Architect and Builder Dec 2017 / Jan 2018 | Page 46

electric lighting. The daylight studies explored
how sunlight could animate the space through the
seasons, as well as creating a dynamic and visually
engaging environment for museum visitors. These
studies informed the geometry and material
selection of the key atrium glazed apertures.
A method was developed for the new glazing
that would give a similar convex effect. The
solution was to use facets of glass, organised to
create a subtle convex shape. Built with structural
glass, the composition strengthens the frames of
60mm x 15mm steel bars to make a transparent
shell. Forming a kaleidoscope of changing textures
and colours the glazing creates irregular, sparkling
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patterns and provides far-reaching views. By night,
the building lights up and acts as a lantern for the
harbour and the city beyond.
Structural Engineering – Zeitz MOCAA
Structurally engineered by Arup and Sutherland,
the Zeitz MOCAA building originally consisted of
42 interlinked grain silos constructed off a deep
concrete raft foundation required due to founding
conditions varying from hard bedrock to 6m of fill.
Significant portions of the complex foundations
needed to be demolished to fulfill the ‘carving’
of the bottom of the huge ‘corn grain’ and new
lift bases etc. Half of the internal silos were
Zeitz Mocaa