De Hoop in Lobith commissioned Buitink Technology to supply and fit two skylights for the Silver Origin cruise ship

Benefits of ETFE sheeting skylights

The ETFE sheeting skylights supplied by Buitink Technology feature a number of major benefits, in particular when fitted to seagoing vessels:

• Compared to other systems (e.g. glass or polycarbonate), ETFE membranes are extremely lightweight (weighing only about 2 kg/m²);
• Large free spans are possible, so they need relatively little in the way of substructure;
• The material is fire-safe, being self-extinguishing and producing no burning droplets and virtually no smoke (meets European Standard EN 13501 - class B-s1, d0);
• ETFE sheeting can be supplied completely transparent or translucent in a range of colours, such as white;
• White ETFE sheeting lets a lot of light through but diffuses it completely creating a very pleasant ambience;
• ETFE sheeting is self-cleaning: rainwater washes it clean, and because ETFE sheeting is chemically inert, virtually nothing sticks to it.

Project data

Surface:	Approx. 156 m2, 2 skylights
Material:	ETFE foil, white translucent | Specs >
Client:	Celebrity Cruises, United States
Vessel:	De Hoop Shipyard, Lobith
ETFE skylights:	Buitink Technology
Year of installation:	2020

Detail drawing of ETFE skylights

The two ETFE skylights are mounted in the canopy on the upper deck, as illustrated below.

Engineering of ETFE skylights

Since the skylights are outdoors, they are subject to wind loads. The ETFE membranes are designed to cope with this.

Stretch ceilings for this vessel

Besides these 2 skylights of ETFE foil, Buitink Technology has delivered and assembled the stretch ceilings for this cruise ship. You can see how these were designed at

Stretch ceiling Silver Origin

Location schip