SPORTS CENTRE, Vietnam

On the reclaimed land of the Red River in Hanoi, which is now densely populated following decades of urban sprawl, a contemporary sports centre is being built for the Hoan Kiem district – and it will be available to the district‘s residents free of charge. The almost square-shaped plot of land was divided into seven unequal parts, like a game of tangram, in order to allocate playing and spectator areas to the seven main sports in the limited space available. A multi-storey layering of the two main structures created space for a three-court hall, a 50-metre swimming hall, two tennis courts, ten badminton and table tennis courts, a climbing hall, a board game hall and a futsal court. The stands for the outdoor sports are planted with greenery, and the spaces beneath them are used, for example, for car parking or to house equipment. The different material properties of the two main structures represent a connection to the nearby Red River with its earthy water and vegetation.