METROPOL PARASOL also called Las Setas de la Encarnación or in english Incarnation’s mushrooms which is located at the central Plaza de la Encarnación in the city of Seville, Spain at the Alfalfa neighborhood is the largest and most innovative wooden structures today. The Metropol Parasol is a building which has many purposes for it has an archaeological museum, a farmers market, an elevated plaza, and multiple bars and restaurants underneath and inside the parasols, as well as a panorama terrace on the upper level of the parasols; moreover, its construction was finished on April 2011 and was open to public since 2011 up to the present. Metropol Parasol is a wooden structure which measures 150x70 meters and approximately 26 meters high. The whole Metropol Parasol consists of 6 large mushroom-shaped parasols. The design of Metropol Parasol was made by Architects Jürgen Mayer H., Andre Santer and Marta Ramírez Iglesias and according to them this design was inspired by the arches of Seville’s cathedral and the ¨ficus¨ of nearby Plaza del Cristo de Burgos while the Timber engineering and detail designs of the building was handled by Finnforest and other Engineering matters are handled by Arup further the construction company that handled the Metropol is Sacyr, from Spain. It took them 2 years (2004-2005) to design the Metropol and 7 years (2005-2011) to build the structure. Because of its use of wood the Metropol Parasol has won the Holcim Award in 2005 under the award “Europe Bronze for sustainable Construction”.
The location of the Metropol Parasol in the 19th century was occupied by a market; however, it was demolished in 1948. Afterwards, the city government decided to put up an underground parking lot and a market above; however, the people discovered artifacts below, halting their construction but still continued afterwards. Thereafter, the Seville City Council decided to open a competition to carry out the redevelopment of the square and the winning project is the Metropol Parasol. The idea behind the building is to give shade to the people because Seville tends to have sunny and hot weather and also,its purpose is to give life to the city more than the life the parking lot could give. The architects particularly Architect Felipe Palomino Gonzales also considered the Roman ruins which were found during the excavation which thus the Antiquarium was included in the planning. Because of their plan the old parking lot became an archeological site, farmers market, elevated plaza, bar, and restaurant which gave more life in the center of the city.
The exact measurements of Metropol Parasol is 28.50 meters high, a site area of 18,000 square meters, a building area of 5,000 square meters, total floor area of 12,670 square meters. Moreover, the structure was mostly made of concrete, timber, and steel; A principal exterior made of timber and granite and a principal interior consists of concrete, granite, and steel. In order for them to make this building it cost them 90 Million Euro or if converted to peso 4,941,300,317.40 pesos. Dwelling on the materials used in making the Metropol Parasol, its structure was made primarily of reinforced concrete, wood, and steel and they are all united by polyurethane resin to strengthen it. One of the most used materials in making the Parasol is the micro-laminated wood. Originally the project was not meant to use the microlaminated wood instead the structure were meant to be metal however when checking its feasibility they have realized that using Micro plywood kerto which is composed of layers of fir with 3mm thickness obtained by peeling and glued to form large panels will help in the betterment of the structure and in achieving high mechanical strength. The woods used in the structure were coated with impermeable polyurethane skin 2 to 3 mm for them to have protection against weathering and also making them increase their vapor permeability. In addition, the joints at the intersections of many pieces were made using glued steel bars for it is easy to assemble on site. The Metropol Parasol is made up of over 3,000 pieces joined by glued steel rods, assembled on site and able to withstand the high temperatures of Sevilla. Furthermore, the muros or walls in the antiquarium are made of metallic textiles combined with light lanterns and changing membrane glass. With regard to the lighting used in the Metropol, LED technology and optical media was used and it was also installed in RGB version and withe 6500° K.
In order to better understand as to why the Las Setas De Sevilla (a.k.a. Metropol Parasol) was built, its location must first be investigated. The municipality of Seville in the wonderful country of Spain has a Mediterranean climate. This means that the place features a hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall. In line with this, Seville is known as the warmest city in Continental Europe. During Summer, specifically July, the average temperature recorded was 36.0 °C while the record high was 46.6 °C. (See Table 1 below) Because of this, there is no denying that during the peak of Summer, the city of Seville gets relatively hot due to its climate. This is where the Las Setas De Sevilla or in its English counterpart, the Metropol Parasol comes into play. From its English name, Metropol can be translated to “capital city” while Parasol simply means “a light umbrella used to give shade”. Combining these two definitions together, the Metropol Parasol simply means an umbrella used to give shade to the city which, in this case, is the city of Seville. The construction of the Metropol Parasol was part of the redevelopment of the town square, which was previously an area used to operate as a parking lot. Due to the creation of the Metropol Parasol, what was once a dormant area for the city quickly became a lively one. It was because of this structure that the city of Seville became known around the world as one of the most fascinating cultural destinations. The objective of the project was successful because ever since it was built, it served as a unique urban space for the public which allowed them to conduct a lot of various activities.
The four levels that manifest the Metropol Parasol each have their own purpose. The first being the underground level or Level 0, it is in this level that the Antiquarium can be located. The Antiquarium is a museum that houses the remains of an old Roman district, with mosaics and enough bits of wall to gather a sense of what the dwelling places were like back then; these remains being featured by the museum underneath the building were discovered while the construction took place. So, other than it being a construction marvel, it can be said that one of the Metropol Parasol’s objectives was to be able to showcase what life was like back in the Roman times, which is what the city of Seville is known for.
Progressing upwards the Metropol Parasol, level 1 or the street level of the structure comes next. This part of the building contains the Central Market, it is a municipal market which is where some of the local businesses have set up shop. According to some reports, the construction of the Metropol Parasol has significantly helped their business to flourish since the structure helped with the attraction of people into coming to their shops hence, the reason why the building can be considered as helpful for the local economy.
Moving further up to the last two levels of the Metropol Parasol are levels 2 and 3. These two levels of the building are the roof level which contain the two stages of the panoramic terraces within the structure. It also includes a restaurant and café which at the same time, offers one of the best views of the city center of Seville. Other than the restaurant, a walkway can also be interacted with at this level of the wooden structure. The walkway is there so that the people visiting can traverse through the waffle-type wooden roof of the Metropol Parasol while at the same time, giving access to the people on a breathtaking panoramic view of the city since the roof level of the Metropol Parasol is raised slightly above the general roofline of the city. Simply put, one of the structure’s purpose was to provide and observe the artistic elements of the city – to check out the beauty of Spanish architecture.
From the 19th Century, a market was located in the plaza which housed the Metropolis today. The building was partially demolished in accordance with plans for urban renewal, but the market itself remained. The rest of the dilapidated building was finally demolished, but the land remained dormant. The city started to construct underground parking with a market on top. However, in the middle of the construction, ruins dating to the Roman and Al-Andalus eras were discovered, and construction was frozen after an expenditure of 14 million euros. The government decided to attempt to develop the area again, and open an international competition to solicit bids.
Construction began with an estimated cost of 50 million euros and a projected completion date in June 2007. However, the project later faced difficulties
Engineering firm Arup informed the municipal authorities that the structure was technically unfeasible as designed, given that a number of structural assumptions had not been tested and the design appeared to violate the limitations of known materials. The wood used was birch, imported from Finland, because of its straight qualities. Much time was spent developing feasible alternative plans to buttress the structure, which themselves proved impractical because of the added weight.
A feasible design using glue as reinforcement was finally settled. Due to delays, total cost of the structure approached 100 million euros. A celebration was held to make the partial completion of the project. Festivities began with the opening of the market hall. The Metropol Parasol project was completed. The redevelopment of the Plaza de la Encarnacion is a new landmark and unique urban space within the dense fabric of the medieval inner city of Seville.
The first priority for the architects were the questions of form and space, with materials the second consideration. Individual pre-cast, bent metal pieces were one option, as well as the kind of plastics used in shipbuilding. The structure of this spectacular public space was made primarily of reinforced concrete, wood and steel. The structural system of wood and steel, was united with polyurethane resin for high performance.
ARUP Engineering Firm & Partners detected the infeasibility of the project as it was originally designed, conducted a structural study in 3D that allowed them to define the material to use: micro plywood Kerto, composed of layers of fir with 3mm thickness obtained by peeling and glued to form large panels that will achieve a high mechanical strength. Wood parts exposed structure comprising this were coated with an impermeable polyurethane skin 2 to 3 mm, which protects against weathering but also vapor permeable. The song of the wood elements depends on the structural performance, varying from 30 cm in the perimeter area 3 meters in areas of transition to the logs. The thickness of the pieces also varies between 7 and 22 cm. Motivated by the successful use of wood in their student dining hall in Karlsruhe, the architects decided on FFM’s Kerto-Q light timber beams with a polyurethane coating, which is cheaper than metal but still durable. The polyurethane coating protects the wood and allows it to breathe – a sort of natural air conditioning – and the wood itself does not give off hazardous fumes when it burns. It is also sustainably planted, with a certificate PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes), granted by the Finnish Forest Council of Certification. The free-standing parasols cover an area of 150m x 70m, which is one of the largest architectural timber structures ever built. Unusually the parasols are a composite structure, with the wood reinforced with steel – or pretensioned – to carry the tension forces.
The joints at the intersections of the many pieces were made by glued steel bars, easy optimization for fast assembly on site. The main elements are penetrated by two steel rods at the point where those sections meet, and these parts are not visible from the outside. Structural engineers from ARUP conducted research with the polytechnical college in Augsburg, near Munich, to test the wood’s behavior. Interior fountains and plants also help to provide a cool climate during the intense summer heat. The coat of the structure is self-cleaning, and only needs repainting every 20 to 25 years.
The interweaving waffle-like wooden panels of the Metropol Parasol has proven itself that both functionality and aesthetic design can be attained when working with structures. Initially, the function of the Metropol Parasol is to provide shade, but Architect Jurgen Mayer H., together with ARUP, has executed this in an unusual yet inventive and artistic way. But behind Mayer’s sculpture like structure, one might ponder why would they use wood as a material. The structural strategy behind the Metropol Parasol had several iterations in order to achieve a structure that would be both efficient and effective. After several considerations and changes in the plan of the materials to be used, it was considered that it would be a hybrid composition of materials. One of the reasons of this idea was to minimize the load being distributed towards the foundation. Now, as observed in the structure’s design, there would be several connections. It was first considered that welded steel sheets should be used but analysis of the structure showed that these thin steel sheets would buckle and cause a loss in the shape of the design. Here, the designers opted to use Kerto-Q LVL wooden panels. Not only that it would reduce the overall cost of the project but also it would be thicker than steel sheets and would weigh less. Moreover, it would provide a much more stable structure and it would not suffer from crumpling, due to its thickness. But in order to provide rigidity, steel diagonals were still needed. In addition, the wood panels need to be prepared in order to withstand several conditions. Thus, it was coated with polyurethane so that it would resist moisture and also increase its heat capacity. This would allow the cross-laminated structure work at optimum loading strength while being capable of withstanding any outdoor condition without losing the strength of materials itself. The assessment of Metropol Parasol has proven several insights, especially for engineers. It has shown that upon construction of a structure, several factors are necessary to be taken into consideration. The location, the environment of the location, the primary function of the structure, the people who would use it, the concept, the budget, and the materials to be used. These factors play a significant part on the planning and designing of the structure. In addition, it is also important to aim for the sustainability of the structure in order to maximize its full potential for longer periods of time. Thus, the Metropol Parasol has been a breakthrough in both fields of engineering and architecture. Proving the world that it is possible to attain both functionality and aesthetic design as long as extensive planning and research is conducted.
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