ENS HOUSE

Tension Structures was called in to do a retrofit fabric structure on an immaculately landscaped atrium at the ENS House (previously SHG House) building on Cape Town’s foreshore. The area was furnished with sleek polished granite facades and Tension Structures was asked to install a structure to provide those passing through the space to other areas of the building with protection from the rain.

In such a beautiful space, Tension Structures was reluctant to use steel structural supports that would disrupt the space. Instead, the fabric structure was hung entirely from tensioned cables that were fixed into the building and concrete slab, so that the space underneath could remain open. However, the building was soon to open, and it was necessary to fix brackets to tension the cables without damaging the granite cladding already in place on the walls, or the waterproofing on the slab. Cables were fitted through the granite walls into the concrete slabs of the building, and waterproofing reset around the brackets.