Sport and architecture: It’s a slam dunk in the Olympics of NSW building design

Sport and architecture? It’s not ever a slam dunk. This year’s 2024 NSW Architecture Awards look similar the Olympics of gathering design: they person been dominated by an bonzer question of caller sporting and outdoor recreational facilities catering to the millions of Sydneysiders who swim, surf, travel shot of each types, oregon similar to spot a whale.

The highest grant for nationalist architecture successful NSW, the Sulman Medal, was awarded to the caller Parramatta Aquatic Centre by Grimshaw & Andrew Burges Architects with McGregor Coxall. It is located successful the mediate of the satellite practice UNESCO site.

Sienna Yip, 9, trials the children’s splash play country astatine Parramatta Aquatic Centre.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

The nationalist architecture jury, headed by Thierry Lacoste, said the centre was an unthinkable summation to Public Sydney and a antithetic mode of conceptualising an aquatic centre.

Lacoste, the main of Lacoste + Stevenson, said the aged aquatic centre, which was antecedently located connected the tract of Parramatta’s caller shot stadium, had a pool. “That was it,” helium said.

Also winning an grant for municipality design, the caller installation provided a scope of assemblage spaces and aquatic areas. “It’s precise lovely,” Lacoste said. “The acquisition of visiting the excavation is much astir the scenery experience.”

Lacoste said the anticipation for nationalist buildings these days was that “they person a relation to play, not conscionable by themselves but by the mode they are integrated into the section landscape.”

The attraction of facilities catering to athletics stands successful opposition to past year’s awards, which were dominated by classical culture, performance halls and galleries.

The Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design (and an grant for nationalist architecture) was won by the caller Sydney Football Stadium (Allianz) by Cox Architecture with Aspect Studios. Like the pool, the country astir the arena is unfastened to the public, adding spaces to walk.

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The assemblage said it was a “transformative achievement, delivering semipermanent municipality benefits to the Moore Park precinct. Transcending the typically cordoned stadium building, the plan expands the surrounding nationalist domain, replacing the blank walls and fencing of the erstwhile stadium with a legible and accessible nationalist realm.”

Twenty years ago, sporting facilities successful Australia were each astir putting bums connected seats, says designer Ross Seymour, a main astatine Grimshaw. Now they’re each astir the idiosyncratic experience, said Seymour.

The mean Australian whitethorn not announcement the architecture, but they benefited from the design, helium said.

At the caller Sydney Football Stadium by Cox, and astatine Parramatta’s Western Sydney Stadium by Populous, Seymour said the steeper transportation of the stadiums meant fans were person to the action, creating a cauldron of excitement.

“You get a amended crippled experience, it’s much exciting, you consciousness similar you are much engaged. Even the acoustics are improved,” helium said.

Grimshaw had projected updating the Sydney Olympic Stadium, which they designed, to amended show lines and summation the slope of the stands, but that hadn’t proceeded.

Seymour, who did Olympic maestro readying earlier helium joined Grimshaw, said the mode assemblage facilities and sports venues were designed had go much sophisticated.

Good plan of sporting venues meant improved show lines, amended assemblage flow, making it faster to get successful and retired of seats and improved nutrient and cleaner toilets.

Like Lacoste, helium said venues were nether unit to bash much than 1 happening portion serving the broader community.

The Parramatta Aquatic Centre provides a scope of assemblage activities, which person been praised by visitors. “The circular shaped plan is fascinating and aesthetically pleasing, a bully abstraction to research and locomotion through,” said a visitor. She praised the spa, the sauna, noted the antithetic pools, including the outdoor 50-metre pool, the writer to beryllium on, and plentifulness of changing country options.

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The Sydney Swans office by Populous besides won awards and commendations, on with Blacktown Exercise and Sports Technology Hub (BEST) by ARM Architecture with CO.OP Studio, and the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club by Adriano Pupilli Architects.

The NSW Medallion was awarded to architects CHROFI with Bangawarra and the National Parks and Wildlife Service for the 2 caller North Head Viewing Platforms.

See here for the full database of astir 90 awards.

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