Athletics Exploratorium Odense, Denmark
In Denmark track and field has been regarded the king of classic sports for decades. This has resulted in a lot of athletic facilities scattered around the country at public schools or at local sports centres. Many facilities are now run down and the question is whether they should be renovated, upgraded or demolished. If renovating, could the facilities then be reconceptualised, so that they spontaneously appeal to broader user groups and could be utilised more intensively? The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, the University of Southern Denmark (Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics) and the Municipality of Odense, asked KEINGART - space activators to design an innovative proposal for a future Athletics Exploratorium, based on an existing older facility at the university campus in Odense.
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AWARD 2015
The Athletics Exploratorium is meant to be attractive, inspiring and exciting. It should function as a training facility for serious athletes, a laboratory for physical rehabilitation and research, an everyday playground, a popular tourist attraction and a place of interest that you visit if you happen to be passing by. The ambition of the project has been to connect many types of activity, thus addressing many types of users and needs. The traditional athletic activities have a “linear“ character where the essence is to run quickly from A to B or throw and jump furthest / highest from A to B. At the Athletics Exploratorium these linear activities were connected with more adventurous and challenge-based activities, in order to provide users with more opportunities to test themselves, and to put something at stake. Users are encouraged to experience their progress through “daring, trying and failing.”
Address Athletics Exploratorium Campusvej 55 DK-5230 Odense M www.sdu.dk
Architects KEINGART - space activators Gothersgade 11 DK-1123 Copenhagen K www.koark.dk
Client/Operator University of Southern Denmark Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics Campusvej 55 DK-5230 Odense M www.sdu.dk
Commissioning 9/2013
Construction costs 1,600,000 €
Operating costs in 2014 40,000 €
Size of site 20,000 m² Number of athletes in 2014 15,000
sb 5/2015