Contemporary Case Study Projects

National Theatre, Beijing, China

The Chinese National Theatre in Beijing, China, designed by Paul Andreu Architect, uses a very intensive expressed steel truss system to create the egg shaped building. The curved trusses are fabricated from welded plate steel material. The horizontal bracing that forms the lateral support system is fabricated from round members that are attached to the plate trusses via a special hidden bolted connection. The connection and its finishes are designed to make the joint appear fully welded. As the geometry of the connection was constantly changing due to the curved shape, the ball joint proved to be a valuable method to accommodate the geometry.

Chinese Theatre The Chinese National Theatre, designed by Paul Andreu Architect, uses an expressed curved steel truss system, fabricated from plate and round members, to create the egg shaped building.

Below you will see a 3D PDF drawing of the joint between the plate truss and the round ribs. Please CLICK on the PDF to activate it. For instructions on using the 3D PDF files, click here.

Mac users, please download the file. (1.4 MB)