Globe SkyView, the new attraction that opened in Stockholm, is a complex structure. Two glass elevators or gondolas, each with a 16-person capacity, take the passengers to a height of 130 meters along the outer surface of the world’s largest hemispherical building. A spectacular view over Stockholm unfolds from the top of the building.
The pillars supporting the gondola track transporting passengers were attached to the Globe’s previous structures; the form of the structures had to be outlined to an accuracy of millimeters. A vital aid in this was Finnish (BIM) building information modeling software Tekla Structures.
“The Globe’s original hemispherical space grid was designed almost detail by detail. Now, 20 years later, we are fortunate to have special software to use in the three-dimensional modeling of steel structures. We use Tekla Structures, because it is the market leader in BIM software,” says Urban Trange, of WSP Byggprojektering, the company responsible for the structural engineering.
In the construction of the SkyView elevator track, steel elements needed to be attached inside the Globe’s original support grid. This emphasized one of the Tekla building information model’s benefits, predictability: in the construction phase, a modeled structure fits in its place exactly. Another decisive benefit is the significant decrease in the number of faulty structural components. This was especially important, as the constructors had to hang in safety harnesses when installing the complex structure.
After meticulous measurements, it was noted that the Globe’s form had changed slightly over the years. WSP had to adjust the structure’s nodes according to three-dimensional coordinates to ensure that the track frame would really fit into the Globe’s existing grid structure.
Globe SkyView:
- Ericsson Globe is reinforced with 42 metric tons of steel.
- Steel was worked to millimetric precision and installed by workers using safety harnesses.
- In total, the steel tracks guiding the gondolas weigh approximately 50 metric tons. The glass gondolas were constructed by a ski-lift manufacturer.
- Ride to the top of the building takes approximately 20 minutes.
- Gondolas start their upward journey six times an hour.
- First ride took place on Friday, February 5, 2010.
For additional information, please contact:
Leif Granholm of Tekla Building & Construction: leif.granholm(a)tekla.com, tel. +358 (0)400 440 608
For photos please contact:
Maija Hakala of PR agency AC-Sanafor: maija.hakala(a)acsanafor.fi, tel. +358 (0)50 33 828 73
Read more about the project by WSP
Read more about Tekla Structures