Cundall’s structures team were delighted to receive a Commendation at the Structural Steel Design Awards for their work on the Ed Sheeran +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour.

This is the first known tour to use a temporary demountable self-supporting cable structure. The structure had to be able to be easily transportable, unloaded, and rebuilt in just three days across different stadia in the UK and around the world.

The touring structure consists of six 30m tall steel truss masts, positioned around the central stage, supporting a 60m span cable net constructed of 22mm diameter galvanized steel spiral strand cable. This, in turn, is used to suspend the central 21m diameter, 45t circular transparent LED screen over the stage, as well as 10t of audio systems. Additional audio systems and double-sided LED screens shaped like plectrums, both weighing 22t, are suspended from the top of each mast.

Two sets of steelworks were designed, detailed, and fabricated in six months, comprising 360t of steelwork in total. After one season of touring, comprising 52 gigs and 11 builds of each system, remedial inspection revealed no structural issues and only minor cosmetic repairs were required. The systems are currently in their second season of touring the world.

In awarding the commendation the judges commented: “This is a very good example of how structural steelwork can provide a temporary demountable structure. By adopting techniques typically used in other areas of construction, the team has developed an easily deployable structure capable of accommodating the variable constraints of multiple locations.”

Rasti Bartek, Partner commented: “We are delighted that the judges found our project interesting and that we have received a commendation. Well done to the whole Cundall team – Danilo Cava, Konstantinos Agrafiotis, Gonzalo Navarro, Akira Aguirre, and Dominic Beer – and thank you to our clients and collaborators for trusting us with the structural design of such an innovative and unprecedented structure. It was a great fun!”