Images for August 20th: Sports Architecture!

Joining us in studio is graduate architect Joe Le, who practices in the specialized world of Sports Architecture.

Of course, architectural works created specifically for communal sporting events are one of the most enduring of forms that have survived down through the years.

We spoke in passing of the Roman Arènes de Lutèce in Paris, which is now in this condition - an impressive artifact, even as a partial remnant:














Here, a maquette showing the original extents and arrangement of the Arènes, which permitted both combat sporting events and theatrical presentations.













Because it is August, and a hot one at that, our conversation drifted again and again towards baseball.

One of the grand-daddy ball fields we spoke about is Wrigley Field, in Chicago:













with its lovely ivy-covered outfield walls:














We also spoke of the old(er)-fashioned design of Camden Yards, in Baltimore:














And grand old Fenway Park, in Boston:








As compared and contrasted with the new Yankee Stadium, with seating for 74,000 (!) fans:













The "Bird's Nest" building by Herzog & De Meuron for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was discussed as a possible harbinger of the future of sports buildings, on account of its vast size, accomodating many different events.










We also discussed the possibilities for new sports buildings, perhaps even with new sports events - how fan spaces for witnessing, say, a lacrosse game with 1,000 players might comprise floating fan seating in blimps, or how the Quidditch pitch of Harry Potter lore, is a new sort of stadium design, never seen before. Here, a Quidditch stadium from one of the Potter films, with its high towers:












And, last, we spoke of the newly-proposed Brooklyn Velodrome - images of which will be forthcoming as soon as I - your host (and architect) - have completed the schematic design! Stay tuned!

Speak with you next time!

Best,

Curtis B Wayne