Kelvin Chu’s Perforated Hill challenges the conventional conception of an Olympic stadium as an architectural artefact impregnated with iconic powers. These large types are commonly placed on the fringes of the city, surrounded by tarmac and completely closed off from their context. They contribute as much to the urbanity of the surroundings as the average Ikea superstore.

The organisation of the stadium is strictly governed by pedestrian escape routes and seating angles. Chu’s project takes the inclined escape routes and raked seating as the deep structure of the type, and fixes the capacity of the stadium at 80,000 spectators. It differentiates the type by decreasing the number of routes while increasing their overall bifurcation. As the routes branch out and reorganise the spectator seats, the stadium incrementally evolves from a conventional closed bowl into a porous structure.

> more

< back