News

UPDATE: 5.9.08

Sign up for construction updates

The Science of the Magic Carpet Roof

The Connecticut Science Center’s Magic Carpet roof is a gigantic work of art suspended nearly 250 feet from street level, and made possible by science. It is an extraordinary architectural, engineering, and construction undertaking. The roof, one of three covering the towers of the dramatic building, is up to 49 feet wide and 280 feet long.

The roof design is especially exciting because of the way each end extends far beyond the structure of the building itself. On the east side the roof extends 90 feet towards the Connecticut River. On the west side, it reaches 49 feet towards Columbus Boulevard.  These extensions, in engineering terms, are called cantilevers. 

Roof Correction Update
During routine review, the Science Center’s special construction inspector determined that the cantilevered sections of the roof were not originally in the right position. After extensive surveys and other analysis, the project team confirmed this finding to be correct and planning began to correct the issue. The process began with the removal of the east cantilever for analysis and re-engineering. The design team developed a new method to provide supplemental support for the east side cantilever using a new cable stayed-type of system, such as that often used on bridges. 

The adjustments to the west side cantilever were completed in January. On May 8, the first of two sections of the east cantilever was returned to its position and reattached successfully. The second and final section is expected to be reattached within the month of May.

About Cantilevers
Cantilevers extend horizontally away from a vertical support, so that there is nothing appearing to hold them up from beneath. This is a very significant area of construction technology, where science helps architects and builders create dramatic artistic shapes that appear to be magical.  About Cantilevers:Wikipedia

About Cable-Stayed Systems
A cable-stayed system draws on the same engineering principles used on many bridges to support long, horizontal structures.  In a cable-stayed system, the central bearing point, (the tower in the case of a bridge), is the primary load-bearing structure.  Here’s a picture of Boston’s Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, which uses a cable-stayed system as both an engineering solution and an architectural feature.

Unlike the bridge shown above, the Science Center’s support system is hidden on the bottom inside of the Magic Carpet roof structure, as shown below, so the roof will look exactly as designed from the outside.  Instead of cables distributing weight over a center point, steel rods will extend about 50 feet on one side and 25 feet on the other side to add support to the cantilevered roof structure.  In fact, the rods are adjustable, allowing engineers to set the precise angle of the cantilever during re-erection, by adjusting the nuts which connect the rods to the center point and each end. For the Science Center roof, the center point is positioned on the strongest area of the roof (indicated in green on the drawing below), and the rods connect the weight of the cantilever back to that point, and beyond, on the opposite side of the center point. 

Learn more about cable-stayed systems on Wikipedia. 
Click here for cable-stayed learning activities. 

Construction work on all other aspects of the project continues at a brisk pace.  Currently the building is being enclosed, utilities systems installed, floors poured, and windows secured.  Details of the progress can be viewed in our latest project update.

For additional information:
Science Center’s Live Web Cams.   
Science of Building Videos
Construction Update & Photos