The new car park in Sønder Voldgade in Fredericia, Denmark, needed an artistic touch, and fibreglass proved the ideal solution. World-famous artist Kirstine Roepstorff used fibreglass gratings in part of the facade to create an exciting play with light, while still managing to comply with the building's weight restrictions. It's definitely not just another concrete construction!

A new car park in the Sønder Voldgade district of Fredericia with space for 300 cars is under construction. According to Jes Knudsen, project manager for the contractor A. Enggaard A/S, the goal is to build an excit-ing car park that people will admire.

'It's the facades and the environment around the buildings that people comment on. They don't look at the actual technical installations. Fiberline gratings are the foundations of the art project, and we build on from there. The aim is also to make the car park part of the townscape, and not part of the industry,' explains Jes, A. Enggaard A/S, Project Manager

Art with a technical foundation
World-famous Danish artist Kirstine Roepstorff was brought in to achieve the vision. This job is not the first art project that A. Enggaard A/S has completed, and yet it has still been a challenge as the art had to be wo-ven into the construction while also ensuring the durability of the facade. In order to comply with the construction's restrictions, the installations could not exceed 100 kg per m2.. Gratings from Fiberline were used to make this artistic vision a reality.

'This was the framework that the artist had to play with. Fiberline's fibreglass gratings were perfect for the weight required, and also gave Kirstine the depth she needed to bring light into the building. This is where functionality and aesthetics come together as one,' says Jes.

By using Fiberline's gratings, Kirstine Roepstorff was able to bring a play of light into the car park during the day, and outside at night. The result is a double-light effect, where the light changes depending on where you stand, which was the effect that Kirstine wanted to create.

Short processing time, fast assembly
This is not the first time that Jes Knudsen has worked with Fiberline. He has used Fiberline's fibreglass grat-ings for technical shafts in previous projects as the gratings are easy to process, can support all joints and are flexible when it comes to the installations.

In this construction, the fibreglass gratings from Fiberline are essential for complying with the weight re-strictions. This is because the material is lighter than traditional materials, such as concrete. It's also durable and doesn't require maintenance.

'There's a good half a metre of 'free overhang' at the top of the building. And this is where the grating really comes into its own as it supports itself. There's no need for additional support behind to keep the grating in place, and it has a nice light appearance when you look up at it from below. So the fact that the grating is both lightweight and strong makes it the right choice. Even though it might give a little, because it's flexible, it doesn't snap like concrete,' says Jes

Fiberline's gratings makes it possible to save time and resources as the profiles can be processed on-site. Processing fibreglass gratings is easy because unlike steel, they can be adjusted on-site and then installed. So using Fiberline's products makes assembly much faster. A. Enggaard A/S also chooses Fiberline products over others because they go the distance in harsh environments, such as harbour quays, without the risk of corroding.

Premium service
Jes Knudsen is extremely satisfied with his collaboration with Fiberline as the company not only advised him on how to design and fit the gratings, but also ensured a fast delivery. Samples of the gratings were sent to Kirstine Roepstorff's studio so that she could touch and see the product herself. This enabled her to find the grating that provided the desired light effect.

'I couldn't have got the project off the ground without the necessary technical sparring with Fiberline. It is solely thanks to the direct contact with Fiberline and Klaus Folkmann, Technical Solution Manager at Fi-berline, that we got it to work. The fact that we were able to drop by, see the gratings and bring home a sample was essential to the project's development. It's a sparring worth it's weight in gold,' says Jes.