Bieri builds new membrane canopy for Rapperswil Castle
Grosswangen/Rapperswil-Jona - Bieri Tenta AG from the Swiss canton of Lucerne has delivered the new canopy for Rapperswil Castle’s historic courtyard. Made of crystal-clear PVC film, the membrane structure, which measures around 435 square meters, replaces a 20-year-old version.
Bieri has replaced the funnel-shaped canopy in the courtyard of Rapperswil Castle in the Swiss canton of St.Gallen. For nearly two decades, the existing structure had been exposed to wind and weather, as well as being assembled and disassembled many times. According to a statement, the new canopy features a 0.8-millimeter-thick, crystal-clear PVC film. Creating the funnel-shaped structure with a net area of approximately 435 square meters required 875 square meters of material.
This film was reportedly significantly more challenging to fabricate than the PVC fabric tarps normally used. “Crystal-clear PVC film has high surface adhesion and literally sticks to everything,” writes Bieri. The membrane was designed so that the existing anchor points could still be used, while the design considered both the changed material properties of the previous structure and the latest technical capabilities.
The new canopy is now successfully in situ. Bieri carried out the installation in collaboration with the Wald & Holz division of the Rapperswil-Jona local municipality. Responsible for work planning and manufacturing was Bieri Zeltaplan GmbH, based in Gerichshain near Leipzig, Germany. Like Bieri Tenta AG, it is part of the Bieri Group. Project management and engineering were handled by Bieri Tenta in Grosswangen in the Swiss canton of Lucerne.
