Museums

Expansion of the Rimini Trade Fair

PROJECT DETAILS

City

Rimini

Country

Italy

Customer

Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A.

Architectural design

gmp - von Gerkan, Marg und Partner Architect

Period

2017-2020

Amount of works

53.000.000 €

Services Provided

Structure design

Sector

Museums

Dimensions

Surface area: 16,000 square meters
Diameter of the dome: 144 m

Construction technique

laminated wood

Europe's largest wooden dome

The new Fairgrounds Expansion is a state-of-the-art complex in terms of architecture, technology and performance.
The project involves the construction of a new pavilion with a circular shape that, architecturally and in terms of finishes, fits in with the aesthetic line dictated by the existing fairgrounds. The structure of the dome is made of glulam beams resting on steel capitals, which in turn are supported by reinforced concrete partitions.

The Pavilion has a maximum internal height of 36 m net in the central part of the dome with a free diameter of 144 m, a size not yet achieved by any domed structure in Europe.

Europe's largest wooden dome

The Pavilion has a maximum internal height of 36 m net in the central part of the dome with a free diameter of 144 m, a size not yet achieved by any domed structure in Europe.

The expansion of the Rimini exhibition center needs more than 8,000 square meters for exhibitions and events to complement the 80,000 square meters already built and inaugurated in 2001. The project calls for a circular space with a diameter of 144 meters free of pillars and covered by a 36-meter-high glulam dome, the largest in Europe.

Render with a bird's eye view of the new circular pavilion at the Rimini Fairgrounds

Render entrances of the new circular pavilion at the Rimini Trade Fair

The structural challenge

The roof of the pavilion represents a challenge from a structural point of view. A dome composed of a lattice of glulam beams measuring 240×1400 mm for the main ones and 240×760 mm for the secondary ones that projects a 144m diameter circumference, dimensions never achieved by similar structures on the European continent.

The choice of glued laminated timber, sourced from certified forests, ensures lightness to the structure and has excellent seismic-resistant as well as fire-resistant properties.