Ziptruss

Light structure

Hosted by Glass & Swinging Structures bv

This project is now archived and was part of DDW21

Event type

Exhibition

Location

Strijp T+R

Piet Hein Eek

Halvemaanstraat 30

5651BP

Ziptruss during test in lab TU Delft

David van der Peijl

Illuminated glass tubes make a truss beam. The beam supports a rail with a seat that can be ridden like a zipline. The resulting forces in the glass tubes are measured and shown by colored lighting in the tubes. Red for tension, blue for compression.

An educational structure

Forces acting in structures are abstract, they cannot be observed. The Ziptruss makes these forces visible in a spectacular way: The structural members themselves light up to show in real time the compression and tension forces. The rail with the seat allow the visitor to apply a force (their own weight) to the structure and move that force along the length of the beam. This results in a dynamic pattern of forces in the truss and corresponding light spectacle. The Ziptruss has been developed to make forces visible to first year students in lectures on Statics at Delft University of Technology. The following firms have sponsored the project: TU Delft: Concept, research, testing G&SS: Design, engineering Proliad: Aluminium components Octatube: Steel frame and node connectors Schott: Glass components Glasstec: Funds De Cirkel: LED Lighting advice

Ziptruss white light

David van der Peijl

Ziptruss in disco mode

Ate Snijder

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Hosted by

Glass & Swinging Structures bv
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0031648462284
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About Glass & Swinging Structures bv

Our name says it all: We want to design objects, buildings and bridges using glass. Even if the design is not solely about glass we will still make sure it is considered a “swinging structure”. What is a “swinging structure”? The essence is that the user of a “swinging structure” has a positive experience: He or she is pleasantly surprised. It implies that we will respect nature and design as sustainably as is realistically possible, paying attention to circularity and modularity.