For the new Glasshouse Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), seele engineered and installed a suspended all-glass façade that translates the architects’ vision into a technically precise building envelope.
Designed by Blight Rayner + Snøhetta, the new venue features a highly corrugated façade of curved and flat insulating glass panels in both convex and concave geometries. To support the required transparency while maintaining a minimal material palette, seele developed a discreet steel substructure tailored to the project’s complex design.
Behind the façade’s visual lightness lies a complex structural engineering concept. Because the entire glass façade is suspended from above, the behaviour of the steel roof structure became a key factor in both design and installation. To achieve the final geometry, the upper steel beam was installed with a calculated pre-camber based on expected roof deformation under glass load. During installation, temporary weights were used to pre-load the steelwork and bring the structure into equilibrium before glazing, minimising stress on the glass and ensuring precise execution.
Learn more about seele’s scope of work here.
