Research

Design Process:
Calatrava’s design process for the Kuwait Pavillion, initially shows he thought of the building as the interlocking of two hands open and apart, with 5 fingers. This was thought also with the Kuwait’s role in the international community, as the decision to include Kuwait among the countries participating in Seville’s Expo ’92 led to the construction of a pavilion that would reaffirm, once the Gulf War was over.

Description
The project’s cross-section is distinguished by the contiguity of the surface of the raised platform and thee access stairways of the raised platform and the access stairways on either side combine to create a graceful, uninterrupted curve, like a segment of cylindrical section. This structure is supported by compound wooden girders of open triangular section which are visible from the exhibition space on the lower level.
By day, the platform assumes a protected, shaded attitude, while at night it transforms into a totally open space for the projection of slides and videos.

Architectural Aspects:
The roof located above the exhibition hall, is composed of 17 wooden elements, each 25 meters long, they are supported by leaning pilasters in reinforced concrete which also serve to define the threshold between inside and out.
A hydraulic system of counterweights allows the rib-like roof elements to rotate on the tube girder that joins them to the pilasters; since each rib moves independently, the possibilities of the different configurations that the structure can assume are effectively unlimited.