Hasta La Ideas

A steel shell curls over the arched frame of this sports hall near Sydney by Australian architects Allen Jack+Cottier.

Glazed end walls in the Milson Island Sports Hall allow views right through the building.

The inside is clad in curved, slotted plywood to absorb noise and withstand the impact of stray balls.

Strips of glazing run along both sides of the building below head height.

More stories about sport on Dezeen »

Photography is by Nic Bailey of Allen Jack+Cottier.

The following information is from the architects:

Milson Island Sports Hall

The most recent addition to Allen Jack + Cottier’s suite of award-winning sports and recreation centres for the NSW Department of Sport & Recreation is located just north of Sydney on Milson Island, in the Hawkesbury River.

The shape of the building emerged by morphing the ideal shapes resulting from the thermodynamic analysis, the side wind forces, the need to shed leaves and branches and yet collect water and the enclosure requirements. All building elements had to be sized to be barged across the river to the site.

The design celebrates this integrated thinking by not allowing any visible ridge, eaves gutters, downpipes or skylights on the exterior. The natural thermal ventilation aided by the suction caused by the wing shape demanded a clean crisp interior skin with no visible fixings bracing, wiring or lighting.

The acoustic slotted ply ceiling is integrated to the structural bracing, so that the walls and ceiling carry all the wind loads of 38 m of building to the ground. The shape of the building reduced wind load by 30%, thus reducing structural sizes and saving money.

At night, the curved wing shape of the new building acts as a proscenium arch to define the place for the campfire, an important part of each camp at the site. It works both for the audience inside looking out to the gathering space, and for the audience around the fireplace looking back into the hall.

When the campfire is lit at night, and the hall interior is illuminated only by a strip of lights, the building seems to magically float off the ground, into the surrounding bushland.

Natural light from the roof windows ground level slot windows and end walls create an even, almost art gallery like, light on the playing surface of the hall.

A combination of twelve wind turbines and a series of floor mounted louvres ensure the building remains cool in Sydney’s fierce summer heat.  In winter with the turbines and louvres closed a heat plume forms to act like an insulation blanket. Attached amenities and storage modules service the fireplace, the bushwalking activities and the oval so have to be accessed from outside, forming a strong entry and destination point.

Roof water, free from the blockage of leaves and branches, falls clear of the sloping glass slots into an oversized roof garden for natural filtering and collection to water tanks for future use.

This is a powerful building which in its frugality demonstrates the essence of shelter.

Completed: 2010
Cost: A$ 2.7 m
GFA: 670 m2
Client: Sport and Recreation, Community’s NSW

See also:

.

ANZAS Dance Studio by Tsutsumi and Associates	Football Training Centre by RUFproject	Parc de la Ciutadella by Batlle i Roig Arquitectes

The latest completed venue for the London 2012 Olympics is the Basketball Arena, a PVC tent designed by Sinclair Knight Merz with Wilkinson Eyre and KSS.

A patterned surface is created on the exterior where the skin stretches over arched frames.

The arena will host handball and basketball during the Olympics next year, and wheelchair rugby and basketball for the Paralympics.

Two thirds of the structure will be reusable after the games are over, when the building will be completely dismantled.

More about the 2012 London Olympic Games on Dezeen »
More buildings for sport on Dezeen »

The following information is from the Olympic Delivery Authority:

Basketball Arena becomes fourth Olympic Park venue completed

The London 2012 Basketball Arena has become the fourth Olympic Park venue completed, more than a year ahead of the Games and is one of the quickest venues to finish construction, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced today.

The Basketball Arena is one of the largest temporary venues ever used for an Olympic and Paralympic Games and will be dismantled after the Games to be reused elsewhere. Initial works on site began in October 2009, with work to erect the 1,000-tonne steel frame starting in March 2010. The venue has now been completed on budget, making it one of the quickest Olympic Park venues to finish construction.

With the ODA’s construction works completed, the venue will now be handed over to the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) to carry out overlay works to get the venue ready for the first Olympic Park test event in August – the venue will host the London International Basketball Invitational to be held from the 16th-21st August which will see six top men’s teams from around the world come to London to compete (Great Britain, Australia, China, Croatia, France and Serbia).

During the 2012 Games, Basketball preliminary matches and Women’s quarter finals will be staged at the Arena, in addition to the Handball men’s quarter finals, all semi finals and medal matches. It will also host Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby during the Paralympic Games.

ODA Chief Executive Dennis Hone said: ‘Completing construction on the Basketball Arena delivers another striking Games-time venue for the Olympic Park and an innovative structure that can be re-used elsewhere after 2012. As the fourth Olympic Park venue completed and one of the quickest to finish construction, the Basketball Arena is another milestone for the Olympic Park ‘Big Build’ and a tribute to the companies from across the UK involved in its delivery.’

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: ‘Basketball is one of the most atmospheric competitions of the Games and this has been captured by the artistic design of the Arena. The speed with which this venue has been constructed is a tribute to the ODA and the architect whose design means this facility can be re-used after the Games.’

London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe said: ‘Basketball is one of the most popular Olympic sports and spectators will be able to see the game played out in spectacular surroundings. It is a superb venue which will be the centre of some of the best team action during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.’

Venue factfile:

Venue design and facilities and design:

• 12,000 seats – black and orange seating designed to represent the colours of a basketball
• Venue is 35 metres high (as high as the Tate Modern) and longer than a football pitch at 115 metres long
• 1,000-tonne steel frame wrapped in 20,000sqm of recyclable white PVC membrane, stretched over three different variations of arched panels.
• During the Games the exterior will act as a canvas for an artistic and innovative lighting design.
• Venue facilities including lifts, toilet blocks, corridors and VIP access rooms installed beneath venue seating frame
• After the Games the venue will be dismantled by the contractors which built and own the temporary elements, with the option of potentially using elements of the arena at other UK and overseas events.

Construction

The Basketball Arena design team was lead by Sinclair Knight Merz together with Wilkinson Eyre and KSS

The venue was constructed by companies from across the UK, including:

• Scotland: Barr Construction in Glasgow built the structure.
• West Midlands: Slick Seating in Redditch is providing the temporary seating.
• South West: Base from Bristol provided the membrane cladding for the outside of the Arena and Mitie from Bristol carried out mechanical and electrical works.
• South East: Envirowrap from Tenterden in Kent is providing the wrapping for the seats; Sevenoaks-based Volker Fitzpatrick is erecting the steelwork, building the toilet blocks and internal fit-out, including lifts.
• Northern Ireland: McAvoy from Dungannon is building the temporary accommodation.
• Yorkshire: Fullflow Group Ltd in Sheffield is a sub-contractor to Barr Construction and will be installing the syphonic drainage.

Sports:

Sports to be staged at the Basketball Arena include:

• Basketball: The Olympic Basketball competition will have 288 athletes competing for two gold medals – 144 men and 144 women, and 12 teams of 12 players in each competition.
• Handball: Two teams of seven players pass and dribble a small synthetic or leather ball using only their hands. The aim is to score a goal by throwing the ball past the defending goalkeeper. The team with the most goals wins.
• Wheelchair Basketball: As in Basketball, played by two teams of five players on the court. It is similar to the Olympic game, with same size court, basket height and near-identical rules.
• Wheelchair Rugby: Played indoors on a regulation size basketball court using a white ball identical in size and shape to a volleyball. Teams have four players on the court and the object of the game is to carry the ball across the opposition’s goal line.

See also:

.

2012 London Olympic Stadium by Populous	ArcelorMittal Orbit by Anish Kapoor	London 2012 Velodrome by Hopkins Architects

The rebirth of traditional finless surfboards

Inspired by the shape of ancient Hawaiian surfboards, designer and surf historian Tom Wegener decided to reintroduce finless surfboards to the world of modern surfing. The Seaglass Project, as he calls it, is the result of decades of thinking up, designing, prototyping and testing his designs with Global Surf Industries. This extensive R&D combined with ancient concepts and modern materials led Wegener to design his version of the finless surfboard, “The Tuna.”

The theory behind finless boards is pretty simple; no fins means less drag, and less drag means a faster ride. Soon available in two sizes for different wave conditions and rider size, Wegener designed both the Tuna and the Mini Tuna with an ideal combination of proper flex, rail and bottom contours and contemporary materials for a responsive board with increased flotation. A low-level rocker (the upturn of the nose) helps make catching waves easier, plus the subtle curves and hard walls hold the board on the face of the wave. All this makes a Seaglass Project board perfect for ripping even the smallest of waves, delivering a fun, loose ride that’s great addition to your quiver.

Tuna and Mini Tuna will be available in Australia and the U.S. in November 2010. For everyone else, check online to find your nearest dealer and for more general information.

Beijing based architects Tsutsumi and Associates have completed this dance studio in Beijing with mirrored walls covered in tiny graduated dots to create the illusion of a mist hanging in the air.

Called ANZAS Dance Studio, the interior has tigerwood flooring and spotlights dotted across the ceiling.

Curves in the apex of each corner further blur the perceived boundaries of the room.

The following is from the architects:

Project description

Project title – ANZAS Dance Studio

It is a dance studio planned to the corner of the building in the Beijing city.

What is done in the studio is to confirm the behaviour of the body. In the view of being repeated by the mirror, changing dizzyingly, a sense of existence of the floor becomes important. Paradoxically speaking, anything but the floor is unnecessary to be perceived. Then I imagined a space wrapped in a deep fog. It was felt that the scenery in the fog in which everything except ground is near whiteout condition was proper to this dance studio.

Grainy and deep coloured tigerwood (Muiracatiara) is used for the floor, and all the other things are painted white so that the floor gets remarkable. By painting a white ceramic paint in a dot gradation on the mirror, the floor merges far into the wall.

When it sets foot on the studio, an innumerable white particle wraps the body. The floor merges gradually in a deep boundary, and senses of depth are lost. Although the dance studio is mostly a dull space with only the mirror, by blurring everything but the floor without assuming its existence, a fantastic space has been created.

Used materials   dance studio:
Floor/ tigerwood (Muiracatiara)
wall/ painted mirror
ceiling/ plaster board

Reception:

Floor/ ceramic tile
Wall/ paint only
Ceiling/ plaster board
Construction methods- ceramic painted mirror with dot gradation pattern.
Furniture manufacturer – Beijing Biaode Decoration Co.,Ltd
Lighting manufacturer – Beijing Biaode Decoration Co.,Ltd
Floor manufacturer – Beijing Biaode Decoration Co.,Ltd
Wall manufacturer – Beijing Biaode Decoration Co.,Ltd
Floor area (m2) – 66.3
Date of completion – 15/06/2009
Description of the project

See also:

.

Nagi by Eiri Ota and Irene Gardpoit Chan	Ricort by Isolation Unit	Kanazawa World Craft Triennial by Nendo

Découverte du photographe anglais David Ryle et de son talent pour capturer des paysages, personnages, voitures en installant une ambiance envoutante. De nombreux collaborations avec des marques telles que Nike, Alfa Roméo ou encore Audi. Plus d’images dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• Philip-Lorca diCorcia
• Alex Telfer
• Tom Hoops

Copyright Fubiz™ – Suivez nous sur Twitter et Facebook