Stadia are almost unique in their typology and the way in which their design must be approached. I say almost only because there are always things I don’t know of/about. But think about it. Sports halls attract lots of people but the placement of a new one requires a place where there is the already existing possibility for lots of people. If the location lacks this possibility, the conditions must be created for the stadium to truly flourish.
And you know, I think stadia ‘realize’ these hoops they make us jump through and have developed a bit of an ego as a result. Think about it. How many outward stadia do you know? They’re all very inward buildings- ‘it’s all about me!’
Courtesy of Studio Kalamar
People approach a stadium and the building is always ‘pulling away’ from them. All of its energy is focused in movements towards its centre, towards what is inside. Very seldom do they gesture outward towards those who are giving it patronage.
The Sports Hall, submitted by Studio Kalamar as part of a competition for the Municipality of Koper, rises austere above the wooden plinth upon which it sits, yet doubles back at its climax, towards its approaching visitors. A forest of ‘sailboat masts’ on poles punctuates the urban space of the plinth, serving to further focus attention into a more even footing between stadium and visitors.
One thing though. The stadium’s outcrop which gestures towards its approach, seems to be a resultant of its overarching geometry. The form is almost like that of a stadium moving under immense speed- so that the leading edge is curled backwards and the trailing edge is swept back, creating a pseudo-tail. This tail is the outcrop. The stadium is ‘speeding’ along the same vector as those walking to it. So then why does the stadium wall rise so straight from its base until it meets the tail? Should not velocity be shown at the trailing edge as well?
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