PLAY
the sports and culture magazine from make architects
WELCOME
Welcome to Play magazine, which celebrates the success of the
London 2012 Olympics with a collection of articles linked to some
of Make’s sports, leisure and cultural projects.
Make’s Handball Arena - otherwise known as The Copper Box - is
one of four permanent venues on the Olympic Park and the third
biggest indoor arena in London. It was host to some amazing
competitions during the Olympic and Paralympic games and we
are now looking forward to seeing it transformed into a multipurpose community facility, to be opened in the summer of 2013.
ken shuttleworth
4
2
expert eye
18
CONTENTS
4
hand-to-hand combat
8
just a game?
30
12
rolled gold
Three architects from Make
discuss issues in sports, cultural
and leisure building design.
The secrets of the most
dominant handball team in
the world.
What is the future
for English football’s
Premier League?
The story of goalball, one
of the most dynamic sports in
the Paralympic programme.
14
16
18
22
judo’s big fight
climate control
all rhodes to london
knockout
The battle to preserve
traditions in a
modernising sport.
A Make expert explains the
challenges of designing sports
and leisure venues in deserts.
Fashion designer Zandra Rhodes
talks about her work on the
2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Brain injury is sidelining more
ice hockey pros than ever.
Is the equipment to blame?
24
28
30
32
play the old way
a walk on the wild side
Dragon boats, yak racing
and ta’i chi: how the
Chinese are preserving their
traditional sports.
The Make-designed South
Park Hub in London’s Olympic
Park is the latest green space to
brighten up a major city.
trying to stay cool
The battle in extreme action
sports between those who
desire Olympic status and
those who think it’s a curse.
famous five
Some of Make’s architects
choose their favourite
sports and leisure venues
around the world.
VISITOR ATTRACTION
EXPERT
EYE
three of make’s architects explore
key issues in the design of modern
sports, cultural and leisure buildings.
IAN LOMAS
Drawing huge crowds to a sports event or a show is the easy
part. Provided the stars due to perform are bright enough, the
tickets will sell. But this is just half the job. At Make, we know
how crucial it is to ensure spectators are truly thrilled by their
visit to a sports or entertainment venue. Not only does this
mean they’ll spend more money on merchandise, food and
drink (what’s known in the trade as longer ‘dwell time’), but
they’ll also be guaranteed to return for future events.
This was at the forefront of our minds when we worked
on the design of Las Vegas Arena. We were chosen for the
project thanks to our original design style. Instead of
envisaging yet another sumptuous, flash-looking building
(there’s certainly no lack of those in Las Vegas), we opted for
something much more restrained and elegant. And we wanted
it to be dramatic as soon as you spotted it from afar.
Once inside, it needed to be dramatic, too. Instead of
channelling spectators through enclosed corridors – which is
standard practice in sports and entertainment venues – we
prefer to open up access routes so that visitors can see each
other moving around different parts of the venue, and to open
up the exteriors of buildings, giving people views across the city
it inhabits. So when it came to the Las Vegas Arena we included
a huge façade that could be opened up during the cooler months
of the year, allowing visitors to enjoy the desert air and the city
atmosphere. Great if they want to hang around after the event
has finished and use the stadium bars and restaurants. And, of
course, extra revenue for the stadium owners.
play / the experts
Think outside the box
Engage with the locals
Stuart Fraser
Stuart Blower
Make may not be well known for designing sports and
cultural buildings – there are other practices which are more
specialised in this field – but where we steal a march on our
rivals is in our ability to think outside the box. Yes, we respect
all the necessary building regulations. Yes, we incorporate all the
basic demands of a huge public venue. But we don’t let this
prevent us from designing buildings for real people.
Too many sports venues are soulless, functional boxes.
It’s almost as if architects are working from a single template,
afraid to give their buildings character. That’s not how we work
at Make. Not for us an identikit arena. Every venue is different;
every site is different. Our mission is to give each of our
buildings a totally unique character.
Sports or music fans should feel a shared bonding as they
walk up to their venue. The route from the car parks or the
public transport hubs should allow them to feel part of a single,
vibrant entity as they walk together in crowds. They might see
glimpses of the sports field or the inside of the stadium as they
get closer. There should be cafés and shops outside the venue
– either purpose-built or part of the local high street – where
they can congregate before the start of the event; where they
can savour the atmosphere and build-up.
Take the Handball Arena in London’s Olympic Park,
for example. When we designed this we wanted to be sure
spectators would engage with the venue from the very first
moment they saw it – approaching from a distance – right up
until the moment they left.
It’s astounding how sports or cultural venues can inject
new life into an entire city quarter. Here at Make we see stadia
and entertainment venues as the new cathedrals – grand,
inspiring structures at the heart of communities where the
public can congregate and engage with one another.
It wasn’t always like this. During the 1980s and early 1990s
it was common practice to build sports and entertainment
venues on barren brownfield sites at the edge of cities.
Surrounded by huge seas of car parks, they were soulless
places, shut down for much of the week between events.
We know we can do so much better than that. We want
to use the venues we design to reconnect whole communities,
and to improve their daily lives. A good example is the masterplan
we did for the new Tottenham Hotspur Football Club stadium,
in London. As well as a stadium, it has been designed to be a
place of work, a place for kids to visit after school, a place for
locals to eat, drink, shop and congregate; in short, a catalyst
for the regeneration of one of the most down-at-heel parts of
London. But at the same time we wanted it to engage closely
with the high street that runs alongside it, making it much
more part of the community and giving local businesses a
real boost.
The two venues we designed for King Abdullah Sports
City, in Saudi Arabia, stemmed from a similar desire to engage
local communities. All along we knew we had to create a venue
that would suit the needs of top-level athletes, but at the same
time provide easy-to-access facilities for recreational users.
“We see stadia and
entertainment VENUES
as the new cathedrals –
grand, inspiring
structures at the heart
of communities.”
2/3
both olympic and world champions, the french men’s
handball team will be favourites for gold in the
make-designed handball arena at this summer’s olympics.
nicolas chardon, director of a new film about the team,
finds out how his national side has become so dominant.
HAND-
TO-HAND
COMBAT
Every once in a while the olympic games give fans the
chance to see an incredible team in total domination.
Remember the 1992 US basketball dream team, with Michael
Jordan and Magic Johnson? Or the 1980 US ice hockey team
which managed, against all the odds, to upset the mighty
Soviets? History may even look back on 2008’s world record
Jamaican 4 x 100m relay team as a true classic.
This time round, in London, it’s the sport of handball
which will feature a dominant dream team. French men’s
handball, to be precise. ‘Les Experts’, as they’re known back
home, are arguably the greatest handball team of all time : gold
medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 ; world champions in
2009 and 2011 ; European champions in 2010. No other
handball team in history has triumphed in so many world-class
tournaments. Competing in Make’s Handball Arena, on the
west side of London’s Olympic Park, they are favourites to take
the gold medal again this time round.
To understand how they first rose to the top of their sport
you need to rewind back to the 1990s, when they initially made
their mark. Back then, their coach Daniel Costantini introduced
his players to professional training methods for the first time. A
surprise medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona gave the
team the springboard they needed to then triumph in the 1995
world championship. It was actually the first time a French
team had ever won a world title. (Remember, this was three
years before Zinedine Zidane and his colleagues brought home
football’s World Cup.) As current star handballer Nikola
Karabatic explains of his forerunners : “At the time, they came
from nowhere. The players made an unimaginable effort to
reach that level through immense hard work and self-sacrifice.”
Back in the 1990s, the team were known as ‘Les Barjots’,
meaning ‘The Crazy Ones’. As Les Barjots gradually retired, the
next generation had to work to stamp their authority on the
sport. It took five years or so for the team to reach the top of
play / french handball
Daniel Narcisse of France shoots for goal at London 2012.
4/5
This team has known only
two coaches in the past
25 years which has helped
foster long-term strategy
and player
Cedric Sorhaindo in action at the Copper Box.
the world again, and to fully integrate young players such as
Didier Dinart, Jérôme Fernandez and goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer,
all now linchpins of the squad. This successful integration of new
players is one of the key reasons for current French domination.
In 2003 Nikola Karabatic, just 18 at the time, first won his place
in the team. “I remember developing my skills with star players
whose images I had on posters in my bedroom,” he says. “It
was incredible for me to become part of the team that had had
such an influence on me when I was younger.”
2003 was also the first major competition for new coach
Claude Onesta, who took over after Costantini’s 16 years at the
helm. Despite several upsets, including elimination from the
Athens Olympics at the hands of the Russians, Onesta managed
to lead his boys to victory in the 2006 European championships.
From then on ‘Les Experts’, as the new generation were now
known, were unbeatable. “Once you’ve tasted victory, you very
quickly feel the need to taste it again,” says Karabatic, whose
father represented Yugoslavia in handball at the Moscow
Olympics in 1980. “At each tournament we won, I experienced
such intense emotion with my teammates that, as soon as the
next tournament came around, I felt the need to relive that.”
There are also certain technical reasons for France’s
success. For the last 20 years their defensive play has been
outstanding, a constant thorn in the side for teams that
challenge them. During the 1990s they often opted for a 5-1
formation, with five players guarding the back of the court, and
one attacker up front. Jackson Richardson played a key role in
this solid defence, constantly hampering any attacks, and often
stealing possession to launch vicious counter attacks.
Nowadays the French defence relies on three strong
players at the back, creating a wall that attacking teams
struggle to breach. Then, up front, there’s the pivotal Bertrand
Gille, with central defender Didier Dinart – arguably the best
handball defender in the world – just behind him. The final line
of defence is goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer, also considered the
world’s best for his position.
play / french handball
Olympic Handball Arena
London, UK
With its huge, 3,000-square metre
copper façade, the Handball Arena
is one of the most impressive and
eye-catching venues in London’s
Olympic Park. It’s also the third
biggest indoor arena in the capital.
This summer it’s being used for the
Olympic handball and modern
pentathlon competitions, and the
Paralympic goalball event.
Make purposefully designed it to be
very different to existing sports
arenas. Inside is a 2,750-square
metre field of play surrounded by a
multi-coloured interior and
retractable seating for up to 7,000
people. Vistors enter via a glazed
concourse encircling the building
that offers views of the sports
action within. Dozens of light-pipes
fitted into the roof allow natural
Consistency has played its part in France’s success, too.
Most sports have a regular turnover of coaches. Not French
handball, however. This men’s team has known only two coaches
(Costantini and Onesta) in the past 25 years, something which
has helped foster long-term strategy and player development.
The importance of patience and hard work shouldn’t be
underestimated.
Should Les Experts win gold again in London, France will
see thousands of skilled youngsters striving for a place in the
national squad. Since the gold medal in Beijing, handball has
developed meteorically across the entire nation. There are now
more than 400,000 players licensed to the French handball
federation (the FFHB). That number’s sure to grow.
“It’s crucial that we pass on to kids the desire to play well
in handball,” says Karabatic. “We’ve got to get kids dreaming
about success. It really makes me happy to know that kids see
me competing on the handball court and that makes them want
to play the sport. Wonderful.”
6/7
light to illuminate the venue, saving
up to 40 per cent on lighting costs.
A rainwater harvesting system
will collect water from the roof,
dramatically reducing usage.
After the Olympics, the venue will
operate as a leisure and training
facility for use by the local
community. The arena’s flexible
design – including retractable
seating systems for quick and easy
adaption – also enables it to operate
as a high-capacity spectator venue
for sports and music events.
JU$T
A
GAME?
england’s premier league, the world’s most famous
football league, is set to undergo radical changes over
the next few years. jon hotten, from sky sports, finds out
from experts just how radical they might be.
play / english premier league
The recent resurgence of the english premier league’s
Manchester City marks a significant shift for a competition
that has been won by only four clubs in its 19-year history.
Celebrated, marketed and sold around the world for its
unpredictable excitement, the Premier League is, like most
sports competitions, a conservative organisation resistant to
change. And for perhaps the first time in its existence, its
ruthless ascendency will be challenged by forces outside of
its control.
Based in England, it is now in essence an international
business. Its top six clubs are all foreign-owned: Manchester
United, Liverpool and Arsenal by Americans, Chelsea by
Russia’s Roman Abramovich, Manchester City by UAE
politician Sheikh Mansour, and Tottenham Hotspur by the
Bahama-based British businessman Joe Lewis. The personal
funding of all these proprietors has manifestly increased the
power of their clubs. However, unrestricted spending – the
engine that has driven their businesses – will soon be
prevented by new legislation from Europe’s governing body,
UEFA. The Financial Fair Play rule, designed to ensure that
clubs cannot compete in European competitions if they do not
break even, will be in full effect by the 2013/2014 season.
According to Daniel Geey, an associate with Field Fisher
Waterhouse, who specialises in football and the law, the
immediate effect of the legislation has been a slowing of
spending. “There’s no doubt that the trend from the summer
window was that less money was spent by the top clubs,” he
says. “That was a demonstration of their understanding of the
constraints that they have to live within.”
Yet the Premier League depends on bringing the world’s
best and most marketable players to its clubs, and new
challenges are emerging: Shanghai Shenhua of the Chinese
Super League have lured Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea on wages
of £175,000 per week, for example. Another Chinese club,
Dalian Aerbin, have offered Didier Drogba a three-year deal
worth £30 million. Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala are paying
Samuel Eto’o £17.5 million a season. “These are new and
unpredictable markets,” Geey adds.
For the 14 or so less successful Premier League clubs,
the battle is one for survival whilst running a business in which
player wages regularly account for 70 per cent of turnover.
“Clubs are not run in a normal business fashion,” says Brendan
Guilfoyle, one of England’s leading insolvency practitioners, who
has run administrations at football clubs Crystal Palace, Leeds
United and Luton Town. “And if you do try and run them in
the normal fashion then you are reviled by either the industry
or the fans. If you are living within your means, you are
probably nearer the bottom of the league than the top. I don’t
see that changing.”
Key to the riches that the Premier League distributes are
the revenues generated by the sale of its television rights.
“Google and Apple might potentially get involved in the
bidding for rights,” says Daniel Geey, “and the more
competition, the greater likelihood that rights fees will
increase. You have a very popular league and a broadcaster
like Sky willing to pay vast amounts.”
Currently the Premier League operates a collective
bargaining agreement that distributes the fees between its
“If you try to run football clubs in
the normal fashion, you are reviled
by the industry or the fans.”
brendan guilfoyle,
football insolvency practitioner
8/9
member clubs. But could the top sides ever negotiate
individually? “Individual selling would probably only benefit
the top six sides,” says Geey. “The Premier League constitution
states that in order for a resolution to pass, you need 14 out of
the 20 clubs to agree.”
Perhaps we might instead see a Premier League Mark II
for smaller clubs currently striving for membership. Or even a
wider European Super League? “Back in 1991, I’m not sure
anyone would have believed that the Premier League clubs
would have essentially kept all of their money earned under
the auspices of [governing body] the FA without distributing it
downwards,” Geey adds. “Never underestimate the power
people have to do things.”
The power of the finances remains dependent on the
quality of the product. Jonathan Wilson is a leading football
writer and expert on tactical developments in the sport.
“There’s a constant energy to it that other leagues still lack,”
he says. “But it has changed. If you looked 10 years ago you
would have seen big players like Patrick Vieira or Roy Keane in
midfield. Now, the change in the offside law has, in effect,
made the pitch bigger, so smaller players like Luca Modric at
Spurs and David Silva at Manchester City can flourish.”
Wilson also identifies the importance of clubs developing
their own talent. He cites Spanish club FC Barcelona as an
example of how players that compete alongside one another
for many years can improve radically. Football may be a
short-term business, but long-term investment in players really
pays off.
And what of the people at the sharp end? The fans who
pay handsomely for tickets and TV subscriptions? Interestingly,
the two most popular football books in the UK’s Christmas
market were The End, a compilation of articles from the
fanzines of the 1980s, and Got, Not Got, a book of football
nostalgia stories.
“The book ends with a list of 250 things that have gone
missing from the game that we want the FA to reinstate,” says
Derek Hammond, author of the latter. “Clearly that’s a joke,
but there’s a serious side. All football fans know in their hearts
that the changes since the 1980s have gone too far in one
direction and that it’s all money-related. It has affected the
whole greater football culture.”
It’s a salient reminder that amongst all of the grand plans,
it is the fans who will ultimately decide the future direction of
the game.
Wembley North West Lands.
Tottenham Hotspur FC Masterplan
London, UK
Wembley North West Lands
London, UK
Make has produced a masterplan for a new
stadium for London football club Tottenham
Hotspur which is designed to integrate with the
local high street and totally regenerate the area
around it. Featured in the plan is a state-of-the-art
58,000-capacity stadium, offices, a club museum,
a club shop, up to 200 new homes, a 150-bedroom
hotel, a supermarket and a huge public space. This
mix of uses is to ensure the area remains active
and vibrant even on non-match days, thereby
giving local businesses a much-needed boost.
The area surrounding Wembley Stadium, in
north-west London, is set to be totally
transformed thanks to a Make-designed
masterplan that incorporates residential
accommodation, retail, office and park space.
The site earmarked for redevelopment covers
14 acres, and surrounds Brent’s new Civic Centre.
The approach routes to the stadium are
considered just as important as the stadium itself.
The idea is that fans should enjoy the exciting
atmosphere together in the lead-up to matches.
Tottenham Hotspur FC’s proposed new stadium.
There will be 1,300 new dwellings in all, including
townhouses, maisonettes, apartments and hotel
space. The shopping street will cover up to 30,000
square metres and run parallel to Olympic Way,
the famous pedestrian approach to Wembley
Stadium. There will also be a one-acre public park,
office space, a community hall, allotments and
extensive parking for cars and bicycles.
play / english premier league
“All football fans know in their hearts that the changes
since the 1980s have gone too far in one direction, and that
it’s all money-related.”
derek hammond,
author of got, not got.
10 / 11
“You have to learn to
read the sound. You have
to read whether the ball’s
coming straight and fast,
whether it’s swerving,
whether it’s bouncing.”
british goalball player,
jessica luke
this summer, the make-designed handball arena,
in the olympic park, plays host to the paralympic
goalball competition. top player jessica luke (right)
explains the intricacies of her sport.
ROLLED
To the uninitiated, it looks like six football goalkeepers
playing a vicious game of ten-pin bowling… all blindfolded, and
in complete silence. This is the Paralympic sport of goalball.
This summer it will be one of the 20 sports on offer at the
London Paralympics.
The rules of the sport are simple: two teams of three
position themselves either end of an 18-metre court, all
wearing blackout masks so that the partially sighted have no
advantage. One player then hurls the ball along the floor as
hard as possible towards the goal of the opposing team, all of
whom dive across the floor in an effort to block it. Two bells
inside the ball alert them to its trajectory, which explains the
silence during play. Either a goal is scored or the defenders trap
the ball, after which play switches ends and defenders become
attackers. Often, the ball-thrower will spin round, like a
hammer thrower, before unleashing the ball at speeds up to
60mph towards the opposite goal.
Jessica Luke is one of Britain’s top three female goalball
players. Partially sighted since birth, she says the trickiest
aspect of the sport is learning to read the trajectory of the ball
using hearing alone. It’s the ultimate test of hand-ear
coordination. “You have to learn to read the sound,” she
explains. “You have to read whether the ball’s coming straight
and fast, whether it’s swerving, whether it’s bouncing. Once
you learn to track, the skill becomes instinctive. That’s what
makes a good player.”
The sport may look simple – essentially it’s an extended
penalty shoot-out – however, there are many crafty tactics
involved. Before throwing, players often cradle the ball so that
the opposing team can’t hear the bells and work out where the
shot’s coming from. The ball can be rolled straight and very
hard, in an effort to blast through the wall of defenders. (One
Finnish players spins his body for three full revolutions before
unleashing.) Or, in order to outfox defenders, it can be swerved.
play / goalball
Most shots are aimed for the gaps between the defenders, or
for the corners of the goal. Full-toss throws aren’t permitted.
Goalball was first invented in 1946 by an Austrian and a
German, as part of an effort to rehabilitate blinded veterans
from the Second World War. Introduced to the Paralympic
programme at Toronto in 1976, it has been growing in
popularity ever since, and is now played in over 100 nations
worldwide. At the Beijing Paralympics, China took gold in the
men’s event, while USA took gold in the women’s.
Although Jessica and her British teammates would
normally have qualified automatically for the London
Paralympics thanks to their host nation status, the federation
that governs their sport made them work hard for their place.
Both the men’s and women’s team had to prove they were
strong enough to hold their own among the world’s elite.
As Jessica explained before she knew the British teams
were definitely competing: “They don’t want us to go out there
GOLD
in Great Britain tracksuits and lose badly. I agree with them.
If you go to the Paralympics, you want to be challenging other
teams, and heading for medals. Not just turning up for fun.”
A recent performance saw Jessica and her teammates lose
narrowly to the current world champions China by a score of
1-0. Nevertheless, come August 30th, when the Paralympic
goalball competition starts in the Handball Arena, Jessica and
her teammates will need their wits about them, and their ears
peeled if they’re to challenge the top teams in the world.
“Fortunately there are really good acoustics in the arena,” she
says. “And there’s a real atmosphere to it.”
At the moment, the British teams get to train there once
a week. Jessica says this is quite enough. The rest of the time
she practises elsewhere. “I wouldn’t want to train there too
much. If you’re going to the Paralympics, you don’t want the
venue to feel too familiar. You want to feel it’s really special;
something incredible.” Star of the French team, Nikola Karabatic.
12 / 13
JUDO’S BIG
for decades, judo purists in the far east have
been fighting with modernisers to preserve the
sport’s ancient traditions. will they submit to
the latest rule changes? judo writer barnaby
chesterman finds out.
play / judo
FIGHT
Judo has come a long way since it evolved, over a century
ago, from jiu-jitsu, a fighting style that originated on the
battlefields of feudal Japan. Now that it’s firmly established as
an Olympic sport, gone are the weapons, kicks, punches and
leg-locks; anything, in fact, designed to cause excessive pain or
death. Instead, what remains is an elegant and artistic sport
marked with chivalry, respect and grace.
By the end of the 19th century, hand-to-hand combat was
a dying art on the battlefield, with increasingly sophisticated
weaponry rendering it almost obsolete. This was when jiu-jitsu
specialist, Dr Jigoro Kano founded judo by transforming his
deadly martial art into a safe and controlled sporting activity;
something more practical and useful for every day life. He took
out striking and some of the most dangerous joint-locks, and
brought in foot-sweeps that allowed a thrower to control the
fall of the person whose balance he had just whisked away.
130 years on, and there is a different sort of revolution
sweeping through the sport that Kano created. This time the
motivation is not safety and practicality, but instead universal
interest and public attraction. Since Romanian-born
businessman Marius Vizer took over the International Judo
Federation (IJF) in 2007, he has been trying to drag his sport
into the 21st century.
Before his arrival, the popularity of judo in its biggest
market – Japan – had been waning. In France, its secondary
market, it wasn’t a widely viewed or appreciated activity. So
Vizer fearlessly swept aside the concerns of the traditionalists
– mostly from Japan – who resisted change, pushing through an
ambitious publicity plan. Now, according to the IJF
communications officer Nicolas Messner, the last judo world
championships were shown live in 130 territories worldwide;
quite an impressive spread.
Before Vizer’s reign, previous president Park Yong-Sung
had already introduced blue judo suits ( judogi), aimed at
making the sport more attractive and understandable to
television audiences. Rather than a whir of two bodies, draped
in white, flying through the air, now one fighter wears blue and
the other white, making identification easier and the sport
more accessible for spectators.
Vizer has made his own changes. He’s done away with one
of the four scores awarded for a successful technique, changed
the style of the scoreboards to make them clearer to the layman
and also, perhaps most significantly, banned techniques that
resemble wrestling.
Rather than a whir of two
bodies, draped in white, now
one fighter wears blue and the
other white, making identification
easier for spectators.
Whereas previous modifications had brought consternation
from traditionalists at the Kodokan – the home of judo in Japan
– this latter rule change was greeted warmly. By purging judo
of the leg-grabs, dropping and sacrificial techniques popular
in wrestling – a style dominated by Russians, Iranians and
Caucasian countries – pure, classical judo has been allowed to
flourish once again. And there are none better than the Japanese
when it comes to performing the oldest throws, those preferred
by Kano himself.
It has also made for more spectacular and attacking judo,
something that has pleased television executives. According to
Messner, at the 2009 world championships in Rotterdam, 35
per cent of fights ended in a move called ippon, the equivalent
of a boxing knockout. “That figure had risen to 60 per cent last
year at the Paris Worlds,” Messner adds. “In some categories it
was as high as 75 to 80 per cent. The Japanese have benefitted as
they can do their style of judo again. It’s attacking, it’s spectacular.
Techniques that had disappeared have reappeared.”
So the sport of judo is changing yet again. But this time,
both the modernisers and the traditionalists seem to be content.
Vizer may just have managed to find a happy medium.
Dartford Dojo
Dartford, UK
Home of the Dartford Judo Club, on the
outskirts of London, this stunning venue
is being used by the world’s top judoka
in the run-up to the Olympic Games. An
elegantly simple pavilion on the outside,
it houses training areas, changing
facilities, a club room and a judo dojo
with a 200-seat gallery surrounding it.
The design was inspired by the judo
philosophy of achieving maximum
gain with minimum effort, and was
constructed to a very tight budget,
proving that sports venues can still be
beautiful and effective without costing
a fortune.
14 / 15
CLIMATE CONTROL
with many middle-eastern nations bidding
for major sports events, it’s becoming
increasingly important to tailor the design
of sports and entertainment buildings to
desert climates. make architect john prevc
explains how this is done.
play / desert architecture
Sun, sand and searing heat. The climatic conditions of
deserts can make things very difficult indeed for architects.
“We have to see them as an extra challenge,” says John
Prevc, an architect at Make who has worked on two major
desert designs in Saudi Arabia – the King Abdullah Sports City
(KASC), near Jeddah, and the Al Faisaliyah Center, in Riyadh
(with Foster and Partners). “Yes, it’s extremely hot. And there’s
always sand in the air. But with the correct approach, these
problems can be overcome.”
SUN
With some desert temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius in
the middle of the day, building roofs have to be designed rather
cleverly. Small, traditional desert buildings, such as those made
of adobe, have thick roofs to insulate against the heat. But
sports and leisure buildings need to be much larger to
accommodate the activities inside, and it’s not economical to
have large-span, thick roofs. “To get round this problem,
architects use mineral wools as roof insulation,” Prevc explains.
“They are very light but great at reflecting the desert sun.”
The use of shading is important, too. For the KASC
Recreation Centre, Make designed huge synthetic polymer
shades to cover the skateboard and BMX park, and the
outdoor tennis courts. It was an opportunity for high-tech
design to blend with the local culture. “The design crossed
both cultures,” Prevc explains. “The design of the shading
was a technology borne out of the West. But image-wise, it
fitted very much into the context of a traditional Bedouinstyle desert tent.”
With so much sunshine on offer, desert buildings can
obviously benefit from solar power. “You have sunshine pretty
much all day long,” Prevc stresses. “It’s nonsense not to use it.”
Yet, even when they’re boosted by the sun’s rays, desert
buildings still struggle to achieve self-sufficiency in terms of
energy. This is because of the need for extreme airconditioning. However, Prevc explains that, in the near future,
ground-source cooling systems will enable air-conditioning,
even in the desert, to become much more efficient. Coupled
with solar power, this could mean zero energy bills.
SAND
The other major headache of desert climes is of course all the
sand. Prevc says architects need to design building exteriors
that can withstand years of attack from wind-borne sand.
“Hard stone finishes are the best bet. There are also some
good, hard-wearing paint finishes. But plasticised exteriors will
eventually start to wear and break away. Glass exteriors need to
be treated to stop them turning misty over time.” It’s also
important for maintenance workers to constantly sweep away
the sand deposits that inevitably accumulate on the roofs and
along the base walls of desert buildings.
Sand wreaks havoc with any exterior mechanics on a
building. “Swing doors are far more sensible than sliding
doors,” says Prevc. “And it’s better if thermal shading is fixed
rather than retractable. In the KASC Aquatics Centre we
suggested fixed thermal shading for this very reason.”
RAIN
In some desert locations, especially in coastal areas, rain can
occasionally be an issue. KASC was due to be built near Jeddah,
on the Red Sea coast. In the past it has been struck by very
heavy thunderstorms. December 2010 saw one of the most
violent, with up to five cm of rainfall recorded.
“In the designs we had to include large downpipes and
extensive gutter networks to drain all the water away,” Prevc
explains. “Yes, it sounds strange, but in the desert, as well as all
the other climatic extremes, you sometimes get extreme rainfall.
It’s just another challenge we have to design for.”
16 / 17
This image of medieval
noblewoman Lady
Godiva represents
Coventry’s 2012
Cultural Olympiad.
play / godiva awakes
ALL
RHODES
TO
LONDON
legendary fashion designer
zandra rhodes is working
alongside make on the 2012
cultural olympiad. in this
interview she discusses her role
in the project and remembers
former clients such as
princess diana, freddie mercury
and diana ross. by ben cove.
18 / 19
This summer, there will be a very strange vehicle on the
roads north of London: an enormous bicycle-powered
procession of dancers, musicians and actors, at the head of
which will be a six metre-high mechanical puppet.
It’s all part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the cultural
programme of the London Olympics. Called Godiva Awakes,
the puppet represents Lady Godiva, the medieval noblewoman
who, according to legend, rode naked on horseback through the
city of Coventry as a protest against taxation.
Both Zandra Rhodes and Make have collaborated on
this rather unorthodox project. The former as designer of the
puppet’s clothing, and the latter as architects of the structure
in which the puppet will be housed after the Games.
Coventry-based event and performance organisers Imagineer
Productions are designing and coordinating this world-class
piece of public art, with contributions from mechanics, artists,
theatre makers, puppeteers and engineers.
“I’m very proud to be a part of the Olympics in my home
nation,” boasts Zandra, now 71 years old but with hair as bright
pink as ever. “Lady Godiva was a significant figure in British
history. I’ll be trying to capture her spirit, so expect an iron corset
that shimmers, but is also transparent, connoting freedom.”
For Zandra, it’s yet another design that will reinforce
her reputation as something of a maverick. Yet, all along, it’s a
reputation she never originally set out to cultivate.
“I wasn’t motivated to make an international statement.
That all happened by accident,” she admits. “I believed in my
vision, but I didn’t look for affirmation from others. My litmus
test has always been that if I like the design, then that’s enough
credibility. And if others like it, then great.”
As it turned out, the young Zandra was far from alone in
liking her early designs. Armed with a collection of eccentric
styles borne out of her background in textiles, this daughter of
a truck driver from Kent, in south-east England, rapidly rose to
prominence – from college student to the very summit of
international fashion – in the 1960s and 1970s. “It all happened
quickly,” she recalls. “So I didn’t really step back and analyse
the success, because I was living it.”
The big hitters within London’s emerging fashion
fraternity were fascinated by this eccentric, intrepid character
who had burst onto the scene with such zest. Zandra soon
enjoyed a blossoming reputation among the great and the good.
By the late-1960s, stars from stage and screen were flocking to
her London shop. “Not only was there suddenly huge demand for
my work, but I saw my ideas influencing others. I was thrilled.”
Zandra was the brightest talent in a new wave of
pioneering London-based designers who would take Britain to
the forefront of the international fashion scene. Her work –
edgy, impulsive and overtly feminine – was to define the era.
The swinging Sixties had buried Britain’s post-war
conservatism, instead promoting a relaxation of social taboos.
Meanwhile, Zandra’s expressive colour and creativity fittingly
captured the imagination of the time, as the punk era of
anarchic symbolism spiked into full flow across the UK.
Zandra’s concepts encapsulated the social trend. Her
trademark innovations such as jewelled safety pins, denim tears
and exposed seams, earned her the popular epithet the ‘Princess
of Punk.’ But the ambitious designer would not allow her
homeland to become a boundary to her appeal. Before long, she
crossed the Atlantic to New York. “I couldn’t believe the way I
was received in America,” she reminisces. “Suddenly I was on the
cover of magazines like Vogue. Everyone was raving about me.”
One such fan was soul singer Diana Ross. “Diana looked
magnificent in my red chiffon and pleated jackets,” Zandra says.
“I couldn’t stop
working. That
would be like
accepting I’ve
run out of ideas
and I don’t
foresee that
happening
any time soon.”
play / godiva awakes
She later worked with Freddie Mercury and Brian May,
of rock band Queen, on their live show costumes. “They’d
come to my studio in the evenings and we’d exchange ideas. I
never knew them too well because they were always off on
tour, and I didn’t have the time to be a groupie,” she jokes.
By the 1980s, Zandra was a global fashion icon. But she
was still taken by surprise when another Diana, this time the
Princess of Wales, came knocking on her door. “Lady Di was
very complimentary about my work, which was marvellous.
We both wanted to have a huge slit up one side of her dress,
but she said she couldn’t possibly do so because the paparazzi
would try to take pictures of her knickers as soon as she got
out of the car.”
Zandra’s list of past clients might already read like a
who’s who of popular culture, but she still harbours ambitions
to work alongside one further star in particular. “Oh, Lady Gaga
is great,” asserts Zandra. “There’d be a synergy between her and
me. We’d create something spectacular.”
Meanwhile she spends much of her time running the
London Fashion and Textiles Museum, which she set up back
in 1997, with the help of her partner, movie theatre magnate
Salah Hassanein. She seems to have lost none of the energy or
passion which helped make her one of the most significant,
groundbreaking designers of the 20th Century.
But surely, now that she’s into her eighth decade, she’s
having thoughts of retirement? “I couldn’t stop working,” she
says, vehemently shaking her head. “That would be like
accepting I’ve run out of ideas and I don’t foresee that
happening any time soon.”
With that, the Princess of Punk struts off, back to her
London museum, ready for another day of believing in her
vision, dressing the stars, and being a maverick.
20 / 21
Godiva Awakes
2012 Cultural Olympiad
Godiva Awakes is one of the most
stunning elements of the 2012
Cultural Olympiad, the cultural
programme of the London
Olympics. A huge bicycle-powered
procession that will travel from
Coventry to London, it will feature
dancers, actors, musicians and
pyrotechnicians all performing
around a huge mechanical puppet
of Lady Godiva, the medieval
noblewoman who, according to
legend, rode naked on horseback
through the streets of Coventry as a
protest against taxation.
Make designed the permanent
structure that represents Godiva’s
home. Clad in stainless steel, it
features two seven metre-high
glazed end walls and eight stainedglass windows. The interior
represents Godiva’s bed chamber,
with chain mail curtains hanging
down from the roof. After the
Olympics, the Godiva puppet will
be housed permanently inside the
structure in the centre of Coventry.
KNOCKOUT
Despitestrict
strictnew
newregulations,
regulations, more
despite
moreand
andmore
moreice
icehockey
hockey
professionals
are
being
sidelined
with
severe
concussion.
professionals are being sidelined with severe concussion. Could
could it be the equipment, rather than the style of play,
itthat’s
be thetoequipment,
rather
than from
the style
of play, that’s
to
blame? george
malik,
ice hockey
website
kukla’s
korner,
findswebsite
out. Kukla’s Korner,
blame? George Malik,
from
ice hockey
finds out.
play / ice hockey
On a muggy april day in 1999, when Philadelphia Flyers
forward Eric Lindros was battered by the hard plastic shoulder
pad of an opposing player, it was the beginning of the end of his
ice hockey career. He dropped to the ice like a ton of bricks,
unconscious. He survived that day but, eventually, after half a
dozen further concussions, was forced to retire from the sport.
At the time, the offending shoulder-barger didn’t even
receive a reprimand. Such manoeuvres were considered all part
of the game. Yet, nowadays, should a player intentionally target
the head of an opponent, he would be suspended.
Concerned about the safety of its players, North America’s
National Hockey League (NHL), has changed both its rules and
equipment since Lindros’s mishap. Head injuries are still a
major part of the sport, however. As 2011 came to a close, a
total of 44 players – including the league’s brightest star, Sidney
Crosby – had missed over 450 games due to concussion, and
the NHL had suspended 24 players for a total of 80 games.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman insists his league is not
in crisis. But some players take the opposite view. “I missed
eight months of hockey. Eight months of my life was gone,”
said concussed Los Angeles Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell.
“You’re living in pain every day. You have a headache. It’s
tough. You can’t do anything. You can’t read, you can’t drive
your car. It hurts.”
In some ways, you could argue that the NHL’s rule changes
have made things worse. With American football-style tackles
outlawed, as well as holding back or hooking players when they’re
not in possession of the puck, today’s ice hockey pros are
encouraged to use ever more physical play to separate opponents
from the puck. The game is now faster, harder-hitting and, to
some extent, more violent than it has ever been. It’s true that
new rules specifically prohibit hits where players’ heads are the
principal points of contact. And it’s true that the new NHL
disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan (a hard-hitter himself when
he was a player with the Detroit Red Wings), is doling out
suspension after suspension for predatory hits. However, the
number of concussed players still seems to have skyrocketed.
Las Vegas Arena
Las Vegas, USA
There’s certainly no shortage of
sports and entertainments arenas
in Las Vegas. So when Make were
commissioned to design a new one,
just off Las Vegas Boulevard, they
made sure it was very different to
anything already built. Instead of
trying to compete with the
Today’s ice hockey pros are
encouraged to use ever more
physical play to separate
opponents from the puck.
Some purists in the sport have demanded a return to the
old hooks and holds which they believe prevented more violent
forms of physical contact. But most experts blame the
equipment. During Lindros’s time in the league, players began
to wear shoulder and elbow pads clad in hard plastic, much like
their American football-playing cousins. In theory, the pads
protect players from clutching, grabbing, hooks and holds, as
well as hard hits. But the hard plastic caps proved to be brutal
offensive weapons, too.
Now the NHL is insisting that its players cover their old
shoulder and elbow pads with at least half an inch of foam, and
it’s working with equipment manufacturers to eliminate hard
plastic from protective equipment altogether. But players are
slow to comply.
Gary Bettman wants to avoid any knee-jerk reactions to
the problem of concussion. “Playing our game, even a legal hit
can result in a concussion,” he says. “We play a very fast-paced,
physical game in a closed environment. I think people need to
take a deep breath and not overreact.”
He stresses how the NHL has established a Department
of Player Safety, with strict neurological testing and medical
procedures designed to protect the athletes. “We are being
extraordinarily proactive,” he adds.
Still, when it comes to concussion, the only thing that the
sport’s players, coaches, managers and owners can agree on is
that there are no easy answers. Perhaps it’s time, metaphorically
at least, to bash some heads together.
city’s very ostentatious buildings,
they opted for a simple, clear and
self-assured design, inspired by
the mountain backdrop one can see
from the city. Given the region’s
extreme desert cimate, it was
important that energy use should be
as efficient as possible. This will be
achieved through collaboration with
a team of environmental engineers.
22 / 23
P L
T
O L
W
A Y
H E
D
A Y
threatened by the popularity of modern olympic sports, athletes in rural
china, and elsewhere within the worldwide chinese diaspora, are doing
their utmost to preserve their traditional sports. ben cove learns about
dragon boating, cuju and the exceedingly curious yak racing.
The sign at the entrance to huangpu park sports centre
was only two square feet in size, but the message couldn’t have
been clearer: ‘no dogs and no chinese.’
It appeared late in the 19th Century, in an occupied
British quarter of Shanghai. Inside the gates, modern Western
sports were enjoyed by imperial missionaries, but such
activities remained strictly off limits for the locals.
Not that the indigenous inhabitants of China’s largest
city were particularly bothered. The notion of competitive
sport as a pastime hadn’t occurred to them. It was as alien as
the diet or dialect of their colonial visitors.
The Chinese didn’t even have a word for ‘sport’ until the
1800s, which is all the more staggering when you consider the
ancient relics that have been unearthed, proving that Chinese
society partook in exercises as far back as 10,000 years ago.
Indeed the forerunner to soccer – cuju – and early forms of golf
and wrestling all originated in China thousands of years before
Western factions introduced organised sports to the region.
While foreign influences slowly rationalised sport in the
East around the turn of the 20th Century, experts from China’s
own traditional activities were in turn inspired to travel west.
T’ai chi ch’uan, a martial art with self-defensive as well as
spiritual, health and psychological benefits (now known
universally as t’ai chi) originally gained popularity across China
during the Song Dynasty of the 10th and 11th centuries. It was
first presented to the West by Choy Hok Pang who emigrated
to the USA in the early 1900s. Pang was the first recognised
international proponent of a sport that has since become a
regular hobby all over the world, and now serves as a backbone
to China’s modern health service.
USA-based instructor, Bill Douglas, runs World T’ai Chi
Day, an event spreading tai chi’s gospel across uncharted
territory. “It’s now an international phenomenon,” he beams.
“Fun, but also valuable on so many levels.”
In 2011, Bill organised events in 80 countries worldwide.
“The world is fascinated by ancient Chinese culture,” he says.
play / china’s traditional sports
24 / 25
“That, coupled with the pervasive nature of t’ai chi, makes it a
hit, even in far-flung outposts. The essence of t’ai chi is the
same now as it was centuries ago. Something this special could
only have been created in China, where thousands of years of
uninterrupted historical evolution provided perfect development.
While ta’i chi ch’uan evolved, masters had ample opportunity
to observe human consciousness and pass knowledge on, so its
wisdom remained intact through the dynasties.”
Elsewhere there are further old-fashioned Chinese
sporting rituals that may not have the same bodily benefits, but
do continue to thrive in the 21st Century. Yak racing, a bastion
of the Tibetan social calendar for centuries, currently takes
place across Tibet and Mongolia, while wrestling and crossbow
archery are all firmly etched into the fabric of the world’s most
populous nation.
Another emblematic Chinese sport that continues to
enjoy broadened horizons in and outside of its motherland, is
dragon boat racing. Conceived on the rivers of southern China
more than 2,500 years ago, it is inextricably linked with the
legend of Qu Yuan, a sacred poet and statesman who drowned
himself in the Miluo River in a fit of political despair during the
Zhou Dynasty in 278 BC. The locals, who revered the writer,
are said to have raced out on boats to the scene of Yuan’s
suicide, dropping rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves into the
river to feed him in the afterlife. It soon became a ceremonial
annual event, and thus, dragon boat racing was born.
“We had close to 4,000 people competing last year.
It’s a celebration of our ancient culture and
an education for our kids.”
linda cheung, from the san francisco
international dragon boat racing festival.
Liangping Sports Centre
Liangping, China
This stunning design for a multistructure sports centre, in the
south-west of China, integrates
perfectly with the undulating
landscape surrounding it. At
ground level, visitors access the
concourse of the stadium and
the main arena through levelled
walkways that connect to gardens,
playing fields and sunken pools of
water. Above the walkways, and
connecting the various facilities,
are ribbon-like stretches of roofing
that both guide visitors and
protect them from the heat of the
sun in summer.
While the main stadium is
open-roofed, there is a lattice
covering above the spectator
seating. The other buildings are
sheltered beneath roofs filled
with transparent ETFE pillows
which allow natural light to flood
in. All the buildings sit slightly
below ground level which keeps
the interiors well insulated. Air
is drawn into these interiors
via huge ducts which use the
thermal energy of the ground to
pre-cool the air in summer and
pre-heat it in winter. Landscaping
and planting across the site is
designed to encourage biodiversity, while rain water is
collected for irrigation.
play / china’s traditional sports
Now the most significant ritualistic tradition in China’s
sporting calendar, it is even afforded its own public holiday.
Meanwhile, its appeal has spread further than any of the initial
rice cake-droppers could ever have imagined.
“There is an incredible heritage to the sport,” says Linda
Cheung, director of the California Dragon Boat Association.
“Just think: dragon boat racing was around two millennia ago,
and we’re still competing in its same very primitive form today.”
Taking place each September, the San Francisco
International Dragon Boat Racing Festival is a colourful event
launched by Cheung’s committee of Chinese diaspora in 1996.
It has since become one of the most significant celebrations of
Chinese sporting culture anywhere outside of China.
“We had close to 4,000 people competing last year,”
boasts Cheung. “It’s not just about racing. It’s a celebration of
our ancient culture and an education for our kids.”
It’s also an indication of just how dominant Chinese
culture has become. From Shanghai to San Francisco, and in
countless countries in between, China’s ancient sports are
thriving more than ever. And at the same time, in modern
Olympic sports, it’s Chinese athletes who rule the roost. At the
Beijing Olympics they topped the medal table with 51 golds. In
London this year they’re sure to enjoy similar success.
Those imperial British in the Shanghai sports centre who
first pinned up their ‘no dogs and no chinese’ sign 150 years
ago would be spluttering on their gin and tonics.
“The world is fascinated
by ancient Chinese culture.
That, coupled with the
pervasive nature of t’ai chi,
makes it an instant hit,
even in far-flung outposts.”
bill douglas, organiser of
world t’ai chi day.
play the old way
Many of China’s traditional
sports are still alive and kicking.
dragon boat racing
Believed to have originated in
278 BC, it’s still popular across
China today, mainly on the
fifth day of the fifth lunar
month each year.
cuju
Meaning ‘kick-ball’, this
ancient Chinese pastime has a
recorded history of more than
2,500 years and is credited as a
forerunner to football.
yak racing
Yaks can run surprisingly fast
over short distances, as proved
in this highly popular
spectator sport from in and
around the Himalayas. It now
features in Tibet’s annual
horse festival.
crossbow archery
Archaeological discoveries
prove that archery in China
dates back 20,000 years.
shuai jiao
An ancient form of wrestling
in which contestants wear
horned headgear while
attempting to butt their
opponents. Legend states this
technique was used in 2,697
BC by the Yellow Emperor’s
army to gore the soldiers of a
rebel army to death. Modernday shuai jiao is taught by
police and military training
academies across China.
26 / 27
make is helping transform london’s new olympic
park into a community and leisure facility
after the close of the games. it’s all part of a
worldwide trend to turn industrial wasteland
into attractive public spaces.
A WALK
ON THE
WILD
SIDE
With well over 3,000 parks and green spaces, London
is surely one of the greenest capital cities in the world. Now,
thanks to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it’s about to get
a whole lot greener.
Much of the park has been reclaimed from the industrial
wasteland that was there before. One of the key features within
it will be Make’s competition-winning South Park Hub, a
pavilion building which will contain a café, a roof terrace, and
space to host events. It’s positioned at the southern end of the
South Park promenade, near the Olympic Stadium, the
Aquatics Centre and the Orbit.
“The building has a simple yet elegant rectilinear form,”
says Make’s Stuart Fraser who is heading up the project. “Its
prime setting offers strong visual connections with the river and
the surrounding park.”
Because of the scale and complexity of the sports stadia in
the Olympic Park, the South Park Hub will be a low-lying
pavilion, subtly stitched into the flowing lines of the surrounding
landscape. “We want it to complement the nearby stadia, not
compete with them,” Fraser adds.
At the heart of the pavilion will be a large, open café space,
with a glazed frontage. Covered external seating and the roof
terrace will offer panoramic views across the whole park.
Fraser says the building has been designed flexibly so that
further sections can be added on in the future. “This practical
design approach means we’ll be able to create an elegant and
well-proportioned pavilion. And we’ll be able to deliver it
quickly, despite the challenging budget.”
See right for examples of wasteland in other major world cities that
has been transformed into innovative green space.
play / urban parks
High Line
New York City, USA
Perched atop a former elevated railway above Manhattan, this linear park
stretches a whole mile from New York’s Meatpacking District, up the
western side of Manhattan Island, as far as West 30th Street. Its presence
has encouraged property developments alongside it and there are now plans
to extend the project even further north.
Parc de la Villette
Paris, France
Filled with dozens of architectural follies, this park on the north-eastern
edge of the French capital, is a particualr favourite with Parisians. Over 10
million people visit every year, enjoying the science and music facilities.
Madrid Rio
Madrid, Spain
Running more than six miles along the Manzanares River, in the
Spanish capital, this park was built on top of a network of tunnels
that enclose a city motorway within. It weaves together many
neighbourhoods that the road had originally cut off from the city
centre, and features sports facilities, playgrounds, cafés,
restaurants and an urban beach.
Millennium Park
Chicago, USA
Right in the commercial centre of downtown
Chicago, this 24-acre park was built on the site of old
car parks, rail yards and former parkland. Below it is
a functioning railway station, making it the world’s
largest rooftop garden.
Cheonggyecheon
Public Park
Seoul, South Korea
Following the course of a river
that runs west to east through
downtown Seoul, this park
stretches for around five miles.
Before development, the stream
was almost dry, which meant the
construction team had to divert
thousands of tons of water from
the neighbouring Han River into it.
28 / 29
TRYING TO
STAY COOL
in some of the world’s most extreme action sports, such as
wakeboarding, indoor climbing and roller sports, there’s
a battle raging between those who want olympic status,
and those who believe it’s a curse. joe boyle investigates.
play / extreme sports
Which elite athlete wouldn’t want olympic gold? Many
of those involved in extreme action sports are clamouring for
Olympic status. But, at the same time, some of their colleagues
believe official recognition risks stifling the maverick spirit that
first helped them flourish.
What is not up for debate is the growing commercial
impact being made by these emerging action sports. A 2011
report by market research firm Mintel concluded that 118
million Americans took part in “action and extreme sports” at
least once in 2009. In 2010, equipment sales for these sports
rose by nine per cent. Major media organisations have seized
upon the commercial opportunities. Fuel TV, a 24/7 channel of
news and event coverage in this area, is hosted by Fox. ESPN
organise and broadcast the annual summer and winter X Games.
Extreme Sports Channel, part of the Extreme International
network, appears on the Sky TV platform.
“When I started in 1995, extreme sports were a lot smaller
than they are now,” says Al Gosling, founder and head of
Extreme International. “But all the indicators from a strategic
perspective – equipment and clothing – were that they were
going to mushroom.” Gosling started with programme production.
Now he oversees resort marketing, hotel management and
merchandising. The growth of the company mirrors the growth
of the sports themselves.
King Abdullah Sports City
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
The King Abdullah Sports City development was
commissioned by the country’s head of state
to tackle lifestyle-related health problems by
encouraging younger Saudis to become more
active, and also to provide facilities for Saudi
Arabia to host major international sports events.
The 1,000-hectare masterplan contains seven
major venues in total, two of which were designed
by Make. First, there’s the Recreation Centre, with
facilities for both casual and professional users.
With a capacity for up to 2,000 visitors, it includes
swimming pools, sports halls, a boathouse, a youth
hostel, outdoor sports pitches and an area for
extreme and urban sports such as skateboarding,
mountain biking, BMX racing and climbing.
Then there’s the Aquatics Centre, comprising
two swimming-pool halls with a main competition
pool, a diving pool, a training pool and seating for
5,000 spectators. Both halls are wrapped by a
single, metal solar-shading canopy.
30 / 31
Extreme International’s promotional literature presents
these sports and their participants as fresh and young. Data on
three extreme sports in a recent British survey shows the highest
participation rates are indeed amongst younger age groups: 20
to 24 years for snow sports, 20 to 24 for mountaineering and 16
to 19 for canoeing. Anecdotal evidence of youth participation is
strong, too. Mention sports such as inline skating, skateboarding,
mountain biking, BMX or wakeboarding and, in their mind’s
eye, few people will picture an athlete older than mid-20s.
For many of these youth sports, the next logical step is to
gain Olympic status. Some have already done so. Canoeing and
kayaking have been represented in some form since 1936,
mountain biking appeared in 1996 and BMX in 2008. At the
Winter Olympics, snowboarding was accepted in 1998. Others
are now trying to gain similar recognition. For the 2016 games
in Rio de Janeiro, wakeboarding and roller sports were amongst
seven sports bidding for two available slots. Neither succeeded,
losing out to the more conventional rugby sevens and golf.
Both will again try again for 2020, as will indoor climbing.
In the British sports survey, mountaineering (a broad
term that includes indoor climbing) was one of just four sports
that showed a growth in participation in the year to October
2011. Football, tennis and rugby union, by contrast, were some
of the major sports that had a decrease in participation. Rob
Adie, at the British Mountaineering Council [BMC], pinpoints
two key reasons for seeking Olympic recognition: the demands
of top athletes, and money. “Climbing has a natural hierarchy
like most sports,” he says. “There’s an elite end where people
are pushing the boundaries and the natural aspiration is to go
for the Olympics. The British team currently has no outside
funding apart from the small amount it gets from the BMC, nor
any sponsors. Recognition would help, as finance would be
available from the government.”
The opposing viewpoint is that Olympic endorsement
undermines the counter-cultural appeal of these sports. “A
16-year-old snowboarder doesn’t care about the Olympics,”
says Gosling, unimpressed by the zeal of those seeking official
endorsement. “They’re interested in an amazing trick,
incredible powder. They’re on the mountain, they’re with their
friends, they’re acting in a certain way, they’re wearing the kit
and the clothes, they’re having fun.”
FAMOUS FIVE
01
02
03
04
Some of Make’s architects
choose their favourite sports
and leisure venues worldwide.
01
havre des pas
bathing pool
St Helier, Jersey
Recently restored to the
full splendour of its
Victorian heyday, this huge
sea-water swimming pool
has welcomed many
famous guests since it was
built in 1895, including
Victor Hugo and Lawrence
of Arabia.
“I learnt to swim here,” says
Cara Bamford. “The gates
would be opened every day
at high tide to let in the sea.”
02
03
04
Budapest, Hungary
Place Saint-Gery,
Brussels, Belgium
London, UK
Built in 1913 and designed in
the Neo-baroque style by
Gyozo Czigler, this thermal
bath has been expanded
and now features three
outdoor and 15 indoor pools.
Essentially just a sandpit
in a wooden frame, this has
to be one of the simplest
sports venues in Europe.
But that’s all part of
its charm.
“A fabulous mix of
rococo decadence on
the outside and stripped
down Communist chic
on the inside,” says
Charlotte Wilson.
“It’s a great place to
play, cheered on by
strangers drinking at
the outside tables,”
says Frances Gannon.
the szechenyi
thermal bath
boulodrome
olympic
velodrome
Known as ‘The Pringle’, this
cycling venue is enveloped
by a 360-degree concourse
with views across the
Olympic Park.
“I love its purity of form,”
says Philip Twiss. “The
external envelope is an
expression of the fluidity,
dynamism and speed of
track cycling.”
p l ay / m a k e fav o u r i t e s
05
05
olympiastadion
Munich, Germany
With huge canopies of
acrylic glass supported by
steel cables, the main
stadium for the 1972
Olympics was revolutionary
for its time. Designed by
Gunther Behnisch, it was
engineered by Frei Otto.
“The engineers on this were
the analogue forefathers of
today’s engineers who use
parametric software,”
says Bill Webb.
PLAY
The sports and culture magazine
from Make Architects
Tel: +44 (0)20 7636 5151
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @makearchitects
Web: www.makearchitects.com
Magazine team:
Emily Chicken
Sam Evans
Denise Ryan
Ken Shuttleworth
Sarah Worth
PLAY was created by:
Alma Media International
Tel: +44 (0)20 8944 1155
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.almamedia.co.uk
Editor: Dominic Bliss
Art direction and design: Deep
Publisher: Tony Richardson
Images:
Fédération française de handball,
Mamédy Doucara, Getty Images,
Corbis, Red Bull, Nathan Gallagher,
Richard Booth, Imagineer Productions
(Andy Moore), Zandra Rhodes, Will
Pryce, Select Sports, Mick Rock,
LOCOG / London 2012, High Line
NYC, Madrid Rio, Millennium Park
(Peter Schulz), Vacclav / Shutterstock,
Olympiapark München
Illustrations:
Cover: Nick Chaffe
P18: Imagineer Productions
(Cogent Elliott)
© Alma Media International Ltd 2012
All material is strictly copyright and all
rights are reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part
without the written permission of
Alma Media International is strictly
forbidden. The greatest care has
been taken to ensure the accuracy of
information in this magazine at the
time of going to press, but we accept no
responsibility for omissions or errors.
The views expressed in this magazine
are not necessarily those of Alma Media
International or Make Limited.
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