Rather than shoot for a boxy gymnasium, BIG decided to frame the complex as a village with plenty of open spaces and public gardens. Because each building is a different shape, it has its own identity and is easily distinguishable from the others. “The sloping roofscapes and alternating building volumes provide the complex with the varying identity of a small village thus reducing its scale to the adjacent neighborhood,” says BIG. “The interior streets animated through public functions resemble a medieval downtown, supporting all aspects of human life – generous living, work and intensive play.”

The large central hall is big enough to accommodate football games, concerts, conferences, exhibitions and flea markets. And unlike an inward facing stadium that restricts outsiders from seeing inside, the hall is open and visible from all of the surrounding streets. The inner courtyard will also be a roomy open space where events can be held and has a playful and curvy landscaped design that plays on the jagged look of the surrounding buildings.

Of the thought that went into the design, Bjarke Ingels, Partner-In-Charge at BIG said, “Considering the special requirements of women of all cultures and all ages, special attention has been given, to provide the sports village with a feeling of intimacy and well being often lacking in the more masculine industrial-style sports complexes that are more like factories for physical exercise, than temples for body and mind.”

+ BIG

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