Category 11 Tension & Air Supported Structures (coated fabrics, PVC Mesh, PTFE) 250sqm to 2000sqm WINNER

Company Name: Fabritecture

Project title: Australian Embassy, Jakarta

Project location: Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said Kav C

Fabric name: ETFE with Standard Frit Pattern

Fabric supplier: Asahi Glass Company

What are the project specifications?

The overall project was to provide an official residence for Australia’s permanent mission to Indonesia. The Jakarta Embassy is Australia’s largest embassy complex in the world , delivering Australian-based officers and their families’ accommodation and recreational facilities. Fabritecture provided the ETFE suspended canopy over the chancellery courtyard. The project was designed as a floating canopy over a courtyard area to keep people sheltered from the elements. The structure was specifically manufactured for longevity, utilising stainless structural steel & ETFE foil. The project is located in Jakarta, Indonesia, within the Australian Embassy.

What was the purpose of the project?

The purpose of the project was to provide shelter over the courtyard of the chancellery building. The canopy was designed to ‘float’ within the space, supported by stainless steel tie rods that are fixed to the concrete substructure of the main chancellery buildings to create the aesthetic illusion. The client requested a canopy that offered complete protection from the elements to the courtyard area below. The client also required longevity from the structure, hence the use of stainless structural steel and long lasting ETFE.

What is unique or complex about the project?

The project had parameters that we don’t get to work with often, which therefore provided some occasional challenges:

1. The use of stainless structural steel was the most complex element of this project, as the material can be very challenging to work with. A 100% trial assembly in the factory was completed prior to installation as stainless steel is extremely difficult to modify. This meant no holes or drilling could occur on site, so everything had to be perfect before it arrived on site. Tolerances of ETFE are tight, so the Structural stainless steel framing system had to be perfect

2. The installation required working within a courtyard therefore the space didn’t allow for any access equipment. The entire installation was by scaffold, which had to be built up to the 10th storey. A tower crane was used to drop the frame components into place from above.

3. Project-specific challenges experienced during installation included language barriers, working with local contractors, customs issues with delivery of materials and equipment, and collaboration with the Indonesian Government.

4. The ETFE canopy is unique, not only because of the combination of stainless structural steel & ETFE material, but also the suspension of the entire structure via tie rods to ‘float’ in the courtyard.

What were the results of the project?

The completed project as produced an unreal result. The ETFE canopy resembles a floating cloud above the chancellery courtyard, providing an aesthetic protective solution for the outdoor area.

This project met the brief & design expectations, pleasing the client. The structure performs the function it was intended, reflecting a successful project.

Is there any other relevant information?