munich olympic stadium

Munich Olympic Stadium by SAL

Munich Olympic Natatorium by SAL

I cannot over-emphasize how enthralled I was when I had a chance to visit the Olympic Stadium complex in Munich, Germany. First of all, the high level of technicalities employed to create the structures was, at the time, far and above anything else like it. Similar to a glass and steel structure, this structure is actually far more complex and is one of the most stunning set of buildings I have ever encountered.



The real shock is that this building was designed for the 1972! Summer Olympics in Munich. The architects were Frei Otto, Gunter Behnisch, Hermann Peltz, and Carlo Weber. I took many, many photos of the details of the buildings so that I could perhaps make some sense of them one day. The most surprising element was the fact that a thick plastic sheeting was draped and tightened over the high-strung (almost flying) steel structure.

If I had seen a building constructed like this in 2014, I would still be impressed. But, not entirely. By now, we have seen the use of ETFE in many buildings including the new Singapore National Stadium, 2015, by Arup Associates, DK Architects, and AECOM (that I consequently wrote about for Wire Rope Exchange Magazine). I remember standing at the base of one of these structures and staring at the ETFE, thinking.... "What??? This building is composed of plastic??? And it still stands today???"

Not to be overly dramatic, but having an opportunity to stand in front of an internationally-acclaimed building in person can be, for me and others I am sure, an amazing experience. My favorite indoor space is the Natatorium. I cannot tell you how much I would love to be a spectator in that building. It was so gorgeous to see the swimming pool with a backdrop of clear curtains and a delicate web of steel holding everything up together in perfect harmony.