SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures

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SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures
Practice information
Key architects
  • Mustafa Rasch, Chairman
  • Jürgen Bradatsch, Chief Architect
Founded1980
Significant works and honors
BuildingsConvertible Umbrellas and Sliding Domes for the Extension of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina
clock and tower-top of the Makkah Clock Tower
AwardsBest Innovation, "International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction", Houston, Texas

SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures , based in Stuttgart, Germany, is a design & build contractor whose work centres on the design and construction of innovative lightweight architecture and special structures. Among the most famous projects are the large retractable umbrellas in front of the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower, the biggest clock tower in the world.

Contents

History

During the course of his studies, the company founder Dr. Mahmoud Bodo Rasch worked with Frei Otto, Germany’s second Pritzker Laureate and pioneer of lightweight engineering and natural structures for architecture at the Institute for Lightweight Structures at the University of Stuttgart and, in 1969, at the Design and Development “Bureau Atelier Frei Otto Warmbronn”. In 1980, Mahmoud Bodo Rasch founded the architecture firm Rasch and Associates and then, in 1991, the special and lightweight construction firm SL GmbH. In 1998, Rasch's long-standing chief architect Jürgen Bradatsch became a partner in the architectural office Rasch und Bradatsch. Since 1998, the company has been trading as SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures. Since 2014, Mustafa Bodo Rasch has been managing the company.

Profile

SL Rasch pursues Frei Otto’s [1] principles of lightweight construction on the basis of interdisciplinary, scientific research and brings minimalistic forms together in harmony and in awareness about the cultural, historical and technical requirements of the structure as well as the surrounding environment [2] . The interdisciplinary team is composed of architects, structural and mechanical engineers and computer experts, complemented by specialised teams for ornamental design, project management and visual communications. Innovative concepts with the quest for lightness and elegance and the inherent geometrical and structural complexity represent the core business of the company. The focus lies on lightweight, retractable and moving structures, which cannot be approached by standard techniques of structural engineering. Modern computer-aided methodologies for the design process are developed and applied to enable complex layouts and to turn architectural solutions into reality. In the pursuit of excellence, SL Rasch assumes overall responsibility for ambitious projects: from design and engineering, through production and technical consulting, to final implementation and maintenance.

Selected Projects

Related Research Articles

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Mahmoud Bodo Rasch is a German architect who specializes in the construction of large convertible umbrellas and lightweight structures. He is founder and owner of SL Rasch GmbH Special and Lightweight Structures with branches in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Jeddah, Mecca and Medina.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medina Haram Piazza</span> All weather prayer cover

Medina Haram Piazza Shading Umbrellas or Al-Masjid An-Nabawi Umbrellas are convertible umbrellas erected at the piazza of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia. The shade of each umbrella is extended in the four corners, with a total area covered of 143,000 square meters. These umbrellas are aimed to protect worshipers from the heat of the sun during prayer, as well as from the risk of slipping and falling in the event of rain. Similar structures are built at the square of the mosques worldwide. At Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, there are a total of 250 umbrellas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Sadiq (photographer)</span> Egyptian army engineer and surveyor

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References

  1. Otto, Frei; Nerdinger, Winfried; Barthel, Rainer; Technische Universität München; Pinakothek der Moderne, eds. (2005). Frei Otto - das Gesamtwerk: leicht bauen, natürlich gestalten ; [anlässlich der Ausstellung "Frei Otto - Leicht Bauen, Natürlich Gestalten" im Architekturmuseum der TU München in der Pinakothek der Moderne vom 26. Mai bis 28. August 2005]. Basel Berlin: Birkhäuser. ISBN   978-3-7643-7233-0.
  2. Werkbund Bayern; Museum Villa Stuck, eds. (1995). Frei Otto, Bodo Rasch: finding form: towards an architecture of the minimal: the Werkbund shows Frei Otto, Frei Otto shows Bodo Rasch: exhibition in the Villa Stuck, Munich, on the occasion of the award of the 1992 Deutscher Werkbund Bayern prize to Frei Otto and Bodo Rasch. Stuttgart?: Axel Menges. ISBN   978-3-930698-66-0.