The design concept for the entrance pavilion to the Steve Jobs Theatre called for an almostimpossibly thin structure supported only on a curved glass façade, forming a structure whichappeared to float effortlessly above the ground that would provide uninterrupted views of thesurrounding landscape.
The roof is a shallow disc, 155 feet in diameter which sits on a 135 feet diameter glass wall. Initialdesign considered a highly optimised radial steel structure with an FRP shell cladding. In order toachieve the thinnest roof a solution was developed where the external FRP shell surface could formboth the building envelope and a structural shell in order to remove the steel structure and separatewaterproofing layers entirely. The philosophy of using the shell structure to perform multiple rolesresulted in a thinner build up and a much simpler roof assembly which was lighter and made veryeffective use of the FRP panels.
The roof was split into 44 segments arranged around a central hub which enabled a very efficientproduction process, and the flanges of the panels were used to form stiffeners and also incorporatea watertight seal to form the building envelope. The roof segments were joined to the hub using a
bolted joint which was based on the laminate details used to fix keel structures to high performanceracing yachts.
The laminates o...