b' ~-::;b:,t,,.6vP- ., $ c-,,.-,,i~e~.-.-.r- ,.~.,.-.ea. COMINGJ::t-;1:,:/- ,~~ w~ ,,, . THROW-AWAYSTRUCTURESTOPROVIDE YEAR-AROUNDROOFINGCONSTRUCTION T HEYCALLhim"Frei thetentmaker"and"roofertothe world."He\'s designed structuresthat look like soap bubbles, giant envelopes forcitiesandpneumatictentsthat shelter groves of trees.His buildings, whichmayspan acres,aremade of plasticsheet,thinmetalmembranes and wire netting.And he\'s not unhappywhenhisworkisthrownaway. It is only a matter of time until structuresof this type will be usedto top buildings, old and new, to protect the men, the materials and the application work from the vagaries of the weath These illustrations show typical er, aconcept which falls in line withinstallationsofairsupported agovernmentdirectivetothecon structures., structionindustrytofindwaysand meansofprovidingyearroundemployment. A sample of the German architect\'s output - awhite,translucent,freeform tent, held in place by masts and cables, currently floats over the Museum of ModernArt\'sgardenterrace."You dipanet,madeof wireorditioning system. It sheltersashowofhisprojectsthreads,intodetergentsolution,"he"We couldmoderateclimaticconand completed works, displayed in gi says,"and the way the filmclings toditionstopermitvegetation,"says ant photographs: exhibition halls, out it willshowyouthemost favorableOtto,aslight,animatedman of46, door theaters,sports arenas, factoriesshape oftheedgesandsupportsfor"and make agreen,pleasant city out - all designed in accordance with thethin membrane structures."of what is essentially an indoor room." Freitheoryofminimalstructures:Far more than just amast-and-ca He is alsonoted for his retractable that the minimum amount of materialbleman,however,Ottodealswith aroofs, which have been used for swimmustprovidethemaximumamountwidevarietyofarchitecturalformsmingpoolsandskatingrinksanda of flexibility.and techniques.Among hismost vi large open-air theater, in the ruins of Otto is best known here for his spec sionary projects are designs for pneu an abbey at BadHersfeld,Germany. tacularGerman Pavilionat Expo\'67,maticstructures,membraneswhoseTheroofs,whichcanbe furledand still standing in Montreal and housingshape and stability are insured by theunfurledatgreatspeed,aremoved thisyearachildren\'s playpark.Thispressure of air or other gasmixtures,along supporting cables by pulleys and hedesignedwithacolleague,Rolfratherthanconventionalstructuralwinches,orelectriccabletractors. Gutbrod.Theonlyworkofhisinmembers such as wallsor columns."At Bad Hersfeld, you push abutNorth America,it attempts to createOne of the biggest is a project forton,andyou cancoversome2,000 a"man-madelandscape,"withaan "Arctic city envelope,"donewithpeopleinthreeminutes,"saysOtto. mountainous exterior of peaks, valleystheJapanesearchitectKenzoTange,"But the idea is not so new.It goes and abyssesandacavernous interiorandcommissionedbyFarbewerkeback 2,000 years to the Romans, who containingmodularsteelplatformsHoechst A.G., a German manufactur coveredalltheirbigtheatersthat arranged at different levels.er of synthetic fabrics.The envelope,way." Atensilestructure,supportedbyabout 1miles in diameter and 787The architect,bornin Saxony, de masts and cables, the Montreal pavil feet high, is designed to house 45,000velopedhisinterest instructuraldeion is covered by asingle membrane,people.Consisting of alow sphericalsign as a child, .making models of airatranslucentplastic skinhungfrommembrane whose transparent syntheticplanes.Bytheageof15,hewas a steel wire net.Its design was devel fabric is reinforced by anet of poly pilotinggliders,andat17hewas opedfromstudiesofsoapbubbles,esterropes,itwouldbesustaineddraftedintotheGermanarmed whose"minimalsurface"formsarethroughinternalpressuregeneratedforces,becomingafighterpilotin much appreciated by Otto.by the city\'s nuclear-powered air con- WorldWarII. AUGUST,19719'