Sports and recreation spaces have a particular ability to bring people together. After all, they offer a reason to show up, get moving and share the moment. There is something wonderfully simple about them: people come for the game, the workout or the activity, and often stay for everything around it. Good sports architecture gives people a place to play, but also a place to belong.<\/p>\n
The following A+Award-winning projects put that idea into practice, from climbing walls and community centers to stadiums and equestrian facilities. Different scales, different sports, same basic instinct: bring people together and let the action unfold.<\/p>\n
\n
Sports and Cultural Center Marie-Jose Perec and Josephine Baker<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Onze04 Architecture<\/a>, France<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Gyms & Recreation Centers, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
A public walkway cuts directly through this sports and cultural center, turning the building itself into a passage between the city\u2019s existing facilities. Rather than arriving at a hall as a destination, visitors move through it, crossing the complex at two levels. From the upper promenade, a belvedere looks down into the sports arena, bringing the energy of competition into the everyday experience of the building. At ground level, the route opens into a public hall and social space, creating opportunities to pause and gather along the way. Above it all, a white textile roof shelters the sports hall, while its softly glowing form becomes a lantern after dark, marking the center as a renewed civic presence.<\/p>\n
\nAnlong Dushan Climbing Gym<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Yike Architects<\/a>, Guizhou, China<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Gyms & Recreation Centers, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Like a collection of rocks scattered through the Guizhou landscape, the Anlong Indoor Climbing Centre takes its cue from the karst formations surrounding it. The cluster of halls creates a setting where climbing can be watched, experienced, and shared, rather than contained within a single competition box. At the center, a soaring climbing wall rises beneath a large skylight, bringing daylight deep into the arena and giving the athletes an almost outdoor sense of space. The wall is also visible through the expansive glass fa\u00e7ade, allowing the spectacle of climbing to reach beyond the building. Around the main hall, smaller spaces invite visitors to try the sport, rest, or spend time together, extending the experience beyond competition.<\/p>\n
\nRoig Arena<\/a><\/h3>\nBy HOK<\/a> and ERRE<\/a>, Val\u00e8ncia, Spain<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Roig Arena is conceived as a place where the energy of an event can spill into the life of the city. Set within Valencia\u2019s Quatre Carreres district, the arena opens its doors to a wide range of experiences, from major sporting events to concerts and everyday gatherings. Its seating bowl is shaped to bring spectators closer to the action, creating an atmosphere that feels intimate despite its capacity of up to 20,000 people. Beyond the stands, open terraces create places to linger, with local gastronomy extending the experience outside the arena itself. A 2,000-seat multi-purpose room adds another layer of activity, allowing the building to remain active between major events and giving the collective experience a presence throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\nXi\u2019an International Football Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZHA<\/a>, Xi\u2019An, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019an International Football Centre is conceived as a stadium that remains connected to the city even when no match is taking place. Its open fa\u00e7ades draw people into a network of shaded terraces and public concourses, where views across Xi\u2019an accompany everyday recreation and dining. During matches, these same spaces become extensions of the stadium experience, bringing spectators together before and after they enter the bowl.<\/p>\n
Inside, the sweeping roof gathers 60,000 seats around the pitch, with digital modeling used to bring every spectator close to the action. A lightweight cable-net structure allows the roof to stretch dramatically overhead, while its translucent membrane fills the bowl with natural light. The stadium turns football into a civic experience that can be shared year-round.<\/p>\n
\nShenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Tanghua Architects<\/a>, Shenzhen, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Guangming International Equestrian Center places its arenas beneath a sweeping timber roof that opens toward the mountains of Shenzhen. Drawing from the sloped roofs of traditional Chinese architecture, the glulam structure is left exposed, allowing the layers of timber to become part of the experience as visitors move through the center.<\/p>\n
The sloping site is embraced through a sequence of courtyards and covered passages, where views constantly shift between the landscape and the activity within. Rather than treating spectatorship as a fixed position, the architecture invites people to wander and discover the equestrian events from different vantage points. Beneath the shared eaves, the presence of horses, riders, and visitors becomes part of a shared encounter with the landscape.<\/p>\n
\nRouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Perkins&Will<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\nStade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jury Winner, Gyms & Recreation Centers, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777362478341Onze04-Baker-01-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777362505029Onze04-Baker-08-scaled.jpg\")
A public walkway cuts directly through this sports and cultural center, turning the building itself into a passage between the city\u2019s existing facilities. Rather than arriving at a hall as a destination, visitors move through it, crossing the complex at two levels. From the upper promenade, a belvedere looks down into the sports arena, bringing the energy of competition into the everyday experience of the building. At ground level, the route opens into a public hall and social space, creating opportunities to pause and gather along the way. Above it all, a white textile roof shelters the sports hall, while its softly glowing form becomes a lantern after dark, marking the center as a renewed civic presence.<\/p>\n
\n
Anlong Dushan Climbing Gym<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Yike Architects<\/a>, Guizhou, China<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Gyms & Recreation Centers, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Like a collection of rocks scattered through the Guizhou landscape, the Anlong Indoor Climbing Centre takes its cue from the karst formations surrounding it. The cluster of halls creates a setting where climbing can be watched, experienced, and shared, rather than contained within a single competition box. At the center, a soaring climbing wall rises beneath a large skylight, bringing daylight deep into the arena and giving the athletes an almost outdoor sense of space. The wall is also visible through the expansive glass fa\u00e7ade, allowing the spectacle of climbing to reach beyond the building. Around the main hall, smaller spaces invite visitors to try the sport, rest, or spend time together, extending the experience beyond competition.<\/p>\n
\nRoig Arena<\/a><\/h3>\nBy HOK<\/a> and ERRE<\/a>, Val\u00e8ncia, Spain<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Roig Arena is conceived as a place where the energy of an event can spill into the life of the city. Set within Valencia\u2019s Quatre Carreres district, the arena opens its doors to a wide range of experiences, from major sporting events to concerts and everyday gatherings. Its seating bowl is shaped to bring spectators closer to the action, creating an atmosphere that feels intimate despite its capacity of up to 20,000 people. Beyond the stands, open terraces create places to linger, with local gastronomy extending the experience outside the arena itself. A 2,000-seat multi-purpose room adds another layer of activity, allowing the building to remain active between major events and giving the collective experience a presence throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\nXi\u2019an International Football Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZHA<\/a>, Xi\u2019An, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019an International Football Centre is conceived as a stadium that remains connected to the city even when no match is taking place. Its open fa\u00e7ades draw people into a network of shaded terraces and public concourses, where views across Xi\u2019an accompany everyday recreation and dining. During matches, these same spaces become extensions of the stadium experience, bringing spectators together before and after they enter the bowl.<\/p>\n
Inside, the sweeping roof gathers 60,000 seats around the pitch, with digital modeling used to bring every spectator close to the action. A lightweight cable-net structure allows the roof to stretch dramatically overhead, while its translucent membrane fills the bowl with natural light. The stadium turns football into a civic experience that can be shared year-round.<\/p>\n
\nShenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Tanghua Architects<\/a>, Shenzhen, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Guangming International Equestrian Center places its arenas beneath a sweeping timber roof that opens toward the mountains of Shenzhen. Drawing from the sloped roofs of traditional Chinese architecture, the glulam structure is left exposed, allowing the layers of timber to become part of the experience as visitors move through the center.<\/p>\n
The sloping site is embraced through a sequence of courtyards and covered passages, where views constantly shift between the landscape and the activity within. Rather than treating spectatorship as a fixed position, the architecture invites people to wander and discover the equestrian events from different vantage points. Beneath the shared eaves, the presence of horses, riders, and visitors becomes part of a shared encounter with the landscape.<\/p>\n
\nRouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Perkins&Will<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\nStade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Popular Choice Winner, Gyms & Recreation Centers, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/176527426277503.The_Climbing_Gym_as_Seen_from_the_Road-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/176527431199911.Kids_Climbing_Intro_Hall-scaled.jpeg\")
Like a collection of rocks scattered through the Guizhou landscape, the Anlong Indoor Climbing Centre takes its cue from the karst formations surrounding it. The cluster of halls creates a setting where climbing can be watched, experienced, and shared, rather than contained within a single competition box. At the center, a soaring climbing wall rises beneath a large skylight, bringing daylight deep into the arena and giving the athletes an almost outdoor sense of space. The wall is also visible through the expansive glass fa\u00e7ade, allowing the spectacle of climbing to reach beyond the building. Around the main hall, smaller spaces invite visitors to try the sport, rest, or spend time together, extending the experience beyond competition.<\/p>\n
\n
Roig Arena<\/a><\/h3>\nBy HOK<\/a> and ERRE<\/a>, Val\u00e8ncia, Spain<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Roig Arena is conceived as a place where the energy of an event can spill into the life of the city. Set within Valencia\u2019s Quatre Carreres district, the arena opens its doors to a wide range of experiences, from major sporting events to concerts and everyday gatherings. Its seating bowl is shaped to bring spectators closer to the action, creating an atmosphere that feels intimate despite its capacity of up to 20,000 people. Beyond the stands, open terraces create places to linger, with local gastronomy extending the experience outside the arena itself. A 2,000-seat multi-purpose room adds another layer of activity, allowing the building to remain active between major events and giving the collective experience a presence throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\nXi\u2019an International Football Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZHA<\/a>, Xi\u2019An, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019an International Football Centre is conceived as a stadium that remains connected to the city even when no match is taking place. Its open fa\u00e7ades draw people into a network of shaded terraces and public concourses, where views across Xi\u2019an accompany everyday recreation and dining. During matches, these same spaces become extensions of the stadium experience, bringing spectators together before and after they enter the bowl.<\/p>\n
Inside, the sweeping roof gathers 60,000 seats around the pitch, with digital modeling used to bring every spectator close to the action. A lightweight cable-net structure allows the roof to stretch dramatically overhead, while its translucent membrane fills the bowl with natural light. The stadium turns football into a civic experience that can be shared year-round.<\/p>\n
\nShenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Tanghua Architects<\/a>, Shenzhen, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Guangming International Equestrian Center places its arenas beneath a sweeping timber roof that opens toward the mountains of Shenzhen. Drawing from the sloped roofs of traditional Chinese architecture, the glulam structure is left exposed, allowing the layers of timber to become part of the experience as visitors move through the center.<\/p>\n
The sloping site is embraced through a sequence of courtyards and covered passages, where views constantly shift between the landscape and the activity within. Rather than treating spectatorship as a fixed position, the architecture invites people to wander and discover the equestrian events from different vantage points. Beneath the shared eaves, the presence of horses, riders, and visitors becomes part of a shared encounter with the landscape.<\/p>\n
\nRouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Perkins&Will<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\nStade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Popular Choice Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777629895771HOKERRE_Roig_Arena_Valencia_HuftonCrow_009-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777629894428image_1-scaled.jpg\")
Roig Arena is conceived as a place where the energy of an event can spill into the life of the city. Set within Valencia\u2019s Quatre Carreres district, the arena opens its doors to a wide range of experiences, from major sporting events to concerts and everyday gatherings. Its seating bowl is shaped to bring spectators closer to the action, creating an atmosphere that feels intimate despite its capacity of up to 20,000 people. Beyond the stands, open terraces create places to linger, with local gastronomy extending the experience outside the arena itself. A 2,000-seat multi-purpose room adds another layer of activity, allowing the building to remain active between major events and giving the collective experience a presence throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\n
Xi\u2019an International Football Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZHA<\/a>, Xi\u2019An, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019an International Football Centre is conceived as a stadium that remains connected to the city even when no match is taking place. Its open fa\u00e7ades draw people into a network of shaded terraces and public concourses, where views across Xi\u2019an accompany everyday recreation and dining. During matches, these same spaces become extensions of the stadium experience, bringing spectators together before and after they enter the bowl.<\/p>\n
Inside, the sweeping roof gathers 60,000 seats around the pitch, with digital modeling used to bring every spectator close to the action. A lightweight cable-net structure allows the roof to stretch dramatically overhead, while its translucent membrane fills the bowl with natural light. The stadium turns football into a civic experience that can be shared year-round.<\/p>\n
\nShenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Tanghua Architects<\/a>, Shenzhen, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Guangming International Equestrian Center places its arenas beneath a sweeping timber roof that opens toward the mountains of Shenzhen. Drawing from the sloped roofs of traditional Chinese architecture, the glulam structure is left exposed, allowing the layers of timber to become part of the experience as visitors move through the center.<\/p>\n
The sloping site is embraced through a sequence of courtyards and covered passages, where views constantly shift between the landscape and the activity within. Rather than treating spectatorship as a fixed position, the architecture invites people to wander and discover the equestrian events from different vantage points. Beneath the shared eaves, the presence of horses, riders, and visitors becomes part of a shared encounter with the landscape.<\/p>\n
\nRouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Perkins&Will<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\nStade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jury Winner, Stadiums & Arenas, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/177727659002104_ZHA_Xian_International_Football_Centre_HuftonCrow-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/177727659779310_ZHA_Xian_International_Football_Centre_HuftonCrow-scaled.jpg\")
Xi\u2019an International Football Centre is conceived as a stadium that remains connected to the city even when no match is taking place. Its open fa\u00e7ades draw people into a network of shaded terraces and public concourses, where views across Xi\u2019an accompany everyday recreation and dining. During matches, these same spaces become extensions of the stadium experience, bringing spectators together before and after they enter the bowl.<\/p>\n
Inside, the sweeping roof gathers 60,000 seats around the pitch, with digital modeling used to bring every spectator close to the action. A lightweight cable-net structure allows the roof to stretch dramatically overhead, while its translucent membrane fills the bowl with natural light. The stadium turns football into a civic experience that can be shared year-round.<\/p>\n
\n
Shenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Tanghua Architects<\/a>, Shenzhen, China<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Guangming International Equestrian Center places its arenas beneath a sweeping timber roof that opens toward the mountains of Shenzhen. Drawing from the sloped roofs of traditional Chinese architecture, the glulam structure is left exposed, allowing the layers of timber to become part of the experience as visitors move through the center.<\/p>\n
The sloping site is embraced through a sequence of courtyards and covered passages, where views constantly shift between the landscape and the activity within. Rather than treating spectatorship as a fixed position, the architecture invites people to wander and discover the equestrian events from different vantage points. Beneath the shared eaves, the presence of horses, riders, and visitors becomes part of a shared encounter with the landscape.<\/p>\n
\nRouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Perkins&Will<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\nStade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jury Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1767605996786Main_Stands_AerialZhang_Chao-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1767605993658Indoor_Equestrian_Training_Hall_02Zhang_Chao-scaled.jpg\")
The Guangming International Equestrian Center places its arenas beneath a sweeping timber roof that opens toward the mountains of Shenzhen. Drawing from the sloped roofs of traditional Chinese architecture, the glulam structure is left exposed, allowing the layers of timber to become part of the experience as visitors move through the center.<\/p>\n
The sloping site is embraced through a sequence of courtyards and covered passages, where views constantly shift between the landscape and the activity within. Rather than treating spectatorship as a fixed position, the architecture invites people to wander and discover the equestrian events from different vantage points. Beneath the shared eaves, the presence of horses, riders, and visitors becomes part of a shared encounter with the landscape.<\/p>\n
\n
Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Perkins&Will<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\nStade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Popular Choice Winner, Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777490676841Architizer_AAward_RougeValley-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777490678683Architizer_AAward_RougeValley12-scaled-e1788349505909.jpg\")
The Rouge Valley Community Recreation and Child Care Centre stacks an unusually broad community program into a compact footprint, keeping more of the surrounding park open. Placing the gymnasium above the pool allows the building to rise rather than spread, while a central circulation spine links the spaces vertically through daylight-filled atria.<\/p>\n
The architecture grows from the needs of its neighborhood: community consultation led to a larger gymnasium that can accommodate cricket, while an urban skateboard park and connected paths extend activity beyond the building. Its layered fa\u00e7ade takes cues from the surrounding landscape, giving the center a distinct presence within the neighborhood. Across the site, movement naturally leads from one activity to another, making recreation part of everyday community life.<\/p>\n
\n
Stade Hassan II \u2014 Casablanca Stadium<\/a><\/h3>\nBy Populous<\/a> and OUALALOU+CHOI<\/a>, Casablanca, Morocco<\/h4>\nJury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
\nLawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Jury Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777633220061Populous_Stade_Hassan_II_1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1777633222165Populous_Stade_Hassan_II_3.jpg\")
Inspired by the Moroccan moussem, the Stade Hassan II imagines the stadium as a vast gathering place beneath a monumental tent. Its enormous roof rises from the landscape, sheltering a bowl designed to bring 115,000 spectators together around the spectacle of football. The architecture extends this sense of gathering beyond the stands: a ring of stairways forms dramatic gateways, leading upward to elevated gardens suspended beneath the translucent canopy.<\/p>\n
From these platforms, spectators encounter the stadium from a different perspective, surrounded by greenery high above the ground. Botanical gardens continue beneath the outer edges of the roof, drawing the landscape into the public realm. The stadium\u2019s defining gesture is therefore one of collective gathering, where sport unfolds within a shared civic landscape.<\/p>\n
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Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre & Child Care Centre<\/a><\/h3>\nBy CS&P Architects Inc.<\/a>, Toronto, Canada<\/h4>\nPopular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\nBaltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Sports & Recreation, 14th Architizer A+Awards<\/h5>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1757970969378REDKNOT_CSP_TORONTO_COMMUNITY_CENTER_V05_FI-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1757970985720REDKNOT_CSP_TORONTO_COMMUNITY_CENTER_V02_FI_OP1_1-scaled.jpg\")
The Lawrence Heights Community Recreation Centre places collective life at the center of a neighborhood undergoing major change. Conceived as an \u201curban treehouse,\u201d the building follows the contours of the site while creating a welcoming place for residents to spend time together. Its spaces are shaped around everyday encounters, with youth areas opening toward shared community facilities and gathering spaces extending outdoors. Pools, fitness areas, and studios give the center an active character, while a food bank and ceremonial spaces reflect the needs and identity of the surrounding community. By replacing a car-oriented landscape with a more pedestrian-focused setting, the center makes movement through the neighborhood part of the social experience, connecting recreation with community life.<\/p>\n
\n
Baltimore Ravens, Under Armour Performance Center<\/a><\/h3>\nBy ZGF Architects<\/a>, Baltimore, Maryland<\/h4>\n Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1768428617011D26720_00_N24_printmedium-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/1768428723650D26720_00_N36_printmedium_4-scaled.jpg\")
Known as \u201cThe Castle,\u201d the Baltimore Ravens\u2019 performance centre turns training into a shared experience rooted in the team\u2019s identity. At its heart, a newly expanded hydrotherapy suite creates a communal setting for recovery, with a long lap pool beneath a dramatic skylight that brings daylight into the space. The training room opens directly toward the practice field through a 135-foot operable glass wall, allowing players and staff to remain connected to activity outside. A central spine with looping circulation follows the natural movement of the team, while shared routes bring different parts of the facility into closer contact. Warm timber, stone-like surfaces, and raven-inspired graphics give these spaces a distinct character tied to the team.<\/p>\n
\n
The jury and the public have had their say \u2014 discover the remarkable winners of Architizer’s <\/i>14th Annual A+Awards<\/i><\/span><\/a>. Subscribe to our <\/i>Awards Newsletter<\/i><\/span><\/a> to receive future program updates.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Contemporary Sports Architecture<\/a> appeared first on Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Where sports architecture once measured success in seats filled, the new generation measures what happens before, after and around the game.
\nThe post Not Just for the Game: The Expanded Brief of Conte<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/brandxdomains.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}