Blockfest is the largest hip-hop festival in the Nordic countries, taking place in Tampere, Finland, at the end of the summer. Each year, the festival brings together more than 60,000 music fans who want to see the greatest international and local hip-hop artists. The festival of 2017 was anniversary, the 10th, so the organizers were planning to celebrate it as impressively as possible.
STS adapted, designed and installed the stage according to the presented scenography and equipment needs.
Blockfest was planning to build the Prolyte XXL roof, which is the world’s second-largest standardized roofing system (37m wide, 20m high, and 20m deep stage with a rising roof).
In the case of the festival, the stage was non-standard:
- special additional load order from the organizer;
- difficult weather conditions.
Non-standard load and weather conditions
STS engineers had to resolve the untypical situation and get ready for a scenario of 32-ton load on the Prolyte XXL roof system. 32 tons include audio, lighting, video equipment and decorations. Their total weight exceeded the standard capabilities of the roof.
Also, a strong wind was expected both on the date of the event and during the preparation (up to 16m/s). A balance of as much as 53 tons was used to ensure stability of the structure and safety of the participants during the event. To imagine the size of this measure, for comparison, one Mini Cooper weighs around 1 ton, and standard rooftops usually use a balance of about 8-12 tons.
SCIA Engineer – Software of the Future
This special order – a standard stage modified according to expected load and weather conditions – was designed and implemented with the latest SCIA Engeneer software. This future concept is currently gaining more and more popularity around the world.
Building Information Modeling is a revolutionary process of digital design of a building or infrastructure, during which all project-related data is created and managed at all stages, from the initial design concept to its implementation or even disassembly.
The SCIA Engeneer program is exactly that. It combines everything from modeling and analysis, to designing and reporting. This efficient and precise designer-engineer software allows developers to make a complete structural analysis of the object, and to design, calculate and create a 3D model of the project.
The equipment is designed for engineers. It includes a powerful modeling environment, a high-performance network generator, and a very fast finite element solution, as well as integrated tools for checking and optimizing various structures.
This new technology was also used by STS specialists in preparation for the Blockfest festival’s standard stage modification project:
- designing the 3D model,
- calculating load and construction safety,
- roof reinforcement system.
For this purpose, additional columns and BGR 70 trusses, which can withstand extreme load, were used.
To implement the project:
- 2 hoists and a 5m crane were used,
- collaborative work of 14 STS and 8 local professional installers,
- 3 days for assembly.
SCIA Engeneer program helped STS engineers to design and implement the following non-standard projects:
Technology: design and implementation of standard stage modification
Location: Tampere, Finland
Partners: Prolyte, Prolyft, StageDex
Year: 2017