The Teahouse was a present for the city of Frankfurt/M. by Japanese companies. It is placed in the entrance hall or on a little hill in the garden of the museum. When it is not used, it is waiting packed on a dolly.

The Teahouse got the working title „peanut“, because of its shape. A bigger cover encloses a smaller inner one. The two are welded airtight and are blown up like an inflatable mattress. Instead of bars both covers are connected with 306 cables which create a golf ball like surface.

When an inner pressure of 1.000 Pascal is reached, the „Peanut“stands, with 1.500 Pascal, the “smooth shell”’ is stabile enough to resist a storm.

The size of the contact area and the inner pressure determine significantly the stability.

formTL
consulting, design , structural design, tender documents, workshop design membrane

architect
Kengo Kuma/Japan

blowers
Nolting

membrane manufacutring
Canobbio

recently published
Detail Mikroarchitektur 2010
Deutsche Bauzeitung 07/2010
Steel construction.
Design and Reseach June 2011

awards
Architectural Digest 2007

photos
Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt

Gore Tenara 3T40 (630 gr/m² PTFE-fabric with laminated fluoric foil) and 38% translucency