Original use
Culture/leisure/tourism/ multipurpose hall
Current use
Culture/leisure/tourism/ multipurpose hall
Architects
Max Berg
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Domes have a long architectural lineage that extends back into prehistory, and they have been built from mud, snow, stone, wood, brick, concrete, metal, glass and plastic over the centuries.
State of Conservation
Description
Max Berg designed this emblematic building, a symbol of the city of Wrocław, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Centennial Hall represents a milestone in the development of reinforced concrete technology worldwide. It is a multifunctional building located on the grounds of the city’s trade fair, where there are contributions from the most outstanding names in German architecture of the period, from Hans Poelzig to Hans Scharoun. In this environment conducive to innovation, Berg was able to create a building – drawing on historic models – that combined an innovative use of a new technology with an optimal aesthetic result, opening up a myriad of new paths for experimentation.
The building, with a centralised plan, is covered with a 23-metre-high dome topped by a roof lantern, which transfers its load onto four semi-domes in contact with the ground. This spatial articulation clearly recalls Byzantine architecture, while the floor plan with double symmetry and a lobulated profile refers to models from the Italian Renaissance.
The entire load-bearing structure takes the form of concrete diaphragmatic arches, generating two clear structural levels. First, there is the circular dome, built with radial ribs which transfer their loads onto a lightweight concrete ring through four large arches that give rise to the four semi-domes. In turn, the semi-domes are built from concrete half arches that serve as buttresses, absorbing the lateral forces from the upper dome and transferring them to the ground.
A series of continuous rings of vertical windows give the building its characteristic image of stacked circular floors of decreasing heights. On the exterior, where concrete and glass are the only materials, a classical architectural language is maintained, but its stylisation recalls the architecture of Auguste Perret who, at the same time, was building his first work in France.
Poland
Wystawowa 1
Lower Silesian Voivodeship (Province) 51-618 Wrocław
Commission
1911
Completion
1913