Oriente Station, Lisbon, are elegantly curved. Their arboreal represen-
tation is equally explicit. The Station platform canopy appears light-
weight and very delicate by comparison to its heavy concrete-arched
structure housing the main concourse and other facilities upon which
it rests (Fig. 9.3). Recalling the pointed Gothic arches of Oxford
University Museum’s courtyard structure (see Fig. 6.39), the steel
ribbed canopy bears a strong resemblance to a grove of palm trees – an
association reinforced by its detailing. Apart from its square fabricated-
steel column-bases, other members of the roof canopy comprise
I-sections. The main arch members not only curve, but also taper. The
haunched and rounded rib-to-arch connections and the use of sharp-
edged and thin sections recall similar properties of palm thongs and
strengthen the botanical analogy (Figs 9.4 and 9.5).192 STRUCTURE AS ARCHITECTURE
▲9.3 Oriente Station, Lisbon, Portugal, Santiago Calatrava, 1996. A light-weight
platform canopy atop a heavy base.▲9.4 A view along the canopy structure. ▲9.5 Palm tree thong-like ribs connect to a primary arch.