Frei Paul Otto

(31 May 1925-2015)

German architect
and structural
engineer

“My hope is that light,flexible

architechture might bring about
a new and open society.”
Frei Paul Otto was a German architect and
structural engineer noted for his use of
lightweight structures, in particular
tensile and membrane structures.

Born: 31 May 1925, Chemnitz, Germany

Died: 9 March 2015, Warmbronn,

Leonberg, Germany

Books: Schriften und Reden 1951-1983,

Multihalle Mannheim, MORE

Awards: Pritzker Architecture Prize, Royal

Gold Medal, MORE
 STYLE
• authority on lightweight tensile and
membrane structures
• concerned with space frames and structural
efficiency
 Click icon to add picture

LIFE
• Began experimenting with tents for shelter
• After the war he studied briefly in the United
States
Visited Erich Mendelsohn, Mies van derRohe,
Richard Neutra, and Frank Lloyd Wright
• Began private practice in Germany in 1952
Few facts :
Pritzker Prize
German architect Otto died just
days after discovering he had
been chosen for the Pritzker
Prize, architecture's equivalent
to the Nobel. His swooping, tent-
like roof structures are often
cited by leading architects as a influenced by the forms of
significant influence on their
own work.
His influences Structures in nature
Created by suspending During the course of his
membranes on light steel life, Frei Otto collected
networks, with column and classified images of
and cable supports, the the structures of
curving shapes that nature. They served
typified his work were him equally as
inspiration and free
tents, soap bubbles and association and as
umbrellas. specific objects of
investigation.
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Main characteristics of his building :

Asymmetry Abstraction Free flowing Membrane Spacing of solids

structures and voids
.

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Timeline

Born West Germany Pavilion Umbrellas for 1977 Pink Wolf Prize in Passed
Floyd Tour Architecture away

Earned doctorate in Thomas Jefferson Honorary Doctorate Of Royal Gold Medal of

tensioned constructions Medal In Architecture Science from University Architecture by RIBA
Of Bath

1925 1952 1954 1964 1967 1972 1974 1975 1977 1980 1980 1985 1996-97 2000 2005 2006 2015

Roof structure of Pritzker Prize

Started private practice Roof Of Olympic Aviary at Munich Zoo Japanese Pavilion at
in Germany Stadium, Munich expo 2000

Director of Institute of Mutihalle, Tuwaiq Palace, Saudi Premium Imperial in

lightweight structures at Mannerheim Arabia Architecture
university of Stuttgart Month, 20YY

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 JAPAN
PAVILION
-HANNOVER, GERMANY.

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INTRODUCTION
○ NAME: JAPAN PAVILION
○ ARCHITECTS: Frei Otto , Shigeru Ban.
○ LOCATION: Hannover, Germany.
○ DESIGNED IN :1997-1999.
○ BUILT IN: 2000.
○ The Japanese Pavilion for Expo 2000 was a grid
structure made ​of recyclable paper tubes
resulting in a building with honeycomb.
○ It took three weeks to assemble the building.
○ 72m long, 35m wide and 15.5m high, on a plot of
5,450 m², crenate an exhibition area of 3.015m ²
and administrative offices.

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CONCEPT
○ The protection of the “environment” was
the theme of the exhibition in Hannover .
○ The concept developed for the Japan
Pavilion was the creation of a structure
whose materials could be recycled when
it was dismantled.
○ They designed a curved tunnel paper,
supported by a matrix of tubes of
recycled paper.
○ Thereby making it less technological
construction possible.

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STRUCTURE
○ The German authorities refused to allow a
structure made only pressed paper tubes held
together at the joints with tape, so that it took a
second to serve as a support structure, this time
made ​of wood and thus obtain legal permits.
○ Paper tubes were placed at a flat track on a
temporary scaffold then used to push the grid
paper to the final form.
○ After this, the previously curved wooden structure
was placed in position and connected to the main
structure of the tubes.
○ The paper architecture has been approved by the
Ministry of Construction as new structural method
Japan.The structure was then covered with a
translucent membrane.
○ In the case of the Japanese Pavilion for Expo 2000
was necessary wood structural reinforcement in
order to obtain regulatory approval in Germany. 
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MATERIALS
○ The main structure of the pavilion was made ​of pressed
paper tubes that facilitated their subsequent demolition
and recycling.
○ The secondary structure was wooden.
○ The wavy shape consisted cardboard tubes.
○ The membrane structure was also covered the paper,
although it was necessary to add a PVC membrane for
fire safety issues, made in Japan and consists of five
layers fireproof and waterproof, allowing natural light to
enter the room.
○ Instead of using concrete, foundation consist of boxes
made of steel frames and lugs, filled with sand to allow
for easy reuse later.

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MULTIHALLE
-MANNHEIM

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MULTIHALLE:
• The Multihalle is the generation process of the pavilion, based on a Grid shell.

• Otto developed a Grid shell form finding process that involved hundreds of scale models of Grid
shells. He developed a catalogue with several forms and shapes that the Grid shells can generate
when hanged. Just like Gaudi, Otto worked on scale models to see the behaviour of the grid he was
working on. The studies he did where about form and shape but also involved architectural basic
needs, as space and light.

• The Grid shell is a structure which derives its strength from a double curvature surface. The most
important thing about this kind of membranes is the perimeter, which has to be rigid enough to
support the deadweight of the structure and most important, all the loads sitting above it. Otto
worked on models with a rigid permiter from which to hang the Grid shells he fabricated. After that
he hanged on the Grid shell small loads that would represent actual and real weight of the materials
used to build the structure and the membrane.

• The entire structure measures 160 x 115 meters; the highest dome point is 20 m above the ground.
Its widest span is 60 m, its longest is 85 m. The shell construction consists of two resp. four layers of
interlaced slats of Canadian hemlock wood, placed 50 cm apart. Each lattice slat is 5.5 cm wide. The
shape was calculated at the Atelier Warmbronn with the aid of a hanging model, and
photogrammetrically assessed and converted into a digital model by Klaus Linkwitz

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• When the form findig process was over, and Otto just had in mind what he wanted to build, the construction
process begun.
• Take in mind that in that time computers where not as accessible as they are now, so all the calculations
where done by hand.
• The Gridshell was assembled on the ground and very carefully it was put it in place.
• Due its dimensions, this process was quite long and a lot of scaffolding was needed.
• The other important fact about its size was the stifness of the entire structure, Otto’s team designed it
composed by hundreds of small triangular cells to give the whole structure the strenght needed.
• Obviously there were parts that needed and extra structural reinforcement.

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• The resulting building that Otto designed turn out to be an amazing construction, from the inner space to the
smallest details of structure. Finally the building served as exhibition space and hosted the restaurant of the
RuralCity exhibition.
• If you want to know more about the Frei Otto Mannheim Multihalle, there is an IL (IL 13) that covers the entire work
process, detailing technical aspects of the design and showing all construction phases.

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TUWAIQ
PALACE
-SAUDI ARABIA

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INTRODUCTION
Tuwaiq Palace, leisure center, is a response to the unique opportunities presented by the site, a design worthy of the
majestic promontory overlooking the Wadi Hanifeh deep underneath.
At the heart of the concept was the need for the physical protection of the environment, in contrast with the desire to offer
the unique panorama view available on the site. This contrast in the concept became one of many that were later found in
the project: a construction that proves light and heavy at the same time, a garden and a desert, modern technology and
traditional openness and solidity.
In response to the location, which emerged in the international competition were two schemes, first that of Frei Otto in
association with Buro Happold on the other Omrania. The first showed the potential of the idea of ​using the tents as a
shading device, flying over spaces organized in groups, creating a visual impact on the desert plateau. The second scheme, of
Omrania, based his project on creating a backbone with terraces, embodying the unique topographical character of the
place. The client decided to hire the two firms for them to work together, for his sensitive attitude towards the environment
and most promising scheme could evolve as a result of their combined efforts.
• The conceptual development among architects collated Omrania linear development and the organic nature of the draft
presented by Otto, an interaction evolved from “the wall” and “tent”, resulting in the final scheme. Tuwaiq Palace is built
around the idea of ​an oasis with terraces, patios and caves enclosed within a sinuous spine of outer wall exerted by
following the natural relief of the place.

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SPACES
The total area of ​the complex is 75,000 m², with an area of ​8,500 m² ground floor offers a combined total area of ​approximately 24,000 m²
available to the public. The building is created by a wall 800 meters long and 12 meters high, with a width that varies between 7-13m.
The mass of the spine that runs through the building gives the image of a fortress or palace with its huge terraced walls, stone cladding in
the area, and rare and scattered openings. This look combines with the shape and color of the surrounding landscape: the terraces and the
main wall edges resemble the terraces of the valley, corrugated plants shops and walls recall the ravines that traverse the rocky plateaus,
creating wavy edges and cliffs. The inner courtyard of the project, with the conical walls of the spine evokes the presence of an oasis in a
depression of the valley.
TENTS :
Attached to the wall that forms the perimeter of the building, on the outside, there are 3 white tents. The tent located to the north
contains a restaurant for 300 people, the tent of the West is a living facility, and store This is a multipurpose room overlooking the pool.
There are two other tents on the side of the garden, one store serves as the main entrance and lobby, and the other includes an
auditorium for 200 people.
AMENITIES :
• Distributed among the 24,000 m² Tuwaiq Palace offers recreational, social, restaurants, banquet and conference halls. It has bowling
lanes, billiards, nursery, library and secretariat. These roles are combined with club facilities swimming, tennis, squash, sauna, fitness,
recreation rooms and formal and casual dining. All technical, mechanical and related facilities support staff are included within the
Palace

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STRUCTURE
The building has a curvilinear shape complex plane that makes a gradual reduction in exterior walls to form a hollow
inhabited, the “backbone”.
From an upper level of this column tents hang three Teflon fiberglass and two cable networks ceramic tiled. The
three white tents are supported by radial cables attached to the spine of the building steel masts fan shaped. The
cables are attached to ground level sloping masts and folding in “A”, hinged and tied to the anchor blocks buried in
the rock. Stores that face the interior gardens are also supported cable networks, but they are directly attached to
the wall without supporting masts.
The walls are reinforced concrete in situ. The slabs are supported on precast concrete beams that support the floor
slabs, allowing spaces 10 or 12 meters.
• CABLE NETWORK :
• The structures that create a network of cables provide an economical means of covering large column-free spaces.
Over the network, the roof is conventional, except for the ceramic tiles made especially in scale and secured to
wooden laths with a unique set of spring clips. This allows the individual tiles can be replaced easily. The overhead
lights in the wall interface, is a direct response to the structural system.

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MATERIALS
Reinforced concrete, cables and steel poles were used as structural material, mostly hidden behind the casing, except for the
ends of wires and poles. The concrete wall is covered with an insulating material, and finished with limestone blocks 24cm
thick Riad, about 5cm mortar. Reinforced concrete foundation was poured in situ, being used also for slabs, walls and beams.
The white tents are made of fiberglass fabric coated with Teflon. To help protect against the increase in temperature in
summer, another thin membrane coated fiberglass and Teflon serving as a ceiling of wire mesh hiding. Stores that face the
garden are covered with glass tiles with drawings of fish and custom made. Under the shops are glass walls that seal.
The fabric structure is the major piece of glass fiber membrane and Teflon coating to date. They offer an effective translucency
of 7%. These stores have segmented lining membranes of similar but lighter materials that are removable for cleaning and
maintenance. Thermally maintain an internal temperature of 24 º C when the outside thermometer reads 46 º C
On the floor of the local stone was used gardens. All the technology is imported except masonry with sandstone blocks in the
area. Coarse sand blocks and Arriyadh limestone lining the huge outer walls.
Inside some finishes were performed with concrete mixed with coarse sand, creating a granular coating, also used stone tiles,
marble and sand.
• The building is controlled by a computerized monitoring equipment for the electric charge, scheduled to limit power
consumption to a predefined level.

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OLYMPIC
STADIUM-MUNICH

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INTRODUCTION
○ NAME: OLYMPIC STADIUM
○ LOCATION: Munich, Germany.
○ ARCHITECTS: Frei Otto, Gunther Behnisch.
○ BUILT IN: 1968 – 1972
○ The architects Günther Behnisch and Frei Otto
were in charge of designing and the stadium.
○ They raised a lightweight structure where
tensions are nullified by a system of supports
and cables, allowing both economy and new
way.
○ They pioneered the use of mathematical
calculations based on computational
procedures to determine the shape and
behavior of the surface of the cover.

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CONCEPT
○ The first Olympic Games in Germany were held in 1936 in Berlin. For the latter to be held in Munich in
1972.
○ Their goal was to design a structure that emulates the motto of the games: “The Happy Games” as a
whimsical architectural response to cover the heavy and overbearing shadow left by the Berlin games.
○ Otto and Behnisch conceptualize a structure that continuously flow along the site mimicking the
draping and the rhythmic elevations of the Swiss Alps.
○ A structure suspended like a cloud that seems to float over the place branching between the pools, gym
and the main stadium.

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SPACES
○ Besides the buildings covering membrane, a number of volumes also covered by the suspended surface
are used as flexible spaces for stands, used during events.
○ As the cover system works through the artificial landscape to the Main Stadium, the membrane begins
to compress about the same.
○ The dramatic change in the scales of the deck increases the perception of artificial floating landscape
that is formed from soil, to create large open volumes again become integrated into the soil.

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AREAS

○ The name Olympic Park has been used to designate the

whole area in general, there is no official name for the
area. On the contrary, the general area comprises four
separate sub-areas:
• Area Olympic Games, including Olympic Stadium and the
Olympic Hall in the Olympic Tower, also belonging to this
area and Olympic Swimming Hall for events.
• Olympic Village, consisting of two residential areas: one
for men and one for women.
• Olympic Park, south of the Olympic area, this park
includes Olympic Mountains.
• Lake water for some competitions.

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STRUCTURE - MATERIALS
○ The stadium has dimensions of 105x68m
capacity for 69,250 spectators, with a grassy
field surrounded by track.
○ INDOOR STADIUM:
• The roof which covers and unifies the stadium,
tracks and pools, was developed based on the
use of their form and behavior.  The metal
frame, whose small spaces were coated with
PVC, created minimal weight.
○ The roof of the main stadium is a polyester
fabric coated with PVC suspended
independently in each of the cells formed by a
network of prestressing cables.
○ It took large pipes and steel cables to lift and
keep in the air the structure on which the
canopy would be supported. The cables
ranging from 65 to 400 meters long
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GERMAN
PAVILION
EXPO’ 67
-MONTREAL , CANADA.

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INTRODUCTION
○ NAME: GERMAN PAVILION
EXPO’69
○ ARCHITECT: Frei Otto
○ LOCATION: Montreal, Canada
○ BUILT IN: 1967
○ BUILDING TYPE: Exhibition
Hall
○ "Frei Otto and Rolf Gutbrod
attempted, with this
competition-winning project,
to create a man-made
landscape.

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DESIGN
○ The cavernous interior contained modular steel platforms
arranged at different levels.
○ The entire area was covered by a single membrane of irregular
plan and varying heights.
○ Its contours were determined by the high points of the masts
and the low points where the membrane was drawn, funnel-
like, down to the ground.
○ Eye loops filled with clear plastic material accentuated these
points and the saddle surfaces they created.
○ The prestressed membrane consisted of a translucent skin
hung from a steel wire net, which, by eye, ridge, and edge
ropes, was connected with the mast heads and anchor blocks."

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DETAILS
○ composite high-and-low-point net with 8 support points, 3
restraining points in combination with 3 continuous ridges, 31
perimeter anchor points
○ maximum length: 130 meters (427 feet), maximum width: 105
meters (345 feet), covered area: 8,000 square meters (86,000
square feet), mast heights: 14 to 38 meters (46 to 125 feet)
○ Otto also preached the need for temporary structures that were
easy to assemble and recycle.
○ With few components, all of which could be adapted to virtually
any site and terrain condition.
○ His systems of masts and canopies were a radical simplification
of traditional building methods that valued rigidity and
permanence.
○ Once it had been designed and pre-fabricated, the German
Pavilion in Montreal was assembled on-site in a mere six weeks,
only to be dismantled shortly after the fair.

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OTHER STRUCTURES OF FREI OTTO:

UMBRELLAS AVIARY AT
FOR 1977 MUNICH ZOO
PINK FLOYD
TOUR
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FREI OTTO - Form Finding and Path Contoso Ltd.
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FORM FINDING – Frei Otto: Spanning the Future

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BY:
STUDENTS OF AURORA DESIGN INSTITUTE, HYDERABAD.
Sri valli-18261AA071
Ramya Shanmukhi-18261AA055