Reconstructing Pérez Piñero’s Anoeta Velodrome

Abstract

The 1972 dome to cover the Anoeta Velodrome is the product of the experiences up to that date of the architects Emilio Pérez Piñero and Félix Candela, specialists, respectively, in the design of deployable reticular structures and thin concrete shells using hyperbolic paraboloids. It is a very relevant project in the careers of both architects, as the Anoeta dome was Pérez Piñero’s last project, and also the last of the domes in which Candela participated since 1965. Pérez Piñero’s death in 1972 marked the end of a phase in Candela’s life. This paper describes the virtual reconstruction of a variation of the project and analyses its geometry, based on the subdivision of the sphere into polygons onto which hyperbolic paraboloids were then inserted. New documentation is provided which offers context for the evolution of Candela’s work, linking this project to his previous major work: the Palacio de los Deportes built for the 1968 Mexico Olympics.