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| photo: frufario |
Metropol Parasol, Plaza de la
Encarnacion, Seville 2011
Architect:
Jürgen Mayer-Hermann
Structural
Engineer: Arup
This amoeboid timber megastructure not
only provides shade, but accommodates a museum, market, raised plaza, an aerial
function suite and viewing decks. It
also neatly preserves extensive archaeological remains discovered on the site.
Architect Jürgen Mayer-Hermann’s design is an
audacious attempt to reconcile these complex functions within an iconic
structure, but how successfully does this intervention integrate with the
social activity of the city?
In
Mediterranean countries a communal evening stroll, or paseo, is one of
the pleasurable institutions of urban life:
meeting friends and acquaintances, seeing and being seen. During the great age of engineering, Eiffel, Tatlin and Ferris invented
fabulous structures that would be prominent on the city skyline and from which
the city itself could be observed, allowing the individual to experience a
sense of location, or belonging, within the city as a whole. Often built with the intention to provide an
iconic emblem for world expositions or other great events, these
gravity-defying structures introduced the frisson of the funpfair to our
cities. The success of Marks BarfieldArchitects and engineer Arup/Jane Wernick’s ‘London Eye’ is testament to the
enduring popularity of these mechanisms.
The
Metropol Parasol in Seville, popularly known as Las Setas or The Mushrooms,
might be judged by the same criteria, as one of these engineering marvels, but
it also fulfils a complex programme. It
is situated in a large, previously somewhat nondescript, square in Seville. In 1990 excavations for an underground car
park in the square revealed extensive archaeological remains from the Roman and
Andalusian eras. Work stopped, and in
2004 an architectural competition was held to find a way of proceeding with
development without compromising the archaeology. Jürgen Mayer-Hermann’s winning competition scheme is
ingenious: the remains are permanently
displayed in a below ground ‘Antiquarium’, there is a market at street level
and a wide flight of steps and an escalator provide access to a paved terrace
above this. The most inventive part of
his solution is the creation of the ‘parasol’, comprising an organically shaped
timber grid structure at roof level, supported on six massive ‘tree trunks’ of
steel and concrete. This extraordinary
undulating roof supports walkways, a bar and a large function room, all with
stunning views across the city. Below
street level the ‘tree trunks’ become ‘X’ –shaped columns sitting in less
sensitive areas of the excavations.
The
structure appears at its most elegant from a distance. Seen from the narrow side streets, the
Parasol appears like a surreal cloud. A soft light filters through the timber
coffers, which shade the square below from the sun. Above the canopy there is a wonderful sense
of novelty, as the walkway swoops like a roller coaster at the level of the
surrounding rooftops. Seen from close
quarters the structure is crudely detailed.
It is disconcertingly apparent that some of the timber coffers are not
structural, but steel trusses clad in a thin layer of timber. Evidently the structural capacity of timber
is not equal to the daring gymnastics of the roof form.
For a
building with public access to every level, it appears curiously unpopulated
when seen from the street. Views of
people and activity on the raised plaza are largely cut off by sightlines from
street level, making it a less attractive destination. The lift and stairs to the roof canopy are
concealed inside the massive columns and can only be reached via the basement
museum level, where a ticket must be purchased.
People on the decks of the roof are also not generally visible from the
ground. This also breaks a rule of
heroic structures like the London Eye, or Eiffel Tower,
but also of the funfair, where those on the ground and those in the air remain
in sight of each other.
This
is a project which attempts to reconcile conflicting requirements and operates
for the benefits the local community. A
triumph of imagination, the Parasol defies definition by conventional criteria. Although the concept of ‘iconic’ projects is
one that has lost credibility in recent years, the Metropol Parasol definitely
adds an edge to this quarter of Seville.
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| photo: fgmvc412b |
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| photo: Álvaro C.E. |
