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Portoval at Novo Mesto

Portoval at Novo Mesto

 

Portoval is located on the outskirts of Novo Mesto, between the city centre and the residential suburb on the boundary of a sports and leisure park along the River Krka. It consists of three buildings coloured differently according to their respective functions: a brilliant red for the cinema, a bright yellow for the shops and a soothing blue for the offices; the transition between the cinema and the commercial centre is made conspicuous by the colour green.

In order to meet the requirements of town planning legislation, particularly in terms of building volume and height, the multiplex cinema combines a concrete base with a steel superstructure. The rooms are distributed between the two.

The structure of the upper section consists of HEB 600 steel girders throughout its periphery, supported by tubular posts arranged in the shape of a compass. The framework, deliberately demonstrative, clearly forms part of the architectural concept: the red-painted posts appear through the façade, which is treated as a translucent membrane with a red polycarbonate facing supported by a lattice framework.

The forty eight steel tubular posts, 300 mm in diameter and 13 m high, partly absorb the loads of the concrete infrastructure. Two rows of similar posts divide the inner volume to create a wide corridor serving the different cinemas. Some structural elements have had to be welded in situ.

An essential element of the structure, a welded restored beam, is placed at the inclined rear of the upper cinema. In order to remain within the height limits of the building it was necessary to locate this beam as low as possible. It passes underneath the cinema seats, which are raised by 20 cm from it.

The roof consists of HEB 360 girders with a span of 15 m, spaced 3 metres apart. The elements have been bolted together in situ.      

The entire structure is of grade S235 steel, except for the posts, which are of S355 grade steel.

Text: Eve Jouannais