Flying Finns: Helsinki's Olympic Stadium is dignified and enhanced by a bold new grandstand roof.Originally completed in 1938, the famous Helsinki Olympic Stadium was built to attract the summer Games This article is about the Epyx video game series. For the international multi-sport event, see Summer Olympic Games. Summer Games is a sports video game developed by Epyx and released by U.S. Gold based on sports featured in the Summer Olympic Games. , which eventually came to Finland in 1952. Designed by Yrjo Lindegen and Toivo Jantti, the building's svelte Modernist lines evoked an era of social optimism and architectural progressiveness. Finns are keen athletes and the Olympic Stadium The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. had the distinction of appearing on the Finnish 10 mark banknote, prior to the country adopting the euro. Since the late '30s, the stadium has undergone various stages of modernisation which have improved facilities and reduced spectator numbers from 70 000 to a more manageable 40 000. The latest phase was catalysed by Helsinki's hosting of the 2005 World Athletics Championship, the most prestigious athletics meeting outside the Olympics. Though the city saw off rival bids from Berlin, Rome and Moscow, among others, the IAAF IAAF abbr. International Amateur Athletic Federation (the sport's governing body Noun 1. governing body - the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something; "he claims that the present administration is corrupt"; "the governance of an association is responsible to its members"; "he ) insisted that the stadium should be upgraded with an extra roof to provide additional covered seating. Helsinki-based K2S Architects won a competition with a bold proposal that reinterprets yet also respects the original Modernist ethos. The new roof extends to cover part of the grandstand on the stadium's east side, where the bank of spectator seating is at its widest. Though a strong presence inside the stadium, the new structure is virtually imperceptible from the outside, much like the existing 1930s canopy. Supported by a row of steel columns and tied back to the original concrete structure, the new canopy cantilevers with supple grace over the grandstand. The steel roof structure is optimised by a double sinusoidal sinusoidal /si·nus·oi·dal/ (si?nu-soi´dal) 1. located in a sinusoid or affecting the circulation in the region of a sinusoid. 2. shaped like or pertaining to a sine wave. curved section. This generates a gently undulating geometry, so that the canopy swells and tapers along its length. The curve of its underside is emphasised by a skin of thin pine strips which tempers the huge surface both visually and acoustically. Structural analysis of the aerofoil aer·o·foil n. Chiefly British Variant of airfoil. aerofoil Noun a part of an aircraft, such as the wing, designed to give lift in flight Noun 1. roof form was backed up by extensive wind tunnel testing using a 1:180 scale model made of aluminium and plexiglass. The judges admired the elegance and simplicity of the concept and thought it a thoroughly fitting addition to a heroic landmark of Finnish Modernism. C. S. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion