Open-Air Theater Grandstand Roof Structure in Sömmersdorf, Germany

An impressive roof structure was constructed over the Passion Play open-air theater in Sömmersdorf, Franconia (Germany). The self-supporting spatial steel structure includes a PVC membrane roof covering the 14,908 ft² auditorium. Only four foundations in total support the entire roof structure.

Grandstand Roof Structure | Open-Air Theater in Sömmersdorf

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Steel Roof Structure

The valuable Dlubal customer Joachim Ingenieure was the design engineer for this fascinating project. The engineering office utilized RSTAB for the structural analysis.

Structure

The main structure includes two pairs of framework arched trusses inclined in opposite transverse directions. The trusses have a free span close to 148 ft. Twelve additional trusses span the main arched truss pairs in the longitudinal direction. They also cantilever 26 ft at the end locations. The total length of the roof structure amounts to 131 ft.

The arched trusses as well as the intermediate trusses consist almost exclusively of circular tube sections. The roof’s transverse stiffness is provided by the arched trusses, while the longitudinal stiffness is provided by the intermediate trusses as well as X-braces.

The four abutments, constructed at a 45° angle, are fixed to the ground with a reinforced concrete foundation including micropiles with varying angles. The micropiles for one abutment measure a total length of 433 ft.

Client	Fränkische Passionsspiele Sömmersdorf passionsspiele-soemmersdorf.de
Architect	Dipl.-Ing (FH) Michael Theiss, Oberwerrn www.michaeltheiss.de
Structural Analysis	Joachim Ingenieure, Schweinfurt Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Stephan Knop www.joachim-ing.de