Geodetic domes for great-span structures: Mandela Forum Project proposal in Florence

The paper concerns the design of a new sport arena and in particular of a aluminium roof structure for the Mandela Forum, which is the major sports arena of Florence. The project key-element is the aluminium geodesic dome, chosen in order to set up a covering with optimal and functional structure and shape. The key topic discussed in the paper concerns the geometrical issue of the structural optimization, in fact comparing several types of iron framework domes, the geodesic one seemed to be the best choice, as proved through mathematical and computational models. The numerical analyses showed that the geodesic framework is stiffer than other configurations, moreover it minimizes the material used: indeed the overall beam length is optimized. Furthermore, due to the framework regularity, the stress state is almost uniform in the whole structure beams.