Iguatemi Shopping Center - Fortaleza (Brazil)
The Project
The complex forms the cover of a big square in a shopping centre in the city of Fortaleza, in Brazil.
The structure is extremely irregular, both in plan and in cross-section, accomplishing the effect of wooden "trees" that hold up a cover that mimics waves.
One of the main problem in the realization (if not outright the main one) has been of logistic nature: the structures have been, in fact, manufactured in Italy, pre-assembled for controlling, disassembled and sent to Brazil inside containers.
All the elements have been thus studied so that they could fit said containers and be assembled on site with ease.
Pianta intervento
The structure consists of 7 portal frames in gluelam timber, curved, asymmetric and different from each other, supporting a series of beams and, above these, a third frame of beams also made of gluelam timber.
The final covering is divided in zones, some in , some in glass and some in wooden planks.
Elevation view
Axonometric view
Cross section on the fifth portal
Factory pre-assembly
As mentioned in the introduction, the fact of having to carry out a complex work at a considerable distance required precautions that are normally not necessary, such as the "test" of most of the assembly in the factory, their subsequent disassembly, insertion into containers and reassembly at final destination.
In the picture you can see the test pre-assembly of one of the 7 main gluelam portal frames.
Installation
Inauguration
