Dominique Perrault's Caja Mágica Transforms Madrid's Tennis Landscape

Dominique Perrault has completed the Centre olympique de tennis in Madrid, marking a bold return for the French architect after his hiatus following the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The stadium, known as the Caja Mágica (Magic Box), is designed as a giant parallelepiped clad in shiny metal mesh curtains and topped with three thick, movable roofs. The concept, which won the 2002 competition, allows the roofs to slide or tilt via hydraulic jacks, offering 27 configurations—the main court's 100 x 70 meter, 1,200-ton roof can open fully to the sky. The complex spans 16.5 hectares with 100,000 m² of built space, housing three main courts (12,000, 5,000, and 3,000 seats), 16 outdoor courts, five indoor courts, six training courts, a pool, and facilities for the Spanish Tennis Federation, all for a budget of €120 million. Connected to the new Manzanares Park, the building becomes a landscape-scale landmark, the largest construction in the city. At night, its austere, glittering envelope transforms into a powerful lantern. Perrault's signature approach—a strong initial idea faithfully executed—is evident, reminiscent of his earlier works like the giant canopy for the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg and the fissure in the ground for Seoul's Women's University.