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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