Completed Lahuta Center with large skylight made of ETFE film

Taiyo Kogyo Corporation has completed a large skylight made of ETFE film for the Rafta Center, which was awarded through its German subsidiary, Taiyo Europe GmbH. The Rafta Center, which Taiyo Europe GmbH has been awarded a contract for, is a commercial facility with the theme of “sustainability” planned for St. Petersburg, Russia. ETFE film cushions were used for the skylights above the atrium that runs through the center of the Rafta Center. ETFE film, a high-performance fluoropolymer, is a very light and thin material, but it is highly durable for more than 20 years and has a low degree of cloudiness due to ultraviolet rays. The film is processed into a four-layer cushion, which is inflated with air to maintain structural stability. The skylight above the atrium is 300 meters long and up to 60 meters high, with a hyperbolic parabolic roof. Taiyo Europe GmbH was awarded the contract to design, fabricate, and install the ETFE film cushions and steel frame, and fabricated and field-erected approximately 4,090 square meters of ETFE panels, which were completed in 2019. The construction required extremely high level of technical expertise due to the complex geometry of the steel frame structure and on-site installation during the winter season in Russia. Under the theme of “sustainability,” the Lahuta Center received LEED*1 Platinum certification on December 24, 2018, and the ample natural light provided by the ETFE film skylights contributed to the certification. Furthermore, at the CTBUH Annual Awards organized by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)*2, the facility received awards for excellence in five categories: “Tall Building 400 meters or more,” “Structural Engineering,” “Facade Engineering,” “Construction,” “Geotechnical Engineering,” and The Lahuta Center was awarded in the following five categories The Lahuta Center is scheduled to open in 2021.
1 An environmental performance rating system for architectural and urban environments developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a non-profit organization, and operated by the Green Business Certification Inc. organization for planning, design, construction, and operation of high-rise buildings

About Taiyo Europe GmbH

Founded: 2004
President: Frank Höreth
Location: Sauerlach, Germany

 

About Lahuta Center

Owner: Renaissance Construction (Russia) Design: RMJM (Russia), Gorproject (Russia) Structure: Maffeis Engineering (Italy) Construction: Renaissance Construction (Russia)