Gallery: Gigantic Wooden Parasols Are ...
Designed by German firm, J. Mayer H., along with consulting from Arup, the massive shade structure is built out of wood and is expected to be the largest wooden structure in the world.
Amazingly, the covered courtyard project isn’t just an attempt to give the people of Seville a shady place to hang out. The site was originally meant to be a parking garage, but during excavation in the early 2000s, workers discovered a hidden archaeological site. Thankfully, instead of going on with the original plans, they decided to make the space into a culture and community center, which will be called the Plaza de la Encarnacion.
Underground facilities have been constructed to assist with the archaeological dig, while the street level hosts a covered farmer’s market, a public plaza, and multiple restaurants and bars. Visitors can also take a promenade up top on the parasols, which will offer incredible views of the city. Access to the museum and archaeological site as well as the rooftop promenade is provided via the columns.
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Living in Seville and knowing the project from the beginning, I can only say it has been a complete waste of time and money. It has been delayed several times and has almost doubled the initial budget, up to (hold on tight) €89,6 million.
Did anyone notice how big there are – it would take a century for a tree to grow that large. Clearly they wanted to effect now and didn’t want to wait three generations for trees to grow.
What is so green about PolyUtrethane coating ???
actually, i had to comment again (sorry). i think the walkways in the upper part of the structure are cool too. that should have been the first point they mentioned.
i felt bad leaving it at that. it IS visually pleasing and artistic… I would prefer that they just marketed it as ‘functional art’ rather than making it sound so important
“Residents and visitors will flock under the giant umbrellas to take refuge in the microclimate while socializing and taking in the city.”
I love how this is just an overly fancy way of saying that people will enjoy the shade. And I love even more that the whole project is being designed to perform the exact same task as the modern tree. Except instead of sequestering carbon and lessening the heat island effect through evapotranspiration, it will only provide shade and nothing else.
So essentially its like a tree, but harder to build, a lot more expensive overall, and isn’t even as good. Well done.
how many trees do they need to chop per structure?