Palau Sant Jordi

Description

Palau Sant Jordi is located on the hill of Montjuïc, an important historical site, adjacent to the old district of the city, as the main indoor gymnasium for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. During the Olympic Games, it was used not only for gymnastic events but also for the basketball and volleyball finals. As it has an arena large enough for 200 meter tracks, track and field events, as well as ice hockey and ice skating could also be held there. After the Olympic Games the facility is likely to be used as a hall for operas and rock concerts, a convention hall for international conference or a gallery for exhibitions. It will seat 17,000 spectators. The Panta-dome roof construction method, invented by Prof. Mamoru Kawaguchi, was employed because of its short construction term, safe operation and low cost. We intended to document a dramatic process for assembling the enormous roof on the ground and then lifting the assembled structure all at once. The lower portion of the hall is finished with a concrete structure partly filled with precast panels and partly laid with bricks to blend in with the local environment. (Description provided by the architects