Blooming like a massive, unruly mushroom in the historical city of Seville, Spain, the world's largest wooden structure—called Metropol Parasol—stubbornly refuses to go unnoticed. The eye-catching design was created by the German firm J. Mayer H. Architects—no strangers to wacky architecture—and cost a whopping 90M € (that's $123,165,000) to construct. Further still, Metropol Parasol effectively blows previous superlative-snatching wooden buildings right out of the water, as its undulating, 4-story sprawl covers about 136,378 square feet.
Though the base of the bar, restaurant, and museum-filled structure is made from concrete that's been reinforced with steel, an interweaving, wooden-paneled exterior coated in polyurethane resin characterizes the structure's look. The unique shape comes from the architect's desire to provide plenty of open space beneath the swooping, shade-providing "parasol" canopies—therefor making the previously sun-baked plaza more enjoyable. Says the architectural team responsible for the project "the parasols grow out of the archaeological excavation site into a contemporary landmark, defining a unique relationship between the historical and the contemporary city."
· Metropol Parasol, World's Largest Wooden Building [Design You Trust]
· Metropol Parasol /The World's Largest Wooden Structure [Yatzer]
· Please Say Hey to North America's 'Tallest' Wood Building [Curbed National]
· All J. Mayer H. coverage [Curbed National]