Collider Activity Centre

‘The Energy Wave’ Set in the centre of Sofia, Bulgaria - Colliders newest activity centre becomes the city’s racing heartbeat, it most adventurous pulse. Deriving it’s inspiration from the sudden movement of the earth, the ‘tremors of the earths surface usually triggered by the release of underground stress along fault lines’, the centre becomes an expression of this natural phenomenon that causes the formation of deep gorges and soaring canyons. This external energy resonates with the latent energy of an individual to trigger a rush of emotions allowing people to bring the spirit of adventure back into their everyday lives; the essence of this building was to create a space with all the vitality an individual has to offer.
To capture this spirit first a simple structural grid was created to give the form a stable core, then the services and functions became plug-ins feeding and nourishing the space, steel fibres act like tendons tying structural members together , the whole form is wrapped in a glass skin to control temperatures and finally like the first breath of air giving a form life the wave pierces through in a high bolt of energy released. Blocks are placed logically in the grid in such a way that foot print area limit is not crossed. Instead of building a single continuous structure,a random composition of blocks suspended in space creates open and semi-open caches for every activity with an interesting play of lights and shadows.
The frames can also be used to hold the sliding roof of the green house contained within. In this centre the solid becomes the void and the void solid, an open transparent box was created so all functionings are visible and inviting and within this the fluid ramp travels through like a vessel carrying the life force of the centre - the people. Simple rust metal is wrapped around the ramp to develop the free flowing energy wave,with the outer-sheet perforated to provide a view to the outside and ventilation throughout. The undulating curve creates cantilevers and overhangs which make the experience of climbing alongside more exciting. Contrasting strongly with the straight lines of the grid all variations become exagerrated and all experiences heightened.

Collider Activity Centre by Avneesh Tiwari in Bulgaria won the WA Award Cycle 21. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.