Project Description
The focus of this project was to create a social sporting & artistic space that features a unique daylight design concept within the city of Vienna. The building itself has a fairly simple construction, consisting of a Steel Frame structure and a reinforced concrete shell. Rather than create a building around an opening or an opening around a building, this design simultaneously develops the architectural shape and the means by which daylight is brought into the building. The use of daylight within this project and how it connects with the overall design of the building is of a symbolic nature and of aesthetic connection. To represent the youth which the building caters to, a box shape was used as the base and was then pulled & torn apart causing the volume to “tear” or “crack”. These cracks, that represent the “struggles” that the youth go through, become the openings for light to be let into the building. As each struggle is different to each individual and each individual is different to one another, so are the cracks that form the openings. These cracks represent how youth are defined while growing up. They are created through hardships but can be used to instill inspiration and positivity by infusing it with light. The light that is allowed through, grows and shrinks over the course of the day, transforming the space every hour and allowing for a new aspect of the room to be featured. To actively make sure that light is present during every hour of the day, the openings were placed in the east & west walls of the structure as well as the on the roof. To further the narrative of positivity and connection through sports and arts, the cracks spread over 5 stories connecting each floor with one another through the continuous opening. The best example of this is the large “Center crack” which directly connects every single floor and supplies the majority of the light. This center crack is held together by steel beams just as sports and arts hold together the youth. This allows for a second variety of light to be present. While there are more smaller cracks that supply a linear beam of light the center crack with a wider surface area brings a more “blanket” of light effect. The steel beams that “hold it together” then create shadow beams similar but opposite to the light beams and harmonizing with the shape theme of the building. Just as it was important for the openings to allow light in during the day, they also focus on letting light out during the night in an aesthetic fashion. When looking upon the building, from the outside, after the sun has set, the cracks illuminate the light from within. Showing how a “struggle” not only can be penetrated with light but how light can come from within a struggle.