The building is part of two hectares of public space at the Dinant train station. It is a 10×30 meter covered hall, composed of a wooden grid for shading, earthen blocks and an ETFE membrane to prevent rain, with four trees passing through the middle. This project draws on the exposed wooden frame and earth structure of Dinant Railway Station. The final frame conforms to the characteristics of modernist architecture: regular, weaving, clear skeleton, lightness, irregular intervals, giant beams, large amounts of earth… The building extends from “closed” to “open wooden frame”, reaching a balance between certainty and uncertainty.
The covered hall is also part of ecological construction and sustainable development. The top wooden beams are built on earthen blocks and are 4 meters above the ground. All wooden elements are prefabricated in the factory and then transported to the site for assembly. Plants in the building are also local, adaptable to climate change, and channel rainwater, contributing to the recovery, renewal and economic performance of the infrastructure. To reduce ground albedo, soil surfaces are kept clear. In summary, the project is a responsible ecological construction built with local resources and participants.
The wooden structure consists of integral cross beams on shelves and beams supported by eccentric columns and tie rods. The earthen blocks are not load-bearing. Among them, the beams are made of 65×480 mm Douglas glue-laminated wood and assembled through bolt plates that play a supporting role to form a 10×30 meter roof. The spacers are of different heights and not only absorb wind loads, but also bear the tension of the ETFE coating together with the beams. The timber frame was assembled on site and installed by crane.
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Engineering Director of Yexing with 20+ years of hands-on expertise in tensile membrane engineering. Banghui specializes in technical implementation and cost optimization for ETFE and PTFE structures. Key projects include Shenzhen Airport Transshipment Center and major national high-speed railway hubs.
