In 2019, a masterpiece of engineering opened its doors in Steinberg am See, Germany. The worldwide largest walkable wooden sphere (capacity for 950 visitors at a time) by inMotion Park Seenland GmbH is superlative in many ways. With a weight of over 500 tons, a height of 40 metres and a diameter of almost 50 metres, this project can already be seen from afar. 627 m³ of glued laminated timber, 190 tons of steel parts, 40,000 screws, 18,000 bolts/building screws/dowels, 3,300 m² cladding panels, and 2,200 meters of railing - these are just a few of the key features of this enormous project.

The twenty external structural glulam elements have an arch engraving of around 15 metres and a total length of 55 metres. Due to these dimensions, a holistic logistics and assembly concept was developed early on together with our partner and client Almholz. This made it possible to provide the glued laminated timber elements at the factory in Kleinheubach with two joints and to prefabricate them completely. After delivery to the construction site, the individual elements have been subsequently joined and erected. Each with a weight of around 17 tonnes.

Given the complexity of the supporting structure, the architecture itself, and the requirements of structural wood protection, this unique project marks another milestone and a novelty in the project history of HESS TIMBER.

The complex prefabrication as well as the subsequent preassembly and erection of the glued laminated timber elements has been one of the biggest challenges for all involved.