NoMATERIA 2020 | Balance

“An addition to the ceiling inspired by the shape of the ‘’ Corbusier ‘’ machines. Pop-up
5th facade.
First operation to equip the roof, starting from a skateboarding ramp. A bump on the
deck, which unfolds the street, as a logical space to skate.
It is part of a series of operations in charge of progressively equipping the facilities of
a vandalized building in the center of Caracas, for its conversion into a cultural space.
Ramp is the first-born structure of the sports unit within this ensemble. Towards the
north Ávila and towards the south the towers of Parque Central.
The stereotomics of the device seeks to generate a perception of an object so light that
it theoretically floats. It does not represent any additional relevant load for the building.
A folded plane that barely reaches the ground.
The entire piece rests on the existing roof slab without undermining its surface. The base
of the curve comes into contact with the structure of the building, through a form of
support -simply supported-, like a beam that rests locked on the corbels of two columns,
and manages to remain immobile in place by its own weight. A collaborating skeleton
provisionally configures the determined silhouette. The desired radius and path are
jealously pre-dimensioned. The catenary must be perfect. A value error disables the
angle to skate naturally.
It is made from a reinforced concrete shell 10 cm thick, with an inner grid formed by ½
inch steel ribs, in two directions every 20 cm. Metal stabilizers on the finished edges,
and a protective coating with corrugated galvanized steel sheet.”