Archives: Sports

Sports club redevelopment plans aim to gather and create momentum in support for a long-term club-community vision. 106 Architects help clubs to embark on their journey – creating road maps and a redevelopment programme that prepares clubs for the future.

For this project – a local hockey club in Melbourne’s inner north-west – we worked with the club to slice the sports club redevelopment into five-stages easily digestible stages to suit the funding strategy:

• The replacement of the southern artificial field and lights;
• Improvements to the southern ground spectator seating area;
• Improved hockey field amenities and storage;
• New unisex and accessible changing rooms – specifically, to include female-friendly design to provide a higher level of provision at the club;
• Upper level social/function area, flexible meetings spaces, and kitchen/catering facilities.

106 Architects were engaged to provide early concept development and imagery and to draw on our sports-specific experience to enable success during the funding process.

From this phase, we develop detailed documentation for the various stages to deliver project components. This ensures work is completed with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations and meets project and funding roll-out.

Mount Smart Stadium (formerly known as Ericsson Stadium) is a regional rectangular stadium located in Auckland, NZ capable of holding up to 30,000 for sports events and 45,000 as a concert venue. It is currently known to be the home ground for the NZ Warriors Rugby League team in the NRL, and as a key venue for Auckland’s music and cultural events.

From its opening in 1967 in the working industrial area of Penrose, the stadium was chosen as the main venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, and for athletics in the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.

Owned by Auckland Council and managed by Auckland Stadiums / ATEED – now together as Auckland Unlimited, 106 Architects were engaged to develop a concept to upgrade and consider the visitor experience at the point of entry for key overlay events.

Drawing on the legacy of the 1990 Games, the design was conceived on the basis of celebrating the bringing together of people and events from across the geo-pacific region. The use of colour not only had a functional and identification purpose for way finding and the marking of entry points, but drew on the notion of the rich and vibrant multicultural community ever-present in Auckland.

Further, a series of structures and canopy options were explored to investigate conceptual ideas.

One of NZ native Harakeke/flax swaying in the wind or of a shelter or cloak as people came and paused at the entry point before moving into the stadium. Due to weaving traditions and technique, Māori placed a high value on flax, which was used for fishing lines, sails, shelter and clothing – its strength and natural fibre well regarded. Some were woven into cloaks (kākahu) by hand, the craft of which signalled skill and community; a mastery shared across the generations.

Another option less fluid but still dynamic – the analysis and technology output of the power of athletes transposed into the gate structures and canopies more easily identified.

At 106 Architects we value the embedded stories of our sites, people, history, culture and landscapes as a way to underpin functional design solutions. We think establishing a design DNA or story is a way to deepen the longevity of design and better connect our architecture, people and place.

The 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes caused extensive damage to infrastructure and buildings.

As a result of both, Christchurch’s sporting facilities needed to be relocated, including the athletics and field amenities at QEII Park, the hockey turfs at Porritt Park, some of the tennis courts at Wilding Park, and the rugby league fields displaced from Rugby League Park in Addington by Christchurch Stadium.

106 Architects had the role of Lead and Sports Architect, and partnered with BECA and Global Leisure Group to investigate a sports-led masterplan for Christchurch City Council.

It was important that we located and connected the facilities – fields, tracks, courts, the landscape, and buildings – to service the needs of the growing local community. Our approach was to create a “Third Place”.

The new $120 million facility is now the home to four key anchor sports: hockey, athletics, rugby league and tennis.

The new green-field sports precinct functions as first and foremost as a community-level park, with the capacity to scale operations to host regional, national, and international events.

FACTS

• $120 million (Masterplan) / $50 million (Stage 1).
• Scoped to host community, regional, national, and international events across four major sport streams.
• A community-centric project designed to encourage the interaction of different sports and community groups through shared common facilities.

The Colin Maiden Park (CMP) masterplan aims to realise an opportunity for a regionally significant sports precinct that connects community sport with high-performance programmes.

Previously visioned and owned by the University of Auckland for university sports-based teams, the Park came into Auckland Council ownership in 2016.

A refreshed masterplan was undertaken and included for hockey, who had last been on the site during pre-artificial turf days of 1990. The 106 Architect vision focused on the integration of hockey with the existing playing surfaces and buildings. A network of connecting plazas, local infrastructure and pathways promote a community social hub.

Our services included preliminary concept development, masterplan integration, documentation for planning approvals, consultation with local Council Members and officials, and project management.

A key outcome is to provide a precinct masterplan that allows for future staging and development that suits funding success.

The North Harbour Stadium – QBE Stadium – is a 25,000-seat capacity stadium opened in 1997. Hosting elite competition matches for rugby union, soccer, and rugby league, the stadium was due for modernising for warmth and function that matches it’s community-feel potential. 106 Architects with Jonathan Walker Architects, in Association, formed the lead for the Multi-Disciplinary Design Team for the refurbishment of the stadium with a new high performance training centre alongside.

Our approach was to respond to the lack of high-quality, high-performance training facilities for team-based sports on Auckland’s North Shore. The QBE Stadium High Performance Centre has been conceived to respond to teams-based sports by providing for six cornerstone stakeholders –  Massey University, Football NZ, Northern Football Federation, North Harbour Rugby, AFL NZ, and Baseball NZ – a fit for purpose high performance sport training facility that connects with the field of play.

The project involves administration spaces as well as a high-performance sports building, incorporating a wide range of facilities including gymnasium, changing room facilities, medical and sports science areas, indoor sprint track, players’, sport science laboratory, officials’ amenities, flexible and common shared areas.

The two key elements of the project are the provision of administration facilities within Levels Two and Three of the existing QBE Grandstand; and the reconfiguration and extension of Lion House as a new High Performance Centre.

The team has recently delivered the Preliminary Design package and are now developing the documentation phases to achieve project delivery in 2020.

FACTS

• Designed as a community-centric, sports and recreation facility in the first instance.
• Will provide a world-class high-performance sports park for those sports who are ‘in-residence’ at QBE Stadium.
• Provide a high-performance sports park destination with day-to-day activities as its core function.
• Can be scaled to service regional and national day-to-day events, as well as international events.
• Function to enable each sport and community group to run and manage their high-performance activity programmes.
• Planning has considered a multiplicity of uses to meet latent demand and allows for future use.
• Achieves a staging strategy that is matched to the funding plan.

As soon as the bell rang, the door opened.  106 Architects –along with builders Made.By and our very hands-on client Studio Box – we worked to deliver the studio long before the ten rounds ran out.

Using boxing-inspired group fitness classes, Studio Box wanted to bring a high energy, addictive workout in a fully immersive, purpose-built studio – fit never felt like so much fun! Studio Box aimed to not be about bouts and brawn – but its user’s experience.  Studio Box had the vision to share their method of workout and fitness with a new audience by creating the country’s first purpose-built, boxing-inspired group training studio.

The Studio Box method takes all the good parts of boxing and wraps it together in a super motivating environment that leaves participants on a physical and emotional high.

FACTS

• One-of-a-kind, retail fitness space concept.
• Developed by fellow former Black Stick, Dwayne Rowsell.

106 Architects get involved in all manner and scale of projects – from public amenities on local sports grounds to key regional stadium refurbishments. Fraser Park Sportsville was no exception.

For this project, the Hutt City Community Facilities Trust (CFT) were aiming to develop a multipurpose sports complex at Fraser Park, Lower Hutt, Wellington NZ.

106 Architects (in collaboration with Team Architects) won the bid in 2014 to provide the professional and design team services for the community project.

The sports complex is run in partnership with the local community, sports clubs and other key stakeholders, and caters for the primary sporting stakeholders: cricket, hockey, rugby, football (soccer), squash, indoor sports, and softball.

In parallel, 106 Architects created a pilot piece of work, working with Fraser Park Sportsville to test the basis of design against a sustainable business model.

Our challenge was to create a more reliable method for the design that could have a greater impact on long-term profit & loss (P&L) – and therefore sustainability of the facility.

We sought to work closely with the GM to understand possible and likely revenue generated out of our spaces. By modelling spaces with a financial return, we could test them long before they were built. We knew then, we had a better chance of delivering on the need and brief of the users, with a more accurate financial outcome too.

This allowed us to combine multiple modes of sustainability in one facility – financial, operational, social – with innovation.

Overall, the project aimed to bring together the numerous users in a single, cohesive building. The design includes flexible, multi-use spaces for a large and diverse group of athletes, administrators, and spectators.

Officially opened in March 2019 creating a great legacy for the Council and community.

Auckland Council required an investigation into new changerooms and clubroom development at a South Auckland park.

106 Architects were engaged to undertake a two-stage process that would increase provision for changing rooms and clubrooms at McLennan Park in Papakura.

Working with Council officers and the local clubs on the park, we presented several preliminary concept sketch options (together with QS pricing) for review and discussion.

Once the group arrived at the preferred option (refurbishment of the existing Scout Hall), we prepared detailed design documents for consent then appointed a contractor. 106 Architects acted as Engineer to the Contract under NZS3910 to deliver the upgraded facility.

The proposed facility, which is maintained by the Council, includes four unisex change rooms and public (accessible) amenities to service the users on the park.

106 Architects’ Founder and Principal Architect Dion Gosling, was a design architect with Hillery Priest Architecture for the new multi-sport and community facility in Manukau.

The completed project aimed to regenerate the Hunters’ Corner village precinct, and optimise existing field layouts. A new $12M sports facility was designed to provide for a broad range of sports and community groups.

The facility incorporates a three-lane indoor cricket training centre, strength training room with associated changing room facilities, reception and administration offices, multi-use meeting and community areas, two flexible function and lounge areas, kitchen and bar facilities for 300 capacity gatherings, individual and small-scale external balcony areas viewing over the Reserve with six changing rooms for sports teams.

A simple building form and durable materials — concrete and sustainable hardwood — reduce maintenance needs. Captured solar energy supports the hot water system, and large roof overhangs and design for natural light and ventilation reduce operational costs and reliance on HVAC systems.

Kolmar Papatoetoe Sports Centre functions as the Home of Southern district sports and the community.

In 2013 the Papatoetoe Sports Centre was recognised as the Most Outstanding Recreation Facility in New Zealand at the 2013 New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) Awards in Rotoura.

106 Architects is proud to continue to provide masterplanning and project advice for further community development on the Reserve.

106 Architects undertook early concept design, then won the commission partnering with Pacific Environments in Association, collaborating to redevelop the existing Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland’s Okahu Bay in the Eastern Suburbs.

This large-scale $12 million project is located on Auckland’s treasured and sensitive ocean waterfront. The project has seen the old yacht club gracefully evolve into the Hyundai Marine Sports Centre, catering to a far broader range of water-based sports and community activities than just sailing. The project will enable the interaction and regeneration of a currently under-utilised stretch of the waterfront and open access to a new range of marine-based users.

Our concept was based on two pavilions, with a central and inclusive atrium focused on integrating the building with the marine environment and the people who use it. The key outcome being a flexible and open connection between the local community and their sports functions, breaking down the exclusivity barriers formerly associated with traditional yacht clubs.

FACTS

• This project is a best-practice model example on how to connect to the community via recreational facilities.
• Pivotal to the success of the project to encourage club members and visitors to intermingle and connect via the cultural enrichment of water sports and recreation.
• The business case for this versatile development included the ability to successfully cater for local and private events within the facility.
• The design Includes inspiring education and social spaces that will inspire the youth to engage and learn.