Structural engineering

As structural engineers, we have specialised in the fields of lightweight structures, spatial
structures of particular elegance, as well as innovative and adaptable construction
techniques. Here, all conceivable building materials come into consideration when making the
appropriate choices with regard to utilisation, fabrication, cost and availability, as well as to
the technical knowledge and craftsmanship at hand.

We take great pleasure in playing with the forces, the mysteries of material behaviour and the
shapes of structures. We work with an awareness of the significance of traditional craftsman-
ship and the cultural value it embodies, whilst applying state-of-the-art computer-aided
technology.

We gain particular satisfaction from exhausting the unprecedented methods for generating
and processing geometric data for presentation, communication, structural analysis and
production.

Our role model is nature, with its unrivalled, beautifully efficient structures.

 

The range of our projects to date includes:

 

Realisation of objects

Being able to grasp the essence of an artistic design and to assist in the realisation of its final
form, in an optimal fashion, always proves to be a challenge for us during the technical
project development of (mostly large) art and design objects. Since we wish to explore all the
manual and production-orientated skills, as a part of this process, as well as having an
influence on quality, cost, and scheduling, we gladly take a step further from the planning
side to the execution. This notion also applies to the realisation of special constructions of all
kinds.
We believe that we have the greatest chance of comprehending the limitations of physical,
technical, financial and scheduling feasibility, when we closely accompany the process of
creation and/or manufacturing together, with all involved parties, and are thus able to
maintain an appropriate influence over all the details. In so doing, we are able to relieve our
clients from a multitude of technical and organisational tasks.
We are able to take charge of either a part or the whole of the:

We have a network of selected specialists on hand from all branches necessary to manufacture
the objects. Numerous examples of our collaboration on art objects and specialized structures
can be found under projects.

Project management

Interdisciplinary operation, communication, structured processing and supervision thereof, are
prerequisites for the successful execution of projects. Due to our experience in realising
objects and our participation in large international projects, we are in a position to offer
project management on its own.

Shop drawings

Correct and comprehensive shop drawings are decisive for the executing firms’ success of
a project, especially in the field of complex spatial structures. Here, we can make our
contribution using state-of-the-art software developments in spatial geometry and
construction.
The transition from a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional plan, or its conversion
into production data for machine-tools, is daily routine for us. We frequently use software
that we have individually adapted to assist us in making our shop drawings more efficient and
flexible (e.g. generative geometry, parametric design).
The ArtEngineering GmbH is also able to offer shop drawings, without structural engineering
services.

Product and technology development

Our interdisciplinary team is predestined for the innovative development of products, due to
its specialized and diversified know-how. We have developed, patented and often installed,
textile-spanned and backlit modules, as well as tensioning systems for large-scale textile
applications, such as ceilings and wall coverings.
A further key aspect of our technological development is the manufacture of doubly-curved,
sheet-metal structures. In this regard, we are involved in shaping processes, according to the
principle of the so-called form-finding load-case (see summaries of Switbert Greiner’s doctoral thesis and
Herwig Bretis’s master’s thesis) and the development of specific welding techniques.
We look forward to venturing down new roads, employing our inventive talent when
contributing to the technical planning of a project, developing products and entering into new
areas of business together, with you.