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Article from issue 3/2000 »Glass Construction«

Cultural and Congress Centre in San Sebastián, Spain

documentation p. 406 - 412
Architect Moneo, Rafael | Structural Engineer Cañas, Jiménez Jesús | Corres and Associates | Manterola, Javier |

Drafts
Plan of entrance storey/South elevation 1:1500
Section through auditorium 1:750
Sectional detail of glass fixing 1:5
Site plan 1:10000
Vertical section through facade 1:20
Vertical section through window 1:20

The complex is distinguished by two glass-clad, prismatic volumes, which provide protective enclosures for the structures within. Set asymmetrically in the larger prism is an auditorium with seating for 1,828 people. The smaller volume houses a congress hall. All other facilities are accommodated in the plinth structure. The two layer facades are supported by a huge, tilted steel skeleton-frame structure, the members of which have
rhombus-shaped cross-sections. The facade skins consist of curved, reeded laminated glass segments externally and flat sandblasted panes of glass internally. The spaces between the two-layer facades and the halls serve as brightly lit, neutral foyer and circulation zones, with individual windows affording glimpses of the mountains and the sea.