Conrad Roland facts for kids
Conrad Roland (born Konrad Roland Lehmann; 1934 – September 25, 2020) was a German architect. He was a pioneer in building something called "spacenets" (also known as tensile structures). You might know these best as the cool rope climbing frames you see on playgrounds! In 1978, he designed and built the biggest spacenet ever, called the Super Four Mast Spacenet, for a big garden show in Germany.
Contents
Conrad Roland's Early Life and Studies
Conrad Roland was born in München, Germany. After finishing high school, he learned how to be a carpenter. This means he was skilled at working with wood. From 1954 to 1963, he studied architecture at several famous universities. These included the Technical University of Munich, the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and TU Berlin.
Working with a Master Architect
While he was studying, from 1959 to 1961, Roland worked as an assistant. He helped in the office of a very famous architect named Mies van der Rohe in Chicago. This was a great chance to learn from one of the best!
Starting His Own Architecture Work
In 1963, Conrad Roland started his own business in Berlin. He focused on studying and planning unique building ideas. These included "Hanging-houses" and, of course, "Spacenets."
A Big Stadium Idea
In the 1960s, Roland worked with another architect, Jörn-Peter Schmidt-Thomsen. They designed plans for a huge sports stadium in Abu Dhabi. Their design won a competition! However, the stadium was never actually built.
Sharing His Knowledge
Conrad Roland wrote a book in 1965 called Frei Otto – Spannweiten. This book talked a lot about spatial net architecture. He even received a special scholarship to help him write it. Later, in 1967, he was a guest lecturer in Portsmouth, England. In 1967 and 1969, he gave talks about his "Hanging Houses" ideas in Canada and the United States.
The World of Play-Spacenets
From 1970 onwards, Conrad Roland spent most of his time developing "Play-Spacenets." These are the fun climbing nets you see in parks! He won many awards for his amazing work on these structures.
Founding a Company
In 1974, Roland started his own company called "Conrad Roland Spielbau." This company designed and built rope play equipment and climbing nets. It operated from 1974 until 1985. The company that took over, COROCORD Raumnetz GmbH, still uses the first letters of his name today!
Building the Biggest Spacenets
In 1975, Roland created the "Super Two Mast Spacenet" for a big garden show in Mannheim, Germany. Later, for the garden show in Düsseldorf in 1987, he built the "Super Four Mast Spacenet." This is still the biggest spacenet in the world! You can find it in Südpark Düsseldorf, and it's still used today after being fixed up in 2007.
More Than Just Playgrounds
While Roland mostly designed spacenets for playgrounds, he also saw many other uses for them. In 1974, he even got a patent for his "Spatial Networks." He imagined them as multi-level sun terraces, frames for climbing plants (trellis), summer houses, beach pavilions, or even structures for exhibition spaces and shops. He also thought they could be used for seats, reclining furniture, and even work scaffolds!
Conrad Roland lived in Hawaii starting in 1987.
Images for kids
-
Conrad Roland
-
Model of the sports stadium in Abu Dhabi
-
Super Four Mast Circus in Düsseldorf, Germany
