Olympic City of July 5

Notes

This sports hall is a beautiful architectural work both aesthetically and technologically.

The dome in this project is a continuation of Niemeyer’s design theme, persistent since his work on Oca structure's cupola in Ibirapuera Park. Given the project’s location in Algeria, Niemeyer attempted to adapt the language of pure abstract forms to the formal elements characterizing the Islamic tradition. Consequently, he proposed for this project the bulb-shaped dome, whose contextualization bears a certain similarity to that of the Algiers Mosque.

Furthermore, its destination imposed a plan free of any structure. Prestressed concrete was therefore used for the construction of the shell. The material allows by its capacity of volume and bending to realize new forms. The purity of the lines and the balance of the volumes make it one of the most remarkable buildings in Algiers.

Sources

Ricardo Ohtake & Roberto Segre, Oscar Niemeyer: 100 Anos, 100 Obras, Sao Paulo: Instituto Tomie Ohtake, 2007. 

Baba-Ahmed Kassab, Tsouria, Sur Les Traces de la Modernité 50 Ans D’architecture, Bruxelles : Civa, 2004, p. 62.

Boussad Aiche

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