Wood structure for the roof of an outdoor auditorium in El Paraíso park at San Blas, Madrid

Abstract

This account of the design and construction of an outdoor auditorium in a park in Madrid begins with the study of the programme and choice of the shape and optimal materials for the roof. The solution adopted was to build with wood paraboloids in light of the large surface area that could be covered, the lightweight supports that could be used, the powerful and original image that would be projected and the short turnaround times and moderate cost that could be ensured.Wooden roof building began with the manufacture of a steel frame to support the ruling that sweeps the hyperbolic paraboloid. This frame was also to support removable self-bearing formwork that would constitute the fi rst row and have a load capacity able to support the entire weight of the roof in addition to acting as a guide for the rest of the structure. The next row was bolted and glued to this fi rst family of elements and each successive row was laid on the one before it.Double "omega" members made of circular section steel shapes, separated by an acutely angled opening, were designed as supports for the paraboloids. These elements brace the structure as a whole by allowing for the positioning of longitudinal reinforcements in the outermost supports.