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National Stadium—BrasÃlia
July 1st, 2011
Designed and completed in 1974 by Ícaro Castro Mello, the Mané Garrincha Stadium has been reworked and renamed the National Stadium for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Soccer games. A new lower tier and the completion of an existing upper tier fragment has been designed by Castro Mello’s son Eduardo, and a surrounding esplanade with […]
Mineirão/Mineirinho Complex—Belo Horizonte
July 1st, 2011
Located in the historic mining city of Belo Horizonte, the third largest city in Brazil, the Mineirão/Mineirinho Complex is a modernization and renovation of a historic stadium that was built between 1963 and 1965 to designs by Eduardo Mendes Guimarães Jr., and Caspar Garetto. The Mineirão Stadium (“Big Miner Stadium”), with its rhythmically spaced concrete […]
Amazon Sports Complex—Manaus
July 1st, 2011
Located in the Amazon jungle 1,500km from the sea, Manaus lies at the convergence of the Rio Negro and Rio Solimões that form the Amazon River. The Amazon Sports Complex is an integrated sports park that includes multi-purpose venues and a swimming center. The roof structure is made of mutually supporting cantilevers of hollow core […]
La Plata Stadium—Argentina
July 1st, 2011
Argentina venue is the first PTFE-covered stadium in South America In March 2011, the tensile fabric roof work was completed ahead of schedule and La Plata Stadium celebrated its reopening with an inauguration ceremony. The stadium has already hosted its first football (soccer) match and three concerts by Irish rock band U2. To accommodate the […]
Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento—La Ciudad de México
July 1st, 2011
Recent work by Valarias DRV in downtown Mexico City By Víctor Hugo Roldán Gonzáles Built in 1527, the Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento, (Town Council Palace) —one of the first ayuntamientos in America—was the first building in Mexico City, and is also the place where many important historic events of this country have occurred. This magnificent […]
IV Latin-America design challenge
July 1st, 2011
Latin-American student designs explore future directions of tension structures/materials For the student design challenge of the IV Latin-American Symposium of Tensile Structures held this April in Uruguay (see "Tension structures in the southern hemisphere"), entries were received from 10 student teams representing six countries. Student designs were entered from Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Spain, Uruguay […]
Membrane canopy structures cover Australian amphitheater
July 1st, 2011
The Nerang State High School Amphitheater welcomes student participation, under fabric shades Located in Queensland, and not far from Australia’s famous Gold Coast, the Nerang State High School Amphitheater is a unique setting comprised of two membrane canopy structures grouped around a concrete slab stage and semicircular concrete stepped seating. The design, by Lightwave Architectural, […]
Miami home features carport canopy and awning entry
July 1st, 2011
A historic residence in a prestigious Miami Beach neighborhood makes new additions, to perfection Located on one of the four Sunset Islands in Miami Beach, Fla., this 1940 historic residence—recently renovated—was made into a modern tropical haven. The renovating architect’s work focused on an interior patio area, using clean lines with a mix of tropical […]
The Cloud: Part architectural shelter, part public art
July 1st, 2011
This temporary installation was a design-build exercise for architecture students. By Mason Riddle When University of Minnesota architecture professor Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla determined that the concepts of “structure, geometry and handcraft” would frame a temporary project, what did he and graduate students Kirk Mazzeo and Josh Grenier build? A structure as unbricklike as a cloud? Exactly. […]
Another Serpentine in the grass?
June 29th, 2011
Following yesterday’s editor’s blog, here is news of the Serpentine Gallery’s plans to renovate the historic The Royal Parks’ Magazine Building (built in 1805) in Kensington Gardens. Designed by Zaha Hadid, who clearly recognizes the benefits of lightweight, tensile structures when extending useable space, the renovation will be finished in time for the 2012 London […]