station hall, the existing 19th century steelwork filigree was covered with a new 30,000mÇ fabric roof, making it the largest membrane to be attached to an existing structure in the world. We assisted the architect in the refurbishment of the wrought-iron filigree arch roof over the station, which was overlaid with fabric because modern glazing standards precluded the use of glass. The refurbishment works comprised of the complete stripping of the existing roof cladding, repair of the existing steelwork arches and foundations, and erection of the new roof cladding including additional secondary steelwork, roof lights, drainage pipes and lightning protection.
One of the challenges faced was to resolve the load transfer from the membrane through the existing steelwork into the foundations. This was achieved by introducing a secondary structure to the top chord of the old steel arches, which have little resistance to the horizontal forces. This meant that the reactions in longitudinal direction of the station are now transferred to the braced end bays effectively 10m-wide trusses.
Additional cables underneath the fabric were introduced to ensure that overall stability is maintained. To enhance the natural light filtering into the station, linear roof lights are planned on tip of the arches. These roof lights are supported on the secondary steelwork and are designed to allow for natural ventilation and smoke extraction.