Julian Kashdan-Brown proposes a new Colosseum where gladiatorial individual combat sports are surrounded by an amphitheatre of epic proportions
‘A new Colosseum above the London skyline,’ Julian Kashdan-Brown wrote in his application, describing a design in which ‘gladiatorial individual combat sports are surrounded by an amphitheatre of epic proportions’.
It’s a grand and romantic proposition for a space in which table tennis is listed as a possible function – which one would hope resulted in fewer deaths than the average gladiatorial battle – though Kashdan-Brown’s multipurpose reimagining of a Victorian gasholder could also be used for sports with a more physical edge.
It was a versatile approach to design that impressed judge Mark Osikoya. ‘Judo and table tennis are always in a dull conference centre,’ he said, ‘but sports like these could be in such a dramatic setting.’
Repurposed spaces could lead to compromised experiences for athlete, audience or media, but in this instance, judge Soaad Stott felt the gasholder approach could work well, noting that it could easily be blacked out for television requirements. But drawing on her stadium experience, she suggested that the 12 sectors of banked seating, formed of cantilever composite timber trusses, would provide better sightlines if steeper.
The panel admired Kashdan-Brown’s reuse approach and, while his design was configured for a listed gasholder adjacent to Oval cricket ground, there was a conversation around a smaller, modular system that could be demounted and relocated to new locations. ‘Every city has gas cylinders,’ said Stott. ‘It could be so interesting if it could move.’
See more on Zero to Hero
Introduction
This year’s judging process
Winner
Sport Climbing at Grant’s Quay Wharf by Alcove Architecture
Commended
London Skeet by Vectorprojects Kenya
Transformational Venue by woo architects