Palau Sant Jordi

Palau Sant Jordi
1988-1990
Presented by Amanda Kohn

When the Olympics came to Barcelona in 1992, Montjuic gained several new buildings, not the least of which was the Palau Sant Jordi, or Saint George’s Palace. Designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki in 1990, the stadium, intended for the gymnastics competition, holds up to 20,000 people. It has been used for everything from swimming competitions to big name music concerts. The floor is a simple concrete oval with a connecting auxiliary pavilion. The structure is concrete clad with traditional materials such as ceramics. Every corner has a white portico in alliance with the design by the Olympic Ring Designers Correa and Milá. The crown of the building is the turtle shell roof. It is a concave, non-symmetrical dome, designed by Japanese engineer Mamoru Kawaguchi. This pantadome, constructed of more than 1500 spheres, 3200 bars, and 600,000 metal-gray sandstone tiles, was assembled on the ground then lifted to its current height of 45 meters using cranes and hydraulic lifts. The lifting process itself took ten days to complete. The Palau’s unique skylights and versatility make it the true gem of the Olympic ring even today.