BITEC, the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre, is a large exhibition venue located east of Bangkok in the Bang Na district.

Dextra was involved in the Phase 2 expansion of the exhibition center, which took place between 2014 and 2016. The expansion project added three exhibition halls, increasing the exhibition space by more than 32,000 sqm under a ceiling height of 25 meters.

Dextra worked together with contractor Italian-Thai to engineer and supply long tension rod systems that support the roof structure above the new BITEC exhibition halls.

In total, Dextra delivered 298 assemblies in various diameters, each composed of multiple rods connected with couplers and turnbuckles and anchored to the structure with fork ends. In several cases, the total assembly length exceeded 50 meters (with an average of 33 meters).

Delivery took place at the end of 2015, and installation was completed by mid-2016. Bangkokians can still easily admire the tension rod roofing structure when stopping at BTS Bearing station or driving along the Bang Na-Trat highway.

For such large structures, tension rods offer a number of advantages compared to other “tensioning” solutions: lower elongation under loads, lower post tensioning forces required, better resistance to corrosion, reduced long terms relaxation and reduced maintenance and surveillance costs.

Moreover, they are easily to install thanks to their fork ends and offer a very aesthetic roofing structure.