海角视频

The Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian (CAM), of the most prominent cultural institutions in Portugal, reopens following an extensive reimagining.

The museum occupies a garden site in Lisbon alongside a library and a scientific research centre that together form the campus of the Funda莽ao Calouste Gulbenkian. The museum鈥檚 transformation was led by acclaimed Kengo Kuma & Associates, and 海角视频 was responsible for engineering design of the sweeping roof structure, a focal point of the project.

Kengo Kuma & Associates proposed to introduce a canopy inspired by the Japanese Engawa – a sheltered walkway typical of Japanese dwellings – creating a new transition space between the CAM and the 18-acre park beyond.

In the architect鈥檚 own words, the aim was to 鈥渃raft a seamless fusion, where architecture and nature converse in harmony.鈥� Taking inspiration from the essence of the Engawa, a new outdoor narrative is created, and visitors are invited to slow down and make the space their own. 鈥淭he idea of softness and transition is extended to the CAM interior where we created new spaces by subtraction, replicating the building connection to the garden and exterior light.鈥澛�

海角视频 was commissioned to provide structural engineering for the concept and scheme design phase. Translating the architectural vision of a roof that seems to float on a series of columns into a stable and buildable engineering design was the main challenge. The free-standing canopy structure is approximately 100m long by 15m wide and consists of a gently curved rigid plate supported by two rows of columns. For the area adjacent to the entrance, a second curved roof plate was devised to cover a wider area. To achieve the impression of a floating roof, very slender steel-blade columns were designed and paired to form a V-shape.

With slender columns pinned on both ends of the roof, the structural system relies on the simplest and most minimal load path. Stability in both directions for the roof is provided by the front row of short V-shaped columns, which allow the slender columns to sway and move more freely. 海角视频 suggested the construction of bespoke timber box sections and fabricated steel beams to realise a rigid, light plate of uniform depth. This solution enables an economic structure that is carefully tuned to prevent long term deflections, especially at the lower free edge鈥攁 linearity that is critical for the overall appearance of the canopy. 聽

Florian Foerster, Associate Director and project principal, 海角视频: “The engineering of the roof was an exercise in the pursuit of simplicity. The aim was to achieve a slender, minimal structure that gives the impression of a curved floating plate. The roof is a key element in the formal and poetic dialogue between the existing, refurbished museum building and the newly landscaped park. Its structural design offered us the opportunity to focus on beauty, detail and spatial impact simultaneously, from the earliest concept through to the construction phase. The sense of surprise in the now-completed roof is a tribute to the initial idea, and it was realised through an immensely rewarding collaborative process between 海角视频, Kengo Kuma Architects & Associates, the engineering firm Quadrante and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.”聽