Palau Sant Jordi
Barcelona, Spain · 1990
Photo · Hisao Suzuki
A precedent for monumental civic architecture, demonstrating how a large-span segmented dome can be integrated with a classical colonnade and a vast public plaza.
- What we like about this project
- The delicate, wave-like metal canopy that softens the transition between the heavy dome and the rigid colonnade.
Materials
- steel
- glass
- concrete
- stone-paving
- metal-decking
Visual identifiers
- segmented-dome
- colonnade
- undulating-canopy
- monumental-plaza
- arata-isozaki
Style tags
- high-tech
- postmodern
- monumental
- structural-expressionism
Visual tags
- civic-architecture
- arena
- postmodernism
- high-tech
- monumental-scale
- barcelona
- Geometry
- A massive, symmetrical, low-slung dome with a segmented, curved profile sits atop a low, rectilinear plinth. The base features a repeating colonnade that frames a wide, horizontal entry plaza.
- Facade system
- Glazed curtain wall beneath an undulating metal canopy, topped by a segmented metal and glass roof dome.
- Structural guess
- Space frame or steel truss dome structure supported by a concrete perimeter ring and columns.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental civic scale, designed to accommodate large public crowds for sports or cultural events.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct daylight with soft shadows cast beneath the colonnade and under the undulating canopy edge.
- Atmosphere
- Grand, open, and serene under a vast blue sky with light clouds.
- Environmental context
- Set on an elevated, open hilltop plaza with sparse, manicured trees and a clear view of the sky.
- Spatial experience
- The approach across a vast, open paved plaza creates a monumental sense of arrival, emphasizing the sheer scale of the dome against the sky.
- Composition rhythm
- Strict bilateral symmetry with a repeating vertical rhythm in the perimeter colonnade.
- Style reading
- High-Tech Postmodernism
- Program
- Sports arena and multi-purpose hall
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- steel, glass, concrete, stone-paving, metal-decking
- Visual identifiers
- segmented-dome, colonnade, undulating-canopy, monumental-plaza, arata-isozaki
- Style tags
- high-tech, postmodern, monumental, structural-expressionism
- Visual tags
- civic-architecture, arena, postmodernism, high-tech, monumental-scale, barcelona
- Geometry
- A massive, symmetrical, low-slung dome with a segmented, curved profile sits atop a low, rectilinear plinth. The base features a repeating colonnade that frames a wide, horizontal entry plaza.
- Facade system
- Glazed curtain wall beneath an undulating metal canopy, topped by a segmented metal and glass roof dome.
- Structural guess
- Space frame or steel truss dome structure supported by a concrete perimeter ring and columns.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental civic scale, designed to accommodate large public crowds for sports or cultural events.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct daylight with soft shadows cast beneath the colonnade and under the undulating canopy edge.
- Atmosphere
- Grand, open, and serene under a vast blue sky with light clouds.
- Environmental context
- Set on an elevated, open hilltop plaza with sparse, manicured trees and a clear view of the sky.
- Spatial experience
- The approach across a vast, open paved plaza creates a monumental sense of arrival, emphasizing the sheer scale of the dome against the sky.
- Composition rhythm
- Strict bilateral symmetry with a repeating vertical rhythm in the perimeter colonnade.
- Style reading
- High-Tech Postmodernism
- Program
- Sports arena and multi-purpose hall
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture