Overview

In 2007, Persimmon Homes - one of the largest housebuilders in the UK - was tasked with creating a landmark housing development overlooking the popular Orwell Quay in Ipswich. However, in order to obtain planning permission for this iconic development, Persimmon Homes also had to include a proposal for a tensile fabric structure.

Design solution
RMA Architects worked with the design team at Fabric Architecture to develop this proposal in to a dramatic asymmetric Double Conic structure. The translucent tensile fabric canopy is mounted on a two-storey flat roof building, complementing the modern glass-fronted apartments. The structure then reinforces the contemporary architecture with angled masts of different lengths and caps of differing sizes, creating a dynamic asymmetry.

The complex canopy form, measuring 27m x 17m was created using Mehler Valmex white PVC supported by a powder-coated steel framework. To facilitate the irregular form of the design, Fabric Architecture undertook the structural design of the entire building. Anchor points were installed in the roof and around the building and tie rods reinforced the structure with connections to first floor balconies and ground level.