La Caja Mágica to debut at next week's Madrid Mutua Madrileña

La Caja Mágica (The Magic Box) - Madrid, Spain
Architect: Dominique Perrault
Features 3 adjustable roofs that can be open or closed in 20 minutes
Manolo: Stadium Court, seats 12,500
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario: Second court, seats 5,000
Unnamed third court seats 3,000
Four additional outdoor courts
Not only retract but can be "lifted" like the lid of a box

“We can be 100 percent outdoors, and in that case, the roof slides,” Perrault said. “And then there are these intermediate positions which are very comfortable and which give the feeling of being outdoors but also protect the courts from the wind.

“The box is also not constructed with walls. It’s constructed with a metal casing that acts like a big curtain that lets the air pass through but stops the sun and the wind and also the rain. At night, the box is a magic lantern. The light comes from the interior of the building, and then, at that moment, it lights up the entire curtain and the facade disappears, and we see the structures of the stadium inside.”

Full story here.

(image via nytimes.com)