SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures
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| SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures | |
|---|---|
| Practice information | |
| Key architects |
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| Founded | 1980 |
| Significant works and honors | |
| Buildings | Convertible Umbrellas and Sliding Domes for the Extension of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina clock and tower-top of the Makkah Clock Tower |
| Awards | Best Innovation, "International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction", Houston, Texas |
SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures, based in Stuttgart, Germany, is a design & build contractor whose work centres on the design and construction of innovative lightweight architecture and special structures. Among the most famous projects are the large retractable umbrellas in front of the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, the biggest clock tower in the world.
History
During the course of his studies, the company founder Dr. Mahmoud Bodo Rasch worked with Frei Otto, Germany’s second Pritzker Laureate and pioneer of lightweight engineering and natural structures for architecture at the Institute for Lightweight Structures at the University of Stuttgart and, in 1969, at the Design and Development “Bureau Atelier Frei Otto Warmbronn”. In 1980, Mahmoud Bodo Rasch founded the architecture firm Rasch and Associates and then, in 1991, the special and lightweight construction firm SL GmbH. In 1998, Rasch's long-standing chief architect Jürgen Bradatsch became a partner in the architectural office Rasch und Bradatsch. Since 1998, the company has been trading as SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures. Since 2014, Mustafa Bodo Rasch has been managing the company.
Profile
SL Rasch pursues Frei Otto’s[1] principles of lightweight construction on the basis of interdisciplinary, scientific research and brings minimalistic forms together in harmony and in awareness about the cultural, historical and technical requirements of the structure as well as the surrounding environment.[2] The interdisciplinary team is composed of architects, structural and mechanical engineers and computer experts, complemented by specialised teams for ornamental design, project management and visual communications. Innovative concepts with the quest for lightness and elegance and the inherent geometrical and structural complexity represent the core business of the company. The focus lies on lightweight, retractable and moving structures, which cannot be approached by standard techniques of structural engineering. Modern computer-aided methodologies for the design process are developed and applied to enable complex layouts and to turn architectural solutions into reality. In the pursuit of excellence, SL Rasch assumes overall responsibility for ambitious projects: from design and engineering, through production and technical consulting, to final implementation and maintenance.
Selected Projects
- 1987: Solar-Powered Umbrellas, 5 × 5 m, Dschidda, Saudi-Arabia
- 1987: Toldo for the Qubāʾ-Mosque, Medina, Saudi-Arabia
- 1988: Theater Roof for an open-air theatre, Wiltz, Luxembourg
- 1990: Tents for a Beach Palace „Thuwal Palace“, Thuwal, Province Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 1992: 27 „Sliding Domes“, movable hi-tech domes for the inner courtyards of the Prophet´s Mosque, Medina, Saudi-Arabia
- 1992: 12 large-scale retractable umbrellas (17 × 18 m) as convertible shading roof for the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi-Arabia
- 1992: Integrated lighting system for the piazza around the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi-Arabia
- 1994: Umbrellas for the inner courtyard of a Renaissance Castle, Wasseralfingen, Aalen, Germany
- 1995: Domes for Guekdepe Moschee, Turkmenistan
- 1995: Two-mast tent in a park, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia
- 1996: Star wave tent and umbrellas, 5 × 5 m for the Biennale, Venice, Italiy
- 1996: "Jubilee ship", pneumatic construction for the University of Arts, Berlin
- 1997: Tents for a beach palace in Obhur, Saudi-Arabia
- 1997: Hi-Tech Tent City as temporary accommodation for two million pilgrims, Mina, Saudi-Arabia
- 1998: "Maqam Ibrahim", shrine for the Al Haram mosque, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 1999: Mobile tent roof for the Robinson Club, Fuerteventura, Spain
- 1999: Domes and lighting system for the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 1999: Domes for Putra Mosque, Putrajaya, Malaysia
- 2000: Roundtents for the company Storek, Leonberg, Germany
- 2000: Retractable umbrellas (16 × 16 m) for the forecourt of the Al-Hussein-Moschee, Cairo, Egypt
- 2000: "Kaaba Stairs", mobile staircase for the Kaaba in the Holy Mosque, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 2000: Venezuela Pavillon for Expo 2000, Hannover, Germany
- 2001: „Tanzbrunnen“, star-shaped membrane roof for an open-air location, Cologne, Germany
- 2001: „Sail Island“, four-point sails at the Red Sea, Corniche Jedda, Saudi-Arabia
- 2001: Stair-climbing electric vehicle
- 2002: Toldo for Villa d’Este, Rome, Italiy
- 2002: Retractable umbrellas with folding arm system for Hôtel d’Angleterre, Lausanne, Switzerland
- 2002: "Minbar", mobile pulpit for the holy mosque, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 2003: Desert Ship 1, Desert vehicle
- 2004: Convertible roof, Scherenburg castle ruins, Gemünden a. M., Germany
- 2004: Tent roof for a Retail Center, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia
- 2004: Umbrella concept for event roofing, concept with Frei Otto, Schlossplatz, Stuttgart, Germany
- 2004: VIP-Travellounge
- 2005: Desert Ship 2, Desert vehicle
- 2007: Shading umbrellas and tent roof, Royal Terminal, Dschidda, Saudi-Arabia
- 2007: Umbrellas for the hotel terrace for Sandy Lane Hotel, St. James, Barbados
- 2009–2012: „Tower Tents“, lightweight roofscape on the Abraj Al Bait Towers, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 2010: Membrane awning, International school, Stuttgart, Germany
- 2011: 250 large-scale retractable umbrellas (26 × 26 m) for the Holy Mosque of the Prophet, Medina, Saudi-Arabia
- 2012: „Makkah Royal Clock Tower“ on top of Abraj Al Bait Towers, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 2013: Retractable Umbrellas on Sundance Square, Fort Worth, Texas
- 2013: „Temporary Mataf Ring Structure“, Provisional circular bridge for pedestrians, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 2015: „Prototype U53“, Development of the biggest convertible umbrella in the world, Mekka, Saudi-Arabia
- 2018: Forecourt with umbrella roof in front of a casino, Stuttgart, Germany
- 2019: Convertible membranes for skylights, Private Club House, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- 2022: Yurt tent with membrane canopy, Nature Kindergarten, Tübingen-Derendingen, Germany
Awards
- 1992: Award of the Deutscher Werkbund Bayern
- 1993: Award for Best Innovation, "International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction", Houston, Texas
- 1993: First prize in the international competition "Imam Bukhari Educational Complex", Samarkand, Uzbekistan
- 2014: Abdullatif Al Fozan Award for Mosque Architecture
References
- ^ Otto, Frei; Nerdinger, Winfried; Barthel, Rainer; Technische Universität München; Pinakothek der Moderne, eds. (2005). Frei Otto - das Gesamtwerk: leicht bauen, natürlich gestalten ; [anlässlich der Ausstellung "Frei Otto - Leicht Bauen, Natürlich Gestalten" im Architekturmuseum der TU München in der Pinakothek der Moderne vom 26. Mai bis 28. August 2005]. Basel Berlin: Birkhäuser. ISBN 978-3-7643-7233-0.
- ^ Werkbund Bayern; Museum Villa Stuck, eds. (1995). Frei Otto, Bodo Rasch: finding form: towards an architecture of the minimal: the Werkbund shows Frei Otto, Frei Otto shows Bodo Rasch: exhibition in the Villa Stuck, Munich, on the occasion of the award of the 1992 Deutscher Werkbund Bayern prize to Frei Otto and Bodo Rasch. Stuttgart?: Axel Menges. ISBN 978-3-930698-66-0.
External links
- SL Rasch GmbH Website
- SL Rasch – Best Solutions for Innovative Lightweight Architecture
- SL Rasch – The Future of Engineering Initiative
- The Makkah Clock Film
- Interview with CEO Mustafa Rasch on meaningful constructions
- A Forest of Umbrellas Keeps Medina Pilgrims Cool