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The
Sinco Engineering Group's new M&GResearch Laboratory is actually
located in Venafro
in the Molise region of southern ltaly.
The building design, a large tensile canvas in
the middle of a pool of water, calls to mind the
mountainscape surrounding the valley of the
River Volturno.
Its light and airy form subtly draws attention to
the Research Laboratory.
The white canvas roof is designed to solve both
functional and formal problems, providing an
economical way of roofing over the spacious
areas where the prototypes and pilot units
used for research purposes are located. The
local climate, seismic charocteri9tics of the
site, and speed with which it can be
constructed, all make it an ideal design
solution.
The outside shell is inscribed in an almost elliptical-shape
base measuring 85 x 35 meters.
The tensile structure, housing o longitudinal arrangement
of offices, laboratories and service rooms,
rises up vertically around a central area used
for the prototypes and pilot units. The roof
is held up by six symmetrical arches
constructed out of a web of stee1 elements
with on extremely light-weight frame (weighing
only 1 5 kilograms per square metre).
The elaborate structural calculations were worked
out in conjunction with the IPL Studio of
Canobbio that actually constructed the plant.
The arches ore connected by seven hyperbolic
parabloidal-shaped membranes made of a
ployester fabric coated with a layer of
PVC.
The entire structure is connected to its surroundings
by walkways made of clear grey concrete with
small gravel borders that actually cross over
the pool.
The huge covered structure, hermetically sealed
for safety reasons, is mechanically ventilated
by an extremely simple system of two fans (one
for drawing in air and treating it, the other
for extracting it out) placed at opposite ends
of the tent. This system creates pleasant
indoor air-conditioning and provides a cheaper
means of controlling the micro-climates of the buildings inside the tent
itself. Projectors casting light across the
huge canvas take care of the night-time
lighting,
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