Space trusses and no end?

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Herbert Klimke, Wolfgang Walochnik

This paper offers a short review of the development in the field of space trusses for a period of about 30 years, beginning with the partial roof structures of the Olympiastadion Berlin in 1974 until the glass cover for the Berlin Hauptbahnhof (main station) in 2004/2006. During this period the technology has developed from the plane space trusses to the light weight spatial structures for glazed buildings, incorporating tension rods and cables as structural elements. The marking projects of this exiting development are exemplarily presented together with some reflections on the structural design process.