Reconstructing Pérez Piñero’s Anoeta Velodrome

Abstract

The 1972 dome to cover the Anoeta Velodrome is the product of the experiences up to that date of the architects Emilio Pérez Piñero and Félix Candela, specialists, respectively, in the design of deployable reticular structures and thin concrete shells using hyperbolic paraboloids. It is a very relevant project in the careers of both architects, as the Anoeta dome was Pérez Piñero’s last project, and also the last of the domes in which Candela participated since 1965. Pérez Piñero’s death in 1972 marked the end of a phase in Candela’s life. This paper describes the virtual reconstruction of a variation of the project and analyses its geometry, based on the subdivision of the sphere into polygons onto which hyperbolic paraboloids were then inserted. New documentation is provided which offers context for the evolution of Candela’s work, linking this project to his previous major work: the Palacio de los Deportes built for the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

Geometrical and constructive analysis of the choir and crossing timber frames of the church of St. María (Alaejos, Valladolid)

“…On the triumphal arch of the main chapel, there is an added arch that can only be explained by the need to achieve a square plan onto which an octagonal dome of regular proportions could be fitted. Had there been a partitioned vault like those in the naves, any irregularity in the plan would not affect the geometry of the vault, but when a ceiling is finished with a wooden octagonal dome, the width and depth of the enclosed area has to be adjusted to guarantee the regularity of the base of the structure and so to avoid having to build an irregular octagonal dome [16]. The structure is also equipped with a lantern tower, though paradoxically the presence of overhead light obscures the vision of the coffered ceiling due to a chiaroscuro contrast effect.…”

Continuidad entre NURBS

“…Debido al tamaño de los proyectos arquitectónicos y el área de las superficies, en la mayoría de las ocasiones éstas quedan conformadas por la unión de varios fragmentos (del Blanco & García, 2017), siendo necesario establecer una continuidad entre ellos. En ocasiones es necesario realizar una racionalización de las mismas que permita simplificar el proceso constructivo y reducir costes (Tang et al, 2016) El estudio de la continuidad de superficies y curvas NURBS para segmentar una superficie compleja en fragmentos que permitan su definición (del Blanco, 2022) o para el diseño mediante la agregación de varias superficies buscando una uniformidad del conjunto son algunos ejemplos de aplicación en el diseño de arquitectura (Canestrino et al, 2021;Ingleby et al, 2021).…”