Sports Palace at Stockholm

Abstract

Recently a building has been erected in Stockholm, devoted to sport, and especially to house a skating rink. Its horizontal layout is slightly hexagonal, and it is built round an excavated hollow, the bottom of which contains the arena, and the surrounding slopes support the lower public stands. The higher enclosure consists of a concrete portal frame structure. The roof, following the Jawerth system, which is patented in many countries of the world, is a suspended structure, and from the engineering point of view is the most important feature of the building. The roof is supported by a series of cable «trusses», each consisting of two cables spanning a length of 83 ms. One of the cables is concave, and the lower one is convex; both being linked together by means of diagonal cross brazing cables, the whole thus consisting of a triangulated cable trellice. This structural system is very rigid and rapidly damps any oscillation which may be induced by wind pressure. Architecturally the project is pleasing, harmonious and modern, and the approaches to the building are convenient. The suspension cables, which extend outdoors down to the anchorage points, are so disposed that the outside walls are aesthetically very satisfying.