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This is a space between the main auditorium and the exterior, which simultaneously serves as a circulation for the public, and for letting in the light inside, and allowing the view to the outside, and from the outside to the inside.
Rem Koolhaas wanted this building to have natural light in its main auditorium, which is unusual for a music venue. The auditorium's shoe box shape created two large spans, in the geodesic shape of this building, one to the west (14x22m) and another to the east (17x22m), and created a new challenge to be covered with glass. The architect did not want elements of frames in these openings, and instructed Rob NIJSSE of ABT to present him with a proposal for the closing of these huge openings, without resorting to the traditional frames or any other supporting element. The proposal presented by Rob NJISSE that we see here was based on the solution of the Spanish company Cricursa for a corrugated glass panel for the interior of a store. The corrugated glass panels at this time had a 4.5m length limitation, so the glass solution had to be divided into three equal parts. Two upper parts suspended in metal beam embedded in the concrete construction, and the lower third supported by an adjustable sealing system. The double glass panels are 28mm thick, a curvature of 48x96cm, and their total weight amounts to almost 20 tons.
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