Olympic Tennis Stadium

This Olympic Tennis Centre, La Caja Mágica, or the Magic Box, is a big, clear luminous box that seems to have no walls at night, revealing its interiors, its colours and the geometry of its forms. The complex features three main courts with retractable roofs, all in the same arena. Perrault's proposal won an international competition held in 2002 by Ayuntamiento of Madrid. Construction work began in 2003 and is expected to last 32 months, completing the structure in 2007. Its outstanding feature is its simple, linear forms. The big box, called "magic" for its light and colour effects and for its "content" of spectacular events and initiatives, is prevalently made of glass, steel and wood. This skin is reflective in daylight, while improving the stadium's visibility at night by lighting up the entire structure so that it can be seen from far away.