Noteworthy European projects in 2024 

The coming year will be a year full of project highlights for the EU region, with many exciting developments reaching completion or important milestones. Look ahead with us at 2024 and some noteworthy European projects. 

Canopy Gulbenkian Garden, Lisbon, Portugal

Inspired by an “engawa”, a traditional Japanese architectural design element, the new canopy roof at the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, Portugal will fulfil an important function for the building premises and its visitors from the first half of 2024. 

Engawa means “in-between space”, somewhere that creates a shaded, protected space from which to view the gardens. With its impressive sweeping form, the new canopy creates such a transitional space between the Foundation’s main premises, including the Museum of Modern Art, and the park beyond.   

Translating the architectural vision of a roof, seemingly floating on a series of columns, into a stable, buildable and economic engineering design was the main challenge for our team. Simplicity was key to the design’s success, but it was not a simple task at all, requiring our engineers to reduce it to its minimal structural requirements. The free-standing canopy structure consists of a gently curved rigid plate supported by two rows of columns. Our expert developed bespoke pinned connections to achieve the impression of a floating roof to reduce the risk of any second order bending effects and prevented unwanted horizontal loading. 

Buro Happold experts worked with architect Kengo Kuma & Associates to support the project with structural engineering for the concept and scheme design phase. Our solution pushes the boundaries of the current design codes and works with materials that complement the existing park.

SAP Garden, Munich, Germany

The new home for the Munich Red Bulls ice hockey team and an additional home venue for FC Bayern Munich Basketball, SAP Garden is set to draw thousands of visitors when it opens in the coming year.  

Currently being built on the protected site once occupied by the Radstadion velodrome in Munich’s Olympic Park, SAP Garden will be a truly multi-functional venue, with three ice rinks for professional and grassroots sports, fan shops, office and conference facilities as well as a parking garage. Additionally, the permanent ice rink can be covered for other sports and events. 

Due to official height restrictions and to fit into the bucolic character of the surrounding park, SAP Garden is only 12m tall and MEP equipment cannot be situated on the roof. As a result, a large part of the facilities and supporting systems are underground, concealed beneath a canopy of rolling parkland. This presented challenges in maintaining structural integrity, as excavation reached below the water table and the landscaped mound now supports high overhead loads exerted by pedestrians and saturated earth. 

Several complementary Buro Happold disciplines – including, structural engineering, acoustics, façade and traffic consultancy – were applied in unison to shape an exceptional spectator experience. 

The Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw, Poland

Located close to the Palace of Culture, a new impressive building – The Museum of Modern Art – is set to become cultural icons for the city of Warsaw. 

The museum was conceived as a monolithic cube veiled in a white concrete facade. Alongside its counterpart, the TR Warszawa Theatre, which is still in the planning phase, it will be integral to the formation of a new cultural heart in the city when they open their doors to the public in the coming year.  

Supporting the project with building services engineering, infrastructure, ground engineering and structural engineering, Buro Happold faced extraordinary challenges. For the museum they were tasked with creating a finely balanced internal climate strategy to protect the priceless works of art that will be exhibited and stored there.  

The museum structure is located directly on top of an existing metro station. We designed foundations that limit the effect of vibrations from the metro line on the museum’s exhibits and can keep the metro lines running during construction. 

Spreepark, Berlin, Germany

Spreepark is an amusement park in the former East Berlin with an eventful past. After standing neglected for almost two decades, an ambitious regeneration project will see it transformed into a new public park with sustainability at its heart. 

While the whole regeneration process is estimated to take until 2026, parts of Spreepark will be opened to the public in stages, such as the Eierhäuschen beer garden and cafe as well as the ferry jetty that offers a convenient way to cross the river Spree.  

In the coming year, however, the main attraction and landmark of the park, the renovated Ferris wheel, is set to be taken back into operation at the request of many citizens concerned about retaining the park’s historical heritage.  

Buro Happold was engaged to provide consultancy around the development and implementation of the sustainability concept for this important component of Berlin’s urban development. 

As the first public park in Germany, the Spreepark project has received the pre-certificate from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) in Platinum. This certificate is awarded to construction projects that meet above-average criteria for sustainable implementation.