The Flange Vault
Castellated Industrial Flange
Truss Barrel Vault
The MECANCO Castellated Industrial Flange Truss Barrel Vault is a one-of-a-kind architectural engineering achievement — born from the deliberate fusion of industrial construction logic and refined architectural design sensibility.
At its core, the structure reimagines the traditional castellated industrial flange truss and reinterprets it as a double-arched, curved profile tubular truss of extraordinary visual and structural sophistication.
Each truss member is fabricated with the flange detail integrated within the curved tubular profile, producing an arched structural grid that is as visually captivating as it is structurally formidable.
Spanning an uninterrupted 21 meters column-free, the tubular grid achieves a large-span roofing envelope that challenges conventional structural norms.
Application & Utility
Built For Function.
Engineered As Infrastructure.
Installed within a large industrial facility, this barrel vault structure serves as the primary roofing and structural infrastructure for a premium employee locker room and changing facility.
The column-free 21-meter span creates an expansive, unobstructed interior environment that accommodates the facility’s functional layout with complete freedom.
Beyond its primary roofing function, the structural grid performs multiple roles simultaneously — supporting interior lighting and fan fixtures, housing MEP service runs, carrying the glass facade cladding and anchoring the main entrance facade — all mounted on and integrated with the primary MECANCO structure.
The multi-coloured truss treatment transforms the interior into an inspiring, identity-rich space that reflects the industrial character of the facility while elevating the everyday experience of its employees.
Our Edge
When Industrial Engineering
Becomes Architectural Identity
There are structures that shelter, and there are structures that define. The MECANCO Castellated Industrial Flange Truss Barrel Vault belongs firmly in the second category — and the response it received from architects and clients upon first render presentation confirmed exactly that.
Never before encountered in this form, this structure left an immediate and lasting impression — not merely as a roofing solution, but as a genuine work of architectural engineering.
Our team took the raw industrial vocabulary of the castellated flange truss and elevated it into a double-arched curved form of remarkable refinement — achieving a 21-meter column-free span while simultaneously serving as the structural backbone for facades, services and interior fit-out.
The decision to celebrate each truss in a distinct colour was embraced and executed with the same precision as every other element — transforming structural members into a powerful expression of identity.
The result was formally recognised with an architectural design award — a fitting acknowledgement of what becomes possible when industrial rigour and architectural imagination are allowed to speak the same language.