STÜRZEBECHER, PETER / ULRICH , SIGRID
Sport is becoming a philosophy of life. Sport architecture is today increasingly seen as a commercial symbol, reflecting a growing culture of mainly media-induced grandeur. Consequently, structures built for international sports events are effectively the largest 'theatre buildings' of our times - a far cry from the formal severity of ancient examples.A contrary trend in sport architecture is represented by complex volumes constructed in an elegant and yet economical way. Partly functionally severe with reduced forms, partly playful, and often timeless, sports buildings of this type feature increasingly flexible structural features such as retractable roofs.This book was conceived against this background of current trends. It presents a varied selection of the most inspirational sports buildings to have emerged throughout the world in recent years. Contributions by international specialists add to the debate on the nature and form of sport architecture.Among the structures featured are football and Olympic stadia, sports halls, velodromes and grandstands, swimming centres and open-air pools, thermal baths and seaside resorts and a formula-one racetrack, representing the full range of this field of architecture.
