Busterminal

Aarau (CH) 2012/2013

A steel table and a large cushion wrapped by an arbitrary net of steel cables do not only form a bus terminal but a functional art piece in the urban space. A borderless pattern of bubbles has been printed on the blue upper and the transparent lower ETFE-foil. The world’s largest inflated cushion has been built very airtight and energy efficient.

Integrated building services:
All pipes for roof drainage and air are invisibly integrated, as well as wiring and control and feedback systems into the steel structure. Hence, the roof is clean and at the same time visually complex and readable: Bottommost are the bus lane and the pillars, followed by the cable network and the clear membrane. Behind these are the table structure, the upper blue skin, and finally the upper wire ropes.

Data

formTL
structural design, workshop design steel, foil and cables, quality control and site control

architect
vehovar & jauslin, Zürich

general design contractor
and concrete structure
suisseplan Ingenieure AG Aarau

light design
Atelier Derrer

wind tunnel
Wacker Ingenieure

print design
Stefan Jauslin + Paolo Monaco

realisation
Arge Foliendach RUCH AG (CH) + Vector Foiltec

printing
Reisewitz

air support
Elnic

cables + nodes
Top-Line

photos
Niklaus Spoerri

Material

ETFE film 250 μm
Clear, blue dyed through and printed