La Fondation Louis Vuitton opened in Paris in October 2014. This eye-catching building is the magnificent result of the dialogue between commissioning party Bernard Arnault, owner of the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group and the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry.
Technical challenge
The finish of the five rooftop terraces, with a total surface area of more than 1400 m2, was an unprecedented technical challenge for Zoontjens. The original choice was a natural stone slab on slab supports that complied with the normal standards and requirements for any construction project. The selected slab also met the aesthetic requirements, but proved unsuitable as a durable protection for the underlying roof covering structure. In addition, the slab floor had to be strong enough to withstand a load of 20 kN per slab, because of the movements and the support arms of the caterpillar vehicles.
Good combination of technics and esthetics
Because natural stone on its own is not strong enough to support the static and dynamic forces of the reach systems, Zoontjens proposed an alternative solution: concrete slabs with a natural stone top layer glued to the concrete, installed on, specially produced, DNS®Heavy. The slabs are large in size – measuring 900 mm x 500 mm and with a thickness of between 130 mm and 170 mm, depending on the individual rooftop terrace.
This solution was specially developed for this prestigious project, and fully remained within the project specifications. Both the aesthetic requirements of the architect and client are fulfilled, as are the technical requirements of the contractor and the consultants.
Case study
Read all about the custom made products for these spectacular rooftop terraces
