ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
AN IMPORTANT ACCOLADE
SPECIAL MENTION BY ARCHITIZER A + AWARDS FOR SPORTS CENTRE SPORTOASE GROOT SCHIJN
Sports Centre Sportoase Groot Schijn , designed by architectural studios ZJA and OM / AR , and commissioned by Sportoase , has been awarded a special mention in the ‘ Gyms & Recreation Centers ’ category of the Architizer A + Awards , a prestigious international architecture prize regarded by the profession as an important accolade .
The exceptional sports complex in Deurne , in Belgium , combines two water worlds under one roof . The combination is unique , and it required an extraordinary design . ZJA and OM / AR succeeded in cleverly combining the two very different functions in a compact , orderly , and user-friendly building .
Reinald Top ( architect / partner at ZJA ) says , “ We are enormously proud of the honourable mention from the Architizer A + Awards and the worldwide appreciation for the unique Sports Centre Sportoase Groot Schijn that it represents . Here , you can swim , dive from the board , and dive underwater , but you can also learn to skate or watch ice hockey matches or figure skating , or enjoy sitting on the terrace . We have deliberately brought ice and water close together and within sight of each other in the entrance , the circulation areas , and the cafeteria . Nevertheless , combining them in one large , compact building does not result in a place that looks cluttered . The multifunctionality has been designed based on its advantages , its shared requirements , and with an eye to simplicity and clarity .”
CONNECTION WITH THE SURROUNDINGS
Sports Centre Sportoase Groot Schijn is a pleasant and attractive environment for sportspeople and visitors . The complex consists of a large-scale and complicated combination of six swimming pools ( two recreational pools , a 25-metre pool , an instruction pool , a pool with water slides , and an outdoor pool ), with two skating rinks plus rooms for fitness training , dance , martial arts , and
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