VISION 28 — BLACK DIAMOND
There are belligerent buildings and the courteous variety.
This one is well-mannered and that's a strength because
it retains and expresses a design viewpoint.
Working within this context was very interesting. Many of
the surrounding buildings are quite expressive, however we
were looking for that balance between dynamic expression
and yet respecting the former Olympic swimming pool.
So you’re aim was to honour that project without
submitting to, or being knocked off by it?
That's right, we didn't want to mimic it. We aimed to echo
the ideas it was searching for, but interpret them through
the filter of today’s architecture. We have the contemporary
advantage of a certain freedom with our expression
because we have tools that allow a complexity not as
easily achieved back then. However, we also had to work
within the nature of the site. We were constrained within a
curved triangle on one side, and it really shaped the design
outcomes significantly.
It’s a challenging site to say the least—a very tight wedge
shaped site is hardly ideal.
It’s the kind of site that plays havoc with the best of
intentions. That's why we embraced a radial grid through
the building. There's a lot of work making such a building
work because it's not formed from a perfect curve. The
grid grew as it went around. We had to be that honest with
the set out, otherwise it would never have sat comfortably
between the old Glass House swimming pool and the oval.
Apart from that most immediate side facing the
Glass House, in what way does the building reflect
the client requirements?
It was a very interesting client relationship because
we didn't get a formal briefing to begin with. We were
designing as the brief developed, essentially. We started
with a very small pavilion, to replace an existing building
removed, as part of the rectangular stadium development,
and then as the client started to explore the project and
look to engage with various stakeholders, the project
grew. We were drawing in parallel to that, through a very
prolonged schematic design process. It was very much an
organic process, constantly picking up new ideas to meet
client aspirations.
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