Over the years, the Serge Ferrari Group has taken part in the organization of many events and the creation of many icons of tensioned architecture around the world. Its flexible composite membranes help reduce weight and offer a range of versatile and creative solutions, allowing architects to visualize buildings with unique forms thanks to flexible materials with unparalleled technical properties.
With innovation at the center of its strategy, the France-based industrial group has developed STFE specifically to meet the mechanical and aesthetic durability expectations associated with the most technically demanding projects. A closer look at this breakthrough solution for the construction and renovation industry Saint-Jean-de-Soudain, January 2022. Building on the continuing trend toward greater versatility, natural light and transparency, STFE is the first flexible membrane to achieve a level of transparency rivaled only by glass or polycarbonate - materials that are more energy-intensive or require heavier substructures - while maintaining the same technical advantages as any other Serge Ferrari solution . With a single layer sufficient to cover the roof or facade of a building, this new material is truly an outstanding technical achievement, as it successfully addresses the great challenge of reconciling exceptional mechanical quality, flexibility and transparency with high visible light transmission (more than 50%).
Istanbul airport
© Serge Ferrari
STFE is an unprecedented loose weave fabric (50-60% openness) made of polyaryl fibers coated with a transparent coating. The combination of these two elements results in a material that is at once flexible and easy to shape, lightweight, transparent, highly resistant to mechanical stresses and easy to use during both production and installation. These features have made STFE one of the most innovative products for tomorrow's architecture, with an emphasis on greater creativity and sustainability.
STFE :
- Versatility : flexibility and freedom of architectural form
- Lightweight (900 g/m2) : ten times lighter than rigid material
- High mechanical resistance to tearing and stretching (8 tons/meter)
- High visible light transmittance (TV 50%) for visibility through the membrane and natural light transmittance
- Fire resistance (Euroclass B, s1, d0)
- Easy installation and fabrication (HF welding, no construction cables, no inflatable airbags for tensioning)
- Excellent durability (aging tests conducted by independent laboratories have confirmed a lifespan of more than 20 years)
Horatio's garden
© Serge Ferrari
INNOVATION AT THE CENTER OF THE GROUP'S STRATEGY
Innovation, the driving force behind the organization's development strategy, is the cornerstone of the Serge Ferrari Group and a major source of distinction. The Group's research, which includes product formulations, production equipment and customer services, illustrates its unique approach to business and commitment to building a better tomorrow. The Serge Ferrari Group, which believes in sustainable construction to improve the lives of communities, is determined to offer solutions to help us build better with less, and to take steps in that direction.
Grand Palais Ephémère
© Serge Ferrari
For the Group, building better means supporting the evolution of living habits with safer, more practical and more durable solutions that provide maximum comfort with excellent design and quality of life. And building with less means facilitating theuse of lightweight and durable materials to meet climate and environmental challenges and provide a healthier and more comfortable living environment .
To achieve this, we must now recognize our responsibility and develop innovative composite fabrics that help imagine applications to meet the pressing environmental challenges we face.
Initiated in the early years after the company's founding, the strategic decision to invest heavily in innovation has allowed Serge Ferrari Group to become a leader in a growing number of markets over the years, offering solutions to new expectations and anticipating future market evolutions. Each year, the Group dedicates 4.5% of its revenues to research and development.
IGA AIRPORT ISTANBUL PROJECT
Istanbul's IGA Airport has replaced the former Atatürk Airport. With a maximum capacity of 90 million passengers per year, which is expected to grow to 200 million by 2028, it is now the world's largest airport in terms of both passenger traffic and space. An extension has been added to the building in the form of a covered walkway.
Istanbul airport
© Serge Ferrari
In addition to stunning visual appeal, the open walkway also had to protect users from bad weather and be filled with natural light for passenger comfort. The entire walkway is covered with a multi-material roof structure, including sections of Flexlight 1202 S2 material for transparency. But the most distinctive design feature is STFE, which provides transparency to avoid the impression of confinement and create a dynamic effect. Three sections of STFE provide dazzling skylights that enhance the design's aesthetic qualities.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Building owner: IGA
General contractor, steel structures and membrane manufacturing: Onart Structures Architect: Ozgur Kayabay
Membrane installation: Partner Global
GRAND PALAIS ÉPHÉMÈRE PROJECT
The Grand Palais Ephémère is a temporary building commissioned by GL Events Venues for the RMN (Réunion des Musées Nationaux) - Grand Palais and Paris 2024. Located on the Champ-de-Mars, it will operate until the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.The building will host all the major art, fashion and sports events traditionally held at the Grand Palais (Biennale Paris, FIAC, Art Paris Art Fair, Art Capital, Saut Hermès, Paris Photo, Révélations and the Chanel Haute Couture show), as well as a number of cultural and artistic events organized by RMN - Grand Palais.
Grand Palais Ephémère
© Serge Ferrari
Selected for its structural technical properties and transparency, the material was produced in the form of vertical panels covering the glazed facade and forming the building's outer shell. The transparency of the membrane inspired the design offering an intriguing perception of geometry between the double skin of the structure. Four one-piece crescent-shaped panels, each approximately 250m2 in size, were also installed to provide air and water tightness in a particularly difficult-to-reach part of the building.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Project owner: RMN (Réunion des Musées Nationaux)
General contractor and facility manager: GL events Venues
Architects and engineers: Wilmotte & Associés, Chabannes KEO Ingénierie and Lamoureux Acoustics
Wood construction: Mathis
Production and assembly: IASO
Photo credits: Hans Lucas
HORATIO'S GARDEN PROJECT - HOSPITAL AND BOTANICAL GARDEN
Horatio's Garden is a nonprofit organization that helps people recover from spinal injuries in a tranquil environment - a place where patients and volunteers can relax and release pain and/or stress from difficult situations.
Horatio's garden
© Serge Ferrari
The atrium, with its glulam cladding and diamond-shaped skylights, is the perfect place to enjoy the sun and natural light under cover. Landrell architects covered the entire roof with a tensile STFE 50 membrane to maintain visibility to the outdoors and avoid the feeling of being enclosed. The wooden structure and existing skylights were preserved, so the renovation was completed in just a few days.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Architect: Stephen Marshall
Design: Architen Landrell
For more information, visit the company 'sSERGE FERRARI page on theAiB portal.
