Museum in Zaragoza

BOMA, Robert Brufau, Clara Bretón – Spain

Building use

Other

Country/Region

Spain

Overview

The building hosts the museum of the CaixaForum Foundation and it is designed by the architect as two floating volumes above the public square. These volumes are suspended with a significant cantilever by two large Warren trusses. The different floors of the building host the various functions of the museum with exposition spaces and ancillary areas. A large rooftop terrace is accessible from one of the cantilevered volumes using the roof of the other cantilevered volume. The impression for the visitor is for the building to be unbalanced due to the position of the two cantilevered volumes.

Basic information (construction date, number of stories, gross floor area, adopted design code, engineer(s), Contractor(s), etc.)

Construction date: 2014
Number of stories: 4
Gross floor area: 7,060m2 of exhibition area
Adopted design code: Eurocode
Engineer(s): BOMA, Robert Brufau, Clara Bretón
Contractor(s): Dragados y Construcciones

Issue and/or innovation

The balance of the building is actually provided by an elliptical-shaped composite column made of two steel profiles embedded in a concrete cast. The size of the column increases toward the top while its plan section remains as thin and slim as possible. The column is inclined towards the outside, redirecting the loads toward the center of the building.

Reason for composite solution

A composite solution was the only one able to carry the loads that the column has to carry toward the foundations.

Specific solution/technical details

The technical solution is provided by a composite column with two embedded steel profiles further connected with diagonal elements. The vertical steel profiles are HEM 300 steel. The column is 2.3 x 1 at the base, and it grows till 4,8×0.9 at the top. The HA-30 concrete is casted inside fiberglass oval formworks. The composite behavior is provided by studs made of rebar pieces with a diameter of 25mm welded every 40cm.

Impact or effectiveness

For architectural reasons (the column is finished with exposed concrete). The column had to be realized in only one concrete pour so the formwork had to designed to withstand the significant pressure of the concrete.