Structural

university of luanda, angola

Battle McCarthy were appointed as multi-disciplinary engineers to provide the building services design of the University complex as well as the specialist structural design of the steel sun-shading roof over the teaching rooms and courtyard areas.

The sun-shading structure consists primarily of a frame of equally spaced lightguage steel louvres or "blades" with a Z-shaped profile to provide the required shading characteristics. These 300mm deep blades span approx 4.5m on to the central support beams and are joined together using simple bolted cleat plate connections. Over the open courtyard areas the shading continues in a similar manner, but using elegant, lightweight steel bow-string trusses, designed to resist both dead loads and wind uplift forces.