Original name
Sala de atletică grea [Athletics Hall]
Other denominations
Onexi Boxing Hall
Original use
Sports/sports pavilion
Current use
Sports/sports pavilion
Architects
Mircea Mihailescu
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
In this case, the strategy involves folding a hypothetical flat surface (a plate or membrane) to increase its inertia. This allows for saving material and achieving increasingly lightweight structures.
The shape of the structure as a whole usually coincides with that of the building, as in the case of vaults or domes, for example.
Felix Candela and Pier Luigi Nervi both made exemplary use of this type of structure.
State of Conservation
Description
Boxing and weightlifting both have a long tradition in Romania. This unique gymnasium building in the city of Onesti was specially built by the engineer Mircea Mihailescu for the practice of those two sports.
Mircea Mihailescu was an engineer specialised in structural calculation, who was also very diligent in questions related to the design and construction of the projects he built. He is considered a master and pioneer of concrete shells in Eastern European countries.
This building was constructed using a single concrete structure with an undulating form, based on the repetition of a ruled surface: a hyperbolic paraboloid. On the façades, the structure appears as a series of arches that are closed with glass curtain walls. Despite the apparent formal relationship with some designs by Felix Candela, Mihailescu had no knowledge of them at the time this gymnasium was built. The fine wave-like structure of the gym was a calculation challenge for the engineer. The form provides remarkable stability, without the need for any additional support, which meant it was possible to minimise the thickness of the concrete.
An adjoining building, with a circular floor plan, contains all the services that would have been out of place in the main building’s unitary open space. This small building also has a wave-shaped roof, which lends formal consistency to the whole.
Romania
Strada Perchiului
Bacău County 601048 Onesti
Commission
1966
Completion
1968
Links