Hydroforming of etalbond®, the basic concept for the façade of the new Theater Tower Building in Amstelveen

Modern theater demands sophisticated equipment and a lot of space for stage design. The height of the old theater building was extended and the internal space reconfigured to a ceiling height of 7m so that new scenography equipment, ladders, gangways, nettings, and light support beams could be accommodated.

The Tower building envelope used a ventilated façade support system, which allows full air recirculation between the façade and the insulated substructure and much improved building energy performance. The substructure is made out of pre-cast concrete slabs which are supported by a steel frame. The outer skin of the façade consists of aluminium composite panels etalbond®, with a fire retardant core and are coated with a 3 layer PVDF coating for superior weathering resistance. The cassette dimensions are 1.5m x 1.5m, where a spherical shape has been hydro-formed. Etalbond panels are supported by a hanging Ventilated façade system that allowed fast installation and reinforced the aesthetic vision of the architect. Hydro-forming is a manufacturing process that applies hydraulic pressure on the panel which sits on a female mold of a given shape, in this case half a sphere.