The cruise ship Queen Elizabeth, owned by the British shipping company Cunard Line, underwent a refit at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg in May 2014.

In this context, the shipping company decided to equip the outer decks 9 and 12 with textile structures from Textil Bau in order to offer its guests protection from excessive sun on the high seas and to give the outdoor areas on the ship a fresh maritime flair.

Together with its capable partners, Textil Bau succeeded in installing two elegant textile structures on the ship in record time. Barely three months passed between the date of the order and the handover date at the end of May. The ship was only in Hamburg for two weeks so that the necessary work, such as surveying, welding preparations and the installation of steel and membranes, could be carried out on board.

With the new structure on Deck 9, the previously open area between the pool and bar has been transformed into a comfortable zone with a large textile roof. The high pre-tensioning of the membrane ensures the safety of the structure even in high wind speeds up to hurricane force. It is completely waterproof and yet appears very light due to its translucency.

A lightweight arch structure was designed for Deck 12, which could be assembled in a very short time. The cross-sections of the arch girders were statically optimised to reduce their dead weight to a minimum. These were specially manufactured for this application. The relaxation areas for guests are located under the curved roof. Here, the shading not only provides protection from the sun, but also serves as a windbreak.