Scaling New Heights with Collider Activity Center
The Collider Activity Center competition is open, international, and one stage. The international jury will nominate and award five projects with one being selected for construction. Walltopia, founded in 1998, is a leading manufacturer of artificial climbing walls and climbing holds. Over the years, they have become the global leader in their field. Its products are supplied to every country interested in climbing, including all west European countries, the United States of America, Canada, Japan, Australia, and many more.
CORE’s entry submission for the Collider Activity Center focused on a sliding glass curtain wall design that allowed for the removal of the traditional division between interior and exterior spaces. The layout of the building takes advantage of the skewed Parallelogram shape of the site. By following the angle, it generates a forced perspective view. The length of the building is exaggerated as you move through.
Building:
The entire building is a display window. Belonging to Walltopia LTD; a leading climbing walls manufacturer. Collider Activity Center is designed as an eye-catching window to showcase the products and people actively climbing up a continuous wall. The window represents the essence of the company and exposes to the passer-by the main functions of the building (Climbing Hall, Boulder Hall, Ropetopia and Funtopia). The public observes the activity and movement of the people on the wall. The grand exposed space entices the climbers in for an intriguing activity. The display window continues as an exposed concentre climbing wall at the other end in order to exhibit and popularize the sport in an urban environment.
Greenhouse:
The greenhouse is placed inside the building with the exterior window wrapped around it. The greenhouse acts as a central lobby and terminal for the entire complex. The key spaces; Climbing hall and Funtopia, are shaped around the greenhouse at the ground level. The Boulder hall and Ropetopia are also partially placed within them and the greenhouse. The Restaurant, the coffee shop, and the fitness area surround the greenhouse at the underground level bringing life into this semi-open central hub.
Form:
The building follows the property lines of the site thus creating the form of a parallelogram. The structure consequently gives the impression of a “forced perspective” with its length appearing longer and longer as you move through the building.
Axial path:
To further integrate the main entrance, the activity rooms, and the garden, and a long paved path directs the visitors from the drop-off area to the central hub (greenhouse) and takes them to the background traversing under the building. The path and the greenhouse are merged together and penetrate into the building, creating an exciting mix of open and closed spaces. This path is extended to the end of the garden, providing access to all of the interior and exterior activities. Ultimately, this path ends at a waterfall and climbing wall located at the very end of the garden in the children’s playground.
