Owner: Church of Latter Day Saints
Client: Mon-ex International
As part of the conversion of this Columbus St, Manhattan building to a Church for the Latter Day Saints, Triodetic space frame design provided the support structure for the stepped roof-top campanile steeple & decorative spire. Travertine Marble & fiberglass cladding encloses the galvanized steel tube framework that provides the base of the angel spire that soars almost 100ft into the New York skyline.
Barrel Vaults: 42' Span x 19' Rise
Dome Roof: 39' Dia x 25' Rise
Apse Dome: 28' Dia x 9' Rise
Architect: Terry Marklevitz
Engineer: Nick Arountzidis
Contractor: Tonda Construction
Material Specification: Galvanized Steel Tube in Dome, in Barrel Vaults. Composite members comprise Steel bar & Timber. Cladding 20Ga. Duranar XL Bright Copper paint finish, Plywood 3/8" substrate, Exterior battens aluminum extrusion with factory-applied polyester powder coating, Stainless Steel fasteners.
The geometric shapes incorporated in this building effectively recreate the Byzantine architecture typical of churches from times past, but utilize modern space frame design and materials. The space frame design accommodates unbalanced snow loading over a complex combination of roof shapes and provides 9000 square feet of column-free space. A feature of this project is the use of custom cladding with metallic faux copper paint finish which does not weather to a green verdigris patina.
The Shah Alam Mosque, commonly called the Blue Mosque because of its distinctive blue enameled cladding, is referred to in tourist publications as one of the 8 man-made wonders of the world. When constructed, the space frame dome roof of this landmark building was the largest in the southern hemisphere and measured 40ft bigger in diameter than St Peters dome in Rome. The Blue Mosque dome illustrates how Triodetic spaceframes can provide dome geometry that differs markedly from spherical. The structural tube frame adopts a lamellar pattern which was most economical for this span & shape and more expedient to construct. Curved annular galvanized steel purlins provided attachment between the decorative metal cladding tiles & the galvanized steel tube frame network. Each year an estimated 300,000 people view this structure with its 4 distinctive minarets, and remains as pristine as the day construction was completed.
