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The Market Hall in Rotterdam is an architectural icon where living, shopping and market dynamics come together. At both ends of the arched building are Europe’s largest cable net facades. These impressive transparent membrane facades – 34 meters high and 42 meters wide – consist of 26 vertical and 22 horizontal galvanized steel cables that together form a stretched net, similar to a tennis racket on an enormous scale.
With a diameter of 31.3 mm, the cables are particularly slim. They are attached to the concrete structure via cast-in-place steel “nest boxes” and interconnected with specially developed galvanized steel cast nodes in which the glass fastening is also integrated. Due to the light but strong construction principle, the entire net including nodes weighs only 9 kg/m² – considerably less than conventional facade systems.
Hot-dip galvanized steel: durable, slim and low maintenance
The choice of hot-dip galvanized steel was essential for the longevity and ease of maintenance of the facades. In the well-ventilated climate behind the facade, hardly any corrosion occurs, so the expected life span is much higher than the required 50 years. This makes the facades virtually maintenance-free – an important added value in a highly stressed urban environment.
Thanks to the use of high-quality prestressing steel, large deformations can be allowed: up to 700 mm of deflection in extreme winds. This flexibility is a distinctive principle of cable mesh facades and enables the exceptional slenderness (more than 1:1000).
The glass infill supports the concept of an open market hall: maximum transparency, plenty of daylight for the dwellings in the archway as well as a view of the 11,000 m² artwork on the inside. A facade that almost disappears – thanks to steel power that actually remains visible.
