thesis proposal

the sports of development

The Olympics is the one greatest events in the world that literally brings people together. Athletes of all races, cultures and backgrounds, set aside their political and/or cultural differences to play the one thing that offers them a level playing field: sports.

My thesis is geared towards the philosophy of the statement above, and not necessarily the Olympics (the reference to the Olympics is merely an analogy to my thesis); it is geared towards creating a better community through sports; it is geared towards introducing sports in people's lives at a young age; it is geared towards the development of a community- a community develops if its people develop; it is geared towards bringing people together; it is geared towards the St. Henri area.

Sports Architecture in Montreal as we know it today, is a pathetic sight. The few sports complexes that I've seen and been to are just normal, warehouse-box-type shells which house the sports under them. Whereas there is so much thought and soul put into the design of stadiums, there is that much lack of it put into the design of sports complexes- the cradles that breed sports heroes. Numerous times have I overheard people mentioning poor lighting, bad flooring and inadequate size of a sports complex, just to name a few. These are the reasons, among others, that hinder people from further exploiting their sports talents. We live in a cold climate, so perhaps it just takes a bit more to entice people into a sports complex, perhaps there should be an aspect or aspects of it that really bring the people of a community together to focus their energies into the positives of life.

St. Henri has a sports complex which is on the outskirts of St. Henri and is quite popular among the area's residents and not necessarily among its youth. It fits the description of a drab, dull, spiritually unattractive sports hall that is there just to house the sports and not the community.

My thesis is to propose a sports complex- not something big and intimidating, but rather one that is less grand and more modest- which will explore the modification of a program to fit within the realm of community and development of a community as a consequence. The thesis will attend to the current problems that sports complexes face in cold climates. It will involve the exploration not only of sports facilities but other facilities and places that may be community oriented and that may complement the sports program in a very positive way. The site I have chosen that I see fit for my thesis is on Notre Dame street, near the Ecole secondaire polyvalente St. Henri, the Ecole Ludger Duvernay and the metro St. Henri. Thus it is not on the outskirts but rather in a very urban setting close to the people of St. Henri.

My architectural approach to this complex is one of exploring the notion of nature and health within and without the building. Promoting a healthy environment, both materially and spiritually will be of much so importance throughout the design. It should make some sense as my thesis is the 'sports of development'. What better place to promote health than in a sports complex.

A remedy for the existant drab sports complexes will be sought in an attempt to improve lighting, materiality and aesthetic issues. For inspiration I am studying the work of Alvar Aalto and other Finnish architects whose architecture is based on nature, and in Aalto's case, humanism. Finland has a climate almost like our own in Canada, but somehow they tend to come up with more pleasant architecture through the consideration of nature. The consideration for light, materiality, ecology has gone mainstream in Finland. Visual examples of their architecture can be seen in the precedents' section.