Design and construct of the 30.5 meter Flamenco Ice Tower

This paper will focus on the design and construct of the Flamenco Ice Tower, with a special focus on the structural behavior of the fiber-reinforced ice shell and inflatable mould. A Sino-Dutch Team realized a 30.5 meter high ice tower in Harbin, China. The team consisted of Dutch and Chinese students and professors. They realized the largest ice shell ever after two years of preparation. The design of the Flamenco Ice Tower is based on the shape of traditional Chinese towers, the flag of Harbin and a flamenco dress. The thin shell structure of 30.5 meters height has an average thickness of 25 cm of fiber-reinforced ice, which was sprayed on a huge inflatable. Ice can be reinforced by adding (cellulose) fibers such as wood and paper. These fibers make the ice up to three times stronger and increase the ductility, thus creating a reliable building material. This sustainable, fully recyclable building material might be a solution for temporary constructions in cold areas, ice events or even Mars missions. Lessons learned this research could also be used for making architectural shell structures in other materials like concrete or composites. The next goal for HIT and TU/e is to cooperate in the realization of ice structures for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in China.