QINGDAO, CHINA – TENARIS

Tenaris is the largest global producer of steel pipes for the energy industry, such as oil and gas, and other industrial applications. The company decided to build a new factory in Qingdao, China, which upgrades and transforms an old industrial building. The entire design of the new facility was developed around the spatial and functional requirements of a special automotive machinery. The project was designed by Taramelli in partnership with local engineers and approved by the Chinese authorities.
The main critical issue was not the architectural design, but the actual construction in China, which had to take into account local building and plant engineering customs.
The terrain chosen for the factory presented some surprises right from the start. The presence of granite elements in the subsoil required them to be broken up and removed before the foundations were laid.
The elevated structure required the positioning of columns and connection beams on which roof beams and floors were mounted. Together with the construction of the internal office rooms, intumescent paintwork was also carried out for the primary and secondary structure. Finally, the roof was coated externally with an anti-corrosive material that also runs over the large skylights and large windows that contribute to the natural lighting and ventilation of the working areas.
With regard to the internal spatial arrangement, the project team had to devise special solutions to suit the production machinery.
In addition, a shelter was also planned, used for maintenance and an instant check of the conditions of the air and water treated by the equipment and capable of housing a system for generating compressed air and demineralised water. This system was also designed and manufactured in Italy and transported to China: it is equipped with an Atlas Copco compressor, a battery of filters and an air collection tank certified CCC according to Chinese standards.

Location: Qingdao
Year: 2015 – 2016
Highlights: Factory building in China
Designer: Taramelli srl.
Photographer: Courtesy of Tenaris

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