The Caja Magica is the core feature of a new multifunctional tennis center in Madrid, Spain’s Manzanares Park. Designed by Dominque Perrault,the center was built to bolster Spain’s application to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 861,141- square-foot (80,000-m2) Caja Magica, or Magic Box, provides room for 3,000, 5,000 and 12,000 spectators in three separately operated courts. The roof construction allows indoor courts to be transformed into open-air arenas, while the building’s metallic outer cladding accentuates the mystical character of the structure.
A carefully staged sequence of parks was created along the Madrid Calle 30, an underground tunnel system, to revive the city’s tradition of integrating landscape and architecture. One part of these facilities is the 1,776,103-square-foot (165,000-m2) multifunctional tennis center. With its 24 differently sized outdoor and indoor courts, the center can hold 22,616 spectators. Additionally, there are six training courts, a tennis school, swimming pool, press center, VIP area, event center, restaurants, clubhouse and the Spanish Tennis Federation headquarters.
Perrault’s concept was to integrate the giant structure closely into its surroundings to revitalize the formerly maltreated location. The reflective outer shell reduces the dominance of the sports complex and makes it seem to melt into its surroundings. Several separate elements form the frame for sports or cultural use, which makes up the spatial building.
The building’s façade is clad with 247,578 square feet (23,000 m2) of Escale 10.5 x 1.2 woven metal mesh from GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG, Düren, Germany. A total of 86 mesh panels, each measuring approximately 75 by 23 feet (23 by 7 m), were firmly attached at the top to the steel construction and tensioned at the bottom with fork terminals. To minimize horizontal deflection of the panels, the fixation was reinforced by horizontally stretched cables at intervals of 5 feet (1.5 m).
For the cladding of the façades of the indoor courts, GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG’s Escale 7 x 1 was selected. The different viewing distances are reflected in the scales of the specific choices of mesh type-the shorter the distance, the smaller the Escale spirals. The mesh’s functional properties, like its low-maintenance requirements, robustness and unlimited service life, were important in choosing the material. The precisely confi gured light and air permeability of the spiral membrane protects players and spectators from driving rain and drafts, while creating an aesthetic continuity between the outside and inside of the building.
Construction on the multifunctional tennis center in Manzanares Park started in 2006, and the inauguration is scheduled for May.
GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG
