A NEW ONLINE CINEMA EXCLUSIVELY STREAMING CUTTING EDGE FILM ABOUT PARKOUR , ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS SPORTS IN THE WORLD,  ARCHITECTURE AND THE FUTURE OF URBAN SPACE

Kaspar Astrup Schröder's Film, My Playground, Showcases The Connection Between Buildings and the Human Body

Objective Cinema, an online cinema streaming rare and socially conscious documentaries, is currently featuring Kaspar Astrup Schröder's Film, My Playground for the month of March. The documentary explores the way Parkour and Free Running, the most dangerous sports in the world, are changing the perception of urban space.

Parkour is a noncompetitive sport where participants run along buildings, rooftops and landscapes attempting to negotiate obstacles using only their bodies. My Playground centers on Team Jiyo, a Danish Parkour group, as they explore cities around the world from China to Japan , the US and Denmark and encounter the obstacles they present.

It started in France in the 1990's and has evolved to the whole world, I've seen videos from India to Africa to New Zealand; people are doing it every where and it is really growing. Especially in Denmark it is the fastest growing sport among young people.

Schröder

The film additionally looks at how acclaimed award-winning Danish architect, Bjarke Ingels became such an integral part of the film addressing the question of the future of urban space design.

My Playground is a film of course about Parkour, but is also very much about how public life and architecture are intricately linked. Life in the city is always evolving and it is our job as architects to make sure that our opportunities for expression aren't limited, and that our cities match the life we want to live.

Ingels

Ingels' involvement with the film and Parkour is a result of his fascination with Schröder's initial footage. Claiming that he had never seen buildings from this perspective, he felt compelled to be part of the project.

After Bjarke came on board we began the discussion about preserving space, exploiting space, and you could show architecture in a film. It was a journey for everyone to make a film not only on Parkour but also on architecture that didn't feel like a traditional architecture film.

Schroder

+ Click to the link to watch it online http://www.objectivecinema.net/showcase/2010/10/02/my-playground/.

International Award organised by the Architecture Israel Quarterly (AIQ) magazine, in collaboration with the European Union, and  the Association of Engineers and Architects in Israel.

Open:
Architects, interior designers, landscape architects, and researchers are invited to submit works planned or written since 2007.

Jury Chaired by Siamak G. Shahneshin and Lui Levi Galati, founders and directors of the SHAGAL?iodaa, a transdisciplinary design studio, Zurich

Other jury members are:
Kristin Feireiss, Founder, Architecture Forum Aedes, Berlin – Germany
Esa Laaksonen, Director, Alvar Aalto Academy, Helsinki – Finland
Adachiara Zevi, President, Bruno Zevi Foundation, Rome – Italy

Timetable:
30 March 2011 registration deadline
30 July 2011 submission deadline

+ Visit the official site for registration.

Portuguese architect José Marini Bragança shared with us his office’s new monographic book, which features some of the works and projects of the architecture office, Marini Bragança.

Party Hall, sketch courtesy José Marini Bragança

Party Hall is one of the project featured in this book. The building provides a strong relationship with its natural surroundings. To minimise its visual impact, the building is raised up from the ground. The glass, its predominant material, brings its inside and outside closer together.

Both the ceiling and the inside floor paving white colour intends to visually frame the landscape. The support bathroom stands as a unique element to destabilise the whole proposal serenity, with the red of its inside fittings as a counterpoint to the whole building white colour.

Party Hall, image courtesy José Marini Bragança

Party Hall, image courtesy José Marini Bragança

Party Hall, image courtesy José Marini Bragança

Party Hall - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy José Marini Bragança

Party Hall - Toilet detail, drawing courtesy José Marini Bragança

Party Hall - Detail, drawing courtesy José Marini Bragança

+ Project credits / data

Project: Party Hall
Location: Cortes, Leiria, Portugal
Year: 2007-2009

Architect: José Marini Bragança | http://www.marinibraganca.com
Architecture, Co-authored: Helena Veludo
Project team, Preliminary study: Carla Sousa
Project execution: Carla Sousa, Sílvia Costa
Stability: Joaquim luís Vieira Pereira
Water and sewage: Joaquim luís Vieira Pereira
Electrical installations and Communications: Álvaro lopes
HVaC Mechanical installations: GRAUCElSIUS – Vasco Pedroso
Acoustic Conditioning: ACÚSTICA & AMBIENtE – Martins Silva
Client: QT.ª ST.º ANTÓNIO do FREIXO

+ About José Marini Bragança

José Marini Bragança was born in 1956. He studied at Lourenço Marques, now Maputo, Mozambique. In 1980, he finished the School of Architecture, University of Lisbon.

He collaborated in the projects for Lisbon Airport's Aerogare 2 and in the Agrarian School of Bragança. In 1981, he established his own office, and in 1985 he moved to Leiria. He worked for the City Council until 1993 and, among other; he designed the Arrabalde da Ponte Detail Plan, the Mercado Santana revamp project and the project for 20 pre-primary schools.

He won the 2nd place in the competition for the Monument to the 25th of April in Damaia, Lisbon and in the project for 100 houses in Pinhal Novo, Setúbal. He participated in the competition for the building of the Soure Biennale, Coimbra. He participated as a co-author in the project for the new dining hall in the Foreigner Business Ministry and designed the preliminary plan for the Territorial Order in Mouchão da Póvoa with an area of 1300 he, both in Lisbon.

He won the 3rd place in the competition for rehabilitation of Mercado Santana and following an invitation he participated in the final project for PP1 Leiria's Polis Programme. He designed projects for: Lubrigaz headquarters agent of VW and AUDI cars;; buildings for the car sector, furnishing, health, food industry, sports and apartment blocs with a highlight on the housing and services building in Leiria – finalist in the National Competition of Brick in Architecture. In 2007 he won as a co-author the competition for the entrance of Peralta's Beach in Lourinhã, Peniche, in 2008 received an honourable mention off international completion for Parco Scientifico Tecnologico Parma – Italy.

+ All images and drawings courtesy José Marini Bragança

Franz Architekten, in collaboration with Atelier Mauch have completed the FK Austria Wien Training Academy in Vienna, Austria. The academy training grounds of the junior teams of Austria Vienna – one of the most traditional football clubs in Austria – lies close to the 'Franz Horr Stadium'.

FK Austria Wien Training Academy, image courtesy Stephan Wyckoff

They include a training hall and three grass pitches. The construction budget was extremely tight and the construction time limited to six months, and the handover date after completion a strict requirement in order to obtain the license of the Austrian Football League.

FK Austria Wien Training Academy, image courtesy Stephan Wyckoff

Vienna building regulations set a maximum building height of 4.5 m and so the 7,0 m required clearance height in the training hall created an inevitable consequence: the entire building had to be lowered half below ground.

To assist the long-term refinancing of the construction budget, the principle of a footballadvertising board has been turned inside-out: a big roof with a beam and parapet height of 2.0 m is the dominant design element. sponsors can advertise and demonstrate their support of junior teams on the popular Laaerbergstraße.

FK Austria Wien Training Academy, image courtesy Stephan Wyckoff

The roof cantilevers out a few meters on all sides and forms a generous, weather-resistant perimeter for entrances and terraces. on the eastern wing, a compact roof construction over the storage spaces is utilised as a roof terrace, where coaches and visitors are afforded a clear view over the heated artificial pitch.

The training hall forms the heart of the building and enjoys glare-free north light. the other sides are extremely compact and efficiently arranged – a cafeteria, offices, fitness rooms and massage and storage rooms. the access corridor on the ground floor works like a gallery to the sunken playing field. the required emergency escape for the offices and fitness rooms is organised in a series terraces.

FK Austria Wien Training Academy, image courtesy Stephan Wyckoff

The sportshall with it's artificial grass floor and birch plywood-impact protection walls provides the ideal atmosphere and a platform for concentrated training without distraction.

Low-temperature wall heating is utilised rather than conventional air heating. The artificial turf is carried through to the circulation zone which operates as a pre-warming buffer zone.

All changing areas have natural daylight and direct access to the outside even though they are located in the basement. This is made possible because of the wide ramp that doubles up as a means of delivery and an ideal sprint training zone.

Rainwater from the 2.500m² roof surface is collected in large 120,000 liter tanks and serves as irrigation for the grass. the entire building is served by district heating.

FK Austria Wien Training Academy - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy Franz Architekten + Atelier Mauch

FK Austria Wien Training Academy - Sections, drawing courtesy Franz Architekten + Atelier Mauch

+ Project credits / data

Project: FK Austria Wien Training Academy
Completion: 2010
Location: Vienna, Austria
Architect/Planning: franz zt gmbh | http://www.franz-architekten.at/ +  atelier mauch gmbh
Site are: 34,000 m2
Gross floor area: 2,630 m2
Typology: Sport hall
Photographer: Stephan Wyckoff

+ All images and drawings courtesy Franz Architekten, photo by Stephan Wyckoff

+ Recommended sport building featured on +MOOD

Zamet Centre | 3LHD Architects

Extension of Eichi Centre Niederglatt Multifunctional Double Sports Halls | L3P Architekten