Can’t say the La Caja Mágica facility is weird, it just ups the ante on designs for tennis arenas. It hosts the Madrid Open which is currently taking place. If there is a weird aspect to it, it may be because it is a sterile looking building with gritty clay courts.
La Caja Mágica – Overview
La Caja Mágica is the most modern tennis venue in the world. Every year since 2009 it has hosted the Mutua Madrid Open. Built totally out of steel, wood and glass, the sports complex was designed by French architect Dominique Perrault. The name “Caja Mágica†(or “Magic Box†in English) refers to the dynamic design of the angular, shifting shell that covers the two pavilions.
La Caja Mágica is built around two main buildings – La Caja Mágica and the Tennis Indoor building – which occupy a total of 103,300 square metres. All of the courts at the Caja Mágica can be either partially or completely covered, thanks to retractable roofs that lift away like giant lids, meaning that this “box†can be opened and closed at will.
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Flexible and versatile
La Caja Mágica houses three clay courts with retractable roofs. The centre court (officially named the Manolo Santana Stadium) can hold 12,500 people. Court No.2 (officially the Arancha Sánchez Vicario Stadium) and court No.3 seat 3,500 and 2,500 respectively.
This allows for up to three games to be played simultaneously in the event of rain, a luxury that none of the four major tournaments can offer: the Australian Open has two courts that can be covered; Wimbledon has one; and in both Paris and New York they are weighing up the options of installing roofs like those at La Caja Mágica on their centre courts.
The second building we encounter inside the Magic Box is the Tennis Indoor building.
This area is divided into three parts:
a) Tennis Indoor South which boasts 12 paddle tennis courts and two hard resin-based courts, all of which indoors.
b) Tennis Indoor North, boasting 5 resin-based courts all of which indoors.
c) Tennis Indoor Centre, where visitors can enjoy a heated pool, a spa, changing rooms and multifunctional spaces where conferences, conventions, meetings, and events can be held.
Outside the building in the Tennis Garden, are 10 blue clay tennis courts and an outdoor shopping area. The unique and spectacular space, coupled with the signature bright blue courts (four more of which are to be built in time for this year’s tournament) make a visit to La Caja Mágica a totally unique experience.
