Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Tindaya Mountain cavern: art and underground engineering
J. Ramos Gómez
Iberinsa, Madrid, Spain
aBsTRacT: chillida's visionary artwork to create a large space in the Tindaya Mountain represents
a big technical challenge. on the one hand, dimensions of the span and flat profile of the cavern roof
are unique in underground engineering. on the other hand, the transmission of the artist's idea and the
realization of an aesthetic concept combining art, technique and nature in a natural way will require an
innovative support solution.
1
inTRoDUcTion
1.1 Initial idea
The Tindaya Project is the posthumous work of
the sculptor eduardo chillida, who died in 2002.
in 1994, he proposed the creation of a large sculp-
ture within Tindaya Mountain, on the island of
Fuerteventura (canary islands, spain).
Tindaya Mountain rises near the sea from a
plain to a height of nearly 400 meters and is one of
the main beds of pre-historic prints on the island
( Figure 1 ) . The idea of chillida was to form a
sculpture without materials creating a place inside
a mountain that would offer men of all races and
colours a great space dedicated to tolerance.
The sculpture is based on the concepts of space,
scale and light and consists of excavating a large
cavern of approximate dimensions 65 m long, by
45 m wide and 40 m high. Two light shafts connect
the main space with the surface and are oriented
to capture the rotation of the sun and the stars
providing natural lighting. Moreover, a horizontal
tunnel leaving from the cavern will give visitors a
view to the sea and horizon. The tunnel, of 15 m
wide and 15 m high, is also the principal access to
the space.
chillida wanted to mark the interior of the
mountain and to create a space that will frame our
vision of the landscape by the entrance tunnel and
the light shafts ( Figure 2 ) .
Figure 1.
Tindaya mountain.
1.2 The project
The project of the Tindaya cavern was directed by
the architect lorenzo Fernández ordóñez (estu-
dio Guadiana) in collaboration with the architect
Daniel Díaz Font, who led a multidisciplinary team
consisting of the engineering firms oVe aRUP &
Figure 2.
Geometry of the space.
PaRTneRs and scoTT Wilson PiesolD
and also external consultants consisting of Profes-
sor Dr. evert hoek and the spanish engineering
consulting iBeRinsa.
 
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