Two works by Welton Becket. (U.S.A.)

Abstract

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It is oval in shape and can house sports competitions and gymnastic events, musical productions, circuses and it can be used to show films as well as for expositions, meetings and conventions. From the plaza, entrance is achieved through a mirrored gallery circumscribing the building and that communicates with the interior corridor that sorrounds the court. It holds more than 11,000 people and there are telescopic platforms that unfold at court-level and portable chairs that increase this capacity to a total of 16,500. The building is covered by a steel frame, limited on the outside by a wide metallic cantilever. The whole system is supported by 32 large concrete columns, in U shape, that show on the exterior facade. The Coliseum has theatrical lighting and sound installations which adapt it to each of the different types of events the building can be used for. Under the adjacent plaza a large underground exhibition hall has been set up to serve the Coliseum. More than 5,000 m² in area, this space can be subdivided by folding panels as needed. Bullock’s Shopping Center in Northridge. The main feature of this large department store is that it has been treated entirely as a stage for the various goods that are on display there. Moreover, its design has broken with the traditional box shape typical of this type of building, replacing it with a polyhedral volume for a more dynamic effect. Great importance has been given in this building to architectonic spaces as well as the lighting system and the decor. Thus, the different areas are given more or less importance by means of the various lighting effects, while the decoration and architectonic forms differentiate and limit the various display areas. A system of ornaments and mobile partitions gives the unit great flexibility thus permitting modifications as per the needs of each particular moment.