Architect
Cui Kai
General Contractor
SKF Construction
Our Service
Engineer-Build
Area
100,000 sf.
Location
Haikou, China
Status
Completed 2019

Hainan Visitor Center

Architect
Cui Kai
General Contractor
SKF Construction
Our Service
Engineer-Build
Area
100,000 sf.
Location
Haikou, China
Status
Completed 2019

Free-form Timber Roofs

The Hainan Visitor Center introduces a beautiful and ambient space to the local community. The project site is located in the coastal park of Haikou City, Hainan Province, with a construction land area of 10 acres. It is situated near the Haikou Port, Century Bridge and Old Arcade Street with historical characteristics. Close to the mountains and water, the Center is also adjacent to a landscaped lake in the park, which provides a natural interaction space for the surrounding communities.

StructureCraft joined the design team early as the structural engineer and construction coordinator for the project, ensuring efficient design and an on-budget delivery.

Design and Engineering

The wooden roof of Haikou citizen tourist center has a total area of 100,000 sqft. Spread across the undulating roof are 350,000 specially thickened red cedar shingles, providing cladding and weather protection.

The building roof adopts a prefabricated wooden structure with a large area and complex buildup. The adoption of the wooden roof not only makes the building stand out, but also adapts to the local climate characteristics of Haikou and improves the regional microclimate, providing a comfortable space experience for users.

The roof structure is a combination of three different doubly curved free form roofs overlaying each other, with spans as long as 25m and cantilevers as much as 12m.

Each is a unique roof shaped by dual lines of singly curved glulam beams and straight purlins, all modelled with 3D software. To achieve the double curvature as simply as possible, the purlins were spaced and staggered to fit onto the drop beams in the correct geometry, and the plywood diaphragm was applied in two thin layers, with wood strapping to support the cedar shingles.

Lateral support for the roof is provided by both the adjacent concrete structures as well as steel V-bracing, strategically located near roof intersections, to minimize visual impact.


Erection Methodology

The design/fabrication team on 3 continents worked closely to plan fabrication and erection ahead of time, ensuring a quick and efficient site delivery. The erection involved assembling the wooden and steel components on site, and erecting each member in a pre-arranged sequence. BIM and team coordination was essential to complete the erection of the full structure.