Sports: The Latest Architecture and News

Five lucky architecture enthusiasts and Airbnb users have been offered the unique experience to accompany Kengo Kuma on a guided tour of the 2020 Olympic stadium in Tokyo. The renowned architect has collaborated with Airbnb to offer the exclusive experience, described as a “visit to Kengo’s under-construction Olympic stadium, along with a meet and greet at his studio and tea with the celebrated architect.”

The July 31st tour, sadly fully booked, offers an insightful example of architects collaborating with leaders of the “gig economy” to offer design experiences directly to the public.

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Last week, the City of Arlington, Texas announced plans to collaborate with Populous in transforming the city’s convention center into North America’s first Esports Stadium. This 100,000-square-foot venue will be designed to draw in both competitive players and fans from around the world, and create the most immersive experience in the live esports market.

The gas station does not usually catch one’s fancy. It is a ubiquitous building, one built primarily for function instead of for pleasure or community. We see them all the time but barely give them a second glance unless the need arises – and then, we get our fuel, and we are out of the station in minutes.  

With the smell of gasoline and the usual convenience store spread, these service stations do not exude any particular sense of wellness. Neither have their flat, perennial structures captured the imagination of architects – until now. 

Reebok and Gensler are the first to catch on to the enormous potential of the common gas station. These buildings sit on prime real-estate all over the country, from highways to local streets. In their new collaborative project, “Get Pumped,” the global architecture firm and the fitness brand are coming up with a plan to re-do the gas station as we know it.

BIG has revealed plans for a new sports and entertainment district in Austin, Texas, that will bring soccer, rodeo, music, shopping, dining and hospitality under one roof. Called the East Austin District, the 1.3 million-square-foot complex will be located on the site of the existing Rodeo Austin, offering a new entertainment experience for the city’s booming population.

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Videos

NIKE has created a new experimental lab for running aficionados: the world’s first full-sized LED racing track. Built as a pop-up in Manila, Philippines, the "Unlimited Stadium" coincided with the launch of their new LunarEpic running shoe. The 200m long figure-8 course follows the imprint of the running shoe, scaled up to a 100ft long footprint lighting up the heart of Manila.

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Videos

A vibrant pavilion has arrived to grace the boardwalks of California’s Santa Barbara waterfront. The pavilion entitled Runaway has been designed by SPORTS, an architecture and design collaboration of Greg Corso and Molly Hunker, recently selected as one of the Architectural League of New York’s emerging young practices for 2017. Blending a bright, colorful character with functional modernity, Runaway was installed on the Waterfront of Santa Barbara in March 2017, one of several locations the pavilion will travel to throughout the year.

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The Architectural League of New York has announced the winners of the 2017 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers. Established in 1981, the prize has grown to become one of North America’s most prestigious awards recognizing young architects (ten or fewer years removed from a bachelor’s or master’s degree program) for their talent and forward-thinking ideas.

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The SOCKEEL + OLGGA consortium have won a competition to design the new Tribut Stadium in Dunkirk, France. The historic stadium, in a prominent location on a canal bank in central Dunkirk, will be transformed into a 5,000 seat stadium seeking to maximize inclusiveness and accessibility.

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