FREI OTTO

(31 May 1925)

Germanarchitectandstructural engineer.

LIFE
Began experimenting with tents for shelter After the war he studied briefly in the United States VisitedErich Mendelsohn,Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra, andFrank Lloyd Wright Began private practice in Germany in 1952 Awards 1974Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture 1996/7Wolf Prizein Architecture 2005RIBARoyal Gold Medal

FREI OTTO

Style .
authority on lightweighttensile and membrane structures concerned with space frames and structural efficiency experimented withinflatable buildings

structureconstructed using two layers ofmembraneconnected together cavity formed between the layers is pressurized with air producing a rigid structural element pavilions,airships,furniture, airspace structures,boats,escape slides, security mattresses,swimming pools,coverings,gamesandcastles,air bags
FREI OTTO

Academics.
Otto founded the famous Institute for Lightweight Structures at the University ofStuttgartin 1964

FREI OTTO

List of Buildings
1967- West Germany Pavilion atExpo 67Montreal 1970-Tuwaiq Palace, Saudi Arabia, withBuro Happold 1972- Roof forOlympic Stadium, Munich 2000- Roof structure of the Japanese Pavilion atExpo 2000, Hanover Germany (provided engineering assistance withBuro Happoldand architectural collaboration withShigeru Ban)

FREI OTTO

Olympic Stadium (Munich)

original capacity of 80,000 large sweeping canopies ofacrylic glassstabilized bysteelcables

FREI OTTO

Plan

Aerial View

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Details

the tensile glass tent-like roof

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Tuwaiq Palace
Recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 1998.

Tuwaiq Palace
enclosed by inclined curved walls, forming a sinuous curvilinear spine 800 m long, 12 m high, and 7-13 m wide, used for guest services and accommodations outdoor sports facilities, gardens, and extensive landscaping laid out in a pattern of complementary spirals, circles, and curves, in harmony with the building's undulations

Mushrooming from the spine are tents supported by tensilestructure technology design makes reference to two local archetypes - the fortress and the tent

The tents enclose the large-scale spaces: main lounges, reception areas, multi-purpose halls, restaurants, and a caf dramatic contrast between the lush greenery of the outdoor spaces enclosed by the spine and the arid rocky plateau beyond its walls The white tents are made of Teflon-coated, woven fibre fabric The tents are enclosed by glass walls

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