I’ve always been a fan of the funky forms of J Mayer H‘s architecture and finally got a chance to check out one of his spectacular works in person! Probably his most iconic work, the Metropol Parasol is located in sunny Spain.
Located in the heart of Seville’s historic city centre, the Metropol Parosol completely transforms an open urban plaza into a completely new type of public space. The curvaceous structure with tree-like forms shelters the plaza, creating a dynamic series of interstitial spaces between the historic surrounding buildings and the new structure. The voluptuous forms are defined by a parametrically designed grid structure. Constructed from laminated timber and reaching 26 meters in height, the building is reputed to be the largest timber structure in the world.
One of the most exciting parts of the structure is an accessible canopy walk, looping across the top of the structure and providing panoramic vistas of the city.
Images by Jonathan Choe
