© NELE STRÖBEL

art and engineering

Thematic column 1

Kreuzblume

The flower-shaped tip of the sculpture hovers like a starfish in the foyer of the Red Cross hospital. This dynamic spatial composition iconographically represents the name and tradition of the 'Bavarian Women's Association under the Red Cross'. Kreuzblume corresponds to a white circle of granite inscribed in the floor which uses heliostats to reflect sunlight onto the bottom of the cone.

Its 33 elements were created from the geometric segmentation of a 2 cm thick, 4'85" m diameter aluminum disk. Affixed on steel cables, it forms a spiral traversing the 27 m high space on the diagonal.

Digital planning and execution:

1. Creation of a 3D model based on the analog CAD model; animated film.
2. Static inspection of mounting points for artwork, including structural planning and cable technology.
3. 3D execution and detailed planning.
4. Output of digital planning data needed by manufacturing group for measuring mounting points, cables, and water jet cutting.

Fountain

The outer sculpture of blue processed steel was designed for the circular entrance of the area hospital in Vilshofen, a small city with three rivers in Lower Bavaria.

Three light green steel tubes describe a space whose form develops from three morphed circles. Tipped from its vertical axis, the cylindrical form is 6'40" m high with diameters from 26 cm to 2'50" m. The foundation of the work is a grassy hill 1'40" m high.

Digital planning:
2D planning of basic matrix and model.

Trombe

The design for this rotunda in Essen, Germany, developed from impressions of a huge whirlwind on the Sea of China.

Trombe is 7 m high and consists of 14 concentric circles cut from an aluminum disk 3 m in diameter. The work's volume results from its suspension on three cables. Its tilt, suggesting a spiral, adds a dimension of tension to the round room.

1. 2D planning of basic matrix and model.
2. 3D planning of body.