We’ve done it – the first sections of the willow tree sculptures are now in place! Since the beginning of November, two four-meter-high willow trunks have risen into the sky at Lichtenfels’ Archive of the Future
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The willows are composed of structural steel. Upper Austrian auto and container manufacturer, Gföllner Fahrzeugbau und Containertechnik in Stritzing, produced them using the cobalt process, a state-of-the-art laser welding technology.
Initially the willows were to be produced using industrial 3D printers. However, due to stringent structural analysis requirements this idea had to be shelved. Acquiring certification and approval for 3D printed metal components to be used in the construction sector remains an exacting, long-drawn-out process in Germany. Relying on this type of production would have required individualized technical assessments for each component, followed by a series of onerous testing phases that ultimately would have delayed completion of the project by several years.
Although a measure of patience is still called for, soon visitors will be able to witness the artificial trees in their final, fully mature state – stretching skyward in a meticulous array of articulated branches. Until next spring, only the lower sections of the willows will be visible. Before completion can become reality, the external cladding – made of large prefabricated concrete slabs – first needs to be positioned around the steel and glass structure. Only then can the willow architechture, weaving up and around the building, be completed. This elaborate installation will be conducted in several stages, with over 2 km of branch-work being grafted onto the trunks in the form of laser-cut tubing.
Significant progress is also being made on the interior of the building, with completion expected by the end of the year. We look to the future with optimism, holding to our plan to settle in and open our doors in the summer of 2023. But a visit to the site is well worthwhile even now: the mighty trunks lining the periphery of the Archive of the Future have become the latest attraction on Lichtenfels’ market square.