Modern architecture: Metropol Parasol in Seville, a record wooden structure

by Victor Grigore, Webphoto.ro

Apparently without any useful purpose, this large construction or sculpture in one of Seville’s public squares is bound to make people curious and not easily forgotten. Usually, this sort of constructions are experimented for some international exhibitions, such was the case with the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the local buildings in Plaza de Espana. The monument is made out of wood, covered in synthetic material (polyurethane), all glued on a concrete and steel structure. Despite this concrete structure bellow, Metropol Parasol is still considered the largest wooden structure in the world.

The construction is not as useless as it may look, hosting a museum in the underground, and terraces on top. In the museum bellow there are artifacts excavated right on spot, during another engineering project, dating from Roman and Moorish times. The size of the building is impressive, of 150 m long, 70 m wide and 26 m high, covering the entire public square named Plaza de la Encarncacion. A market, that used to be here long before, also functions, redesigned, after 2009, when this project was ready.

The designer is German Jurgen Mayer Hermann, who was inspired by the arches and vaults of Seville’s Cathedral, the greatest Gothic cathedral in the world. The architect claimed he wanted to create “a cathedral without walls”, and he succeeded in creating a very inviting public place, with multiple functions, used for small concerts, marketplace or panorama site. The result is spectacular, with round pillars supporting futuristic intersecting lines that make up an original sunroof.
The final cost was almost 100 million euros, much over the initial projections, which caused a public scandal.
To have a better understanding of this construction, you can also have a look at these aerial views of Metropol Parasol.