Construction drawing of Suzhou Bay Cultural Center Grand Theater

The Grand Theater of Suzhou Bay Cultural Center was constructed by the central enterprise of Hubei Construction - East China Company and installation company of China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. There are a total of nine roof trusses in this sliding construction, and the overall shape is "C" shape, with a long span of 41.3m. The project adopts domestic advanced large-scale steel structure sliding technology. First, a working platform is set up on the south side of the Grand Theater, and as many as 260 large-scale steel components are hoisted to the platform, welded and assembled into 9 steel trusses. After connecting the auxiliary sliding device, a pulley is installed at the bottom of the truss, and slides to the designated installation position through a special track. The whole process does not require workers to work at heights. In order to ensure the welding quality, the project mobilized 18 experienced welding masters to work in three shifts 24 hours a day, using full penetration first-level welds for symmetrical welding to reduce welding deformation and ensure the precise docking of the sliding truss. "Such a new design is a great challenge to steel structure construction. For this reason, our team has developed a utility model patented unequal-length truss sliding construction auxiliary device, so that each truss can reach the same 'length'. The sliding rails are designed and installed on the east and west sides of the structure to realize parallel rail sliding.” said Yin Changhong, director of the steel structure project of the China Construction Third Bureau Installation Company.

If a truss with a height of 3.6m and a width of only 0.4m rolls over and overturns during sliding, the truss weighing about 4 tons may fall down like a domino. In order to ensure the stability and safety of the sliding construction, the project team designed a targeted anti-overturning device and adopted a construction plan in which two trusses slide together. Han Lei, who is in charge of the project's steel structure technology, said: "Before construction, we used computer simulation technology to repeatedly analyze the entire construction process, and performed animation simulations to explain the details to the operators. Space positioning, on-site hoisting, load stress release and other aspects are strictly controlled to ensure that the sliding construction is carried out safely and accurately.”

Suzhou Bay Cultural Center is located on the shore of the beautiful Taihu Lake. It is a brand-new, modern large-scale comprehensive cultural building. The overall design is in the shape of a "ribbon" symbolizing silk. After part of its grand theater is completed, it will be able to accommodate 1,600 people to watch performances at the same time, enjoy world-renowned audio-visual feasts, and become a cultural pearl dotted in the center of the "streamer".