The main objectives of the planned velodrome are: to connect the green areas at city level, to harmoniously complement the swimming pool building designed by Ferdinand Lederer and to create a dignified meeting place along Sportská Street. The solid base of the building with minimal built volume abstractly complements the hillside of Planýrka and creates a level connection with valuable greenery. The airy roof structure welcomes visitors to the park and velodrome with a generous and elegant gesture.
Until 1938, when the Botanical Garden of Mendel University was opened, the Planýrka hillside and its vegetation were untouched by human intervention. After the Second World War, the surrounding area became an area of intensive residential and public (mainly educational) development, and Planýrka was designated an urban sports and recreation area. In 1947 the Winter Stadium was completed and in 1953 the Stadium complex was inaugurated. The competition swimming pool, opened in 1966 and in recent years supplemented by a 25m indoor pool, adds high architectural value and is immediately adjacent to the complex. From the 1950s until 2018, several urban design concepts and master plans were drawn up to develop the sports complex in a comprehensive manner within its increasingly limited spatial and functional possibilities. Over time, however, larger and larger areas were allocated, making the feasibility of a coherent urban concept increasingly remote. Individual interests prevailed over the social interests of the city, the original morphological, green and architectural values of Planýrka gradually eroded and the area is now in a state of disrepair. The aim of our competition project is to initiate a process that will help realise the urban concept of a unified sports and leisure centre, which the city has dreamt of several times in the past and which will awaken Planýrka from its state of lethargy and put it on the mental map of the city's inhabitants.
The functional layout of the planned velodrome was designed primarily with the intention of achieving a compact footprint (minimising the built-up area) and a logical separation of athlete and visitor traffic, both spatially and in terms of levels.
Basement car and truck parking is accessed via a ramp on the south side of the building. The height of the basement varies with the longitudinal axis of the building. The high ceiling clearance of the truck parking on the south side (5.6 m) allows for two levels with lower ceilings on the north side. Here, we have placed the car park and the athletes' changing room level above each other. Visitors who arrive by car can use the generous staircase to reach the landscaped square with trees in front of the building. Rooms requiring natural lighting are located on the ground floor. Offices, accommodation and medical facilities are located here. The walkway level serves the full range of visitors. In addition to the stands, there are also visitor toilets, a gift shop and technical facilities for live streaming.
An important aspect in the design of the building was the logical separation of the different modes of passenger transport. A generous landscaped area with tree planting serves as a quiet foyer for all. Here, sports traffic meets the traffic of visitors arriving on foot, by bicycle, by public transport or by car. From here, athletes can reach the changing rooms or the medical rooms on this floor via the arched entrance on the ground floor. Spectators can reach the velodrome gallery via an elegant staircase (or a wheelchair-accessible lift).
The building concept is based on a strong duality. There is a sharp distinction between the solid base, which is part of the slope, and the roof, which is airy both in its construction and in the use of materials.
The material used for the base is concrete mixed with aggregate and clay, presenting a layered slope structure due to its strip design. Due to its thermal insulating nature, the internal and external structure can remain visible and substantial.
The most characteristic element of the velodrome building is the lightweight roof at the base. Thanks to its sophisticated steel construction and ETFE cladding, it complements the velodrome base perfectly. The cladding of the steel structure is made of an ETFE membrane (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), which means that the implementation of the outer shell of the building requires orders of magnitude less energy than conventional structures.
Sándor Pálfy, Tamás Fialovszky, Hunor Szántó, Máté Pálfy
Máté Pécsi, Wang Xiao
Velodrome
Sport hall
invited international competition
Velodrome
Sport hall
invited international competition
The structure of the building is based on a reinforced foundation slab resting on piles. The underground parts of the building consist of monolithic reinforced concrete structures. Precast reinforced concrete columns around the perimeter will support the large-span steel roofing assembled from individual parts. The implementation of a double-sided truss roof structure is easy and inexpensive.
The proposed design, together with the membrane cladding flooding the interior with light, radically reduces the 'visual bulk' of the building and ensures the lightness of the structure. The planned structural design is intended to reflect the technical quality of modern bicycles. A system of service walkways suspended under the roof allows easy access to lighting, audio equipment, installation mounting points and the space under the roof.
The project area has a great architectural value of free space due to its location and size within the urban structure of Brno. The project site is currently under-managed and under-used, but has significant potential for the development of urban greenery. The investment will provide an opportunity for the restoration of a significant urban green space which, in addition to the development of the new building, will also create high quality and usable open spaces for the residents of the city.
The planned open space can be divided into several parts of different landscape and architectural character and function. A large access area, designed in an ecological manner with grassed paving and trees planted in a grid pattern, will provide functional and visual quality access to the velodrome.
The plan envisages that the pedestrian promenade on the north side of the Velodrome will become the main entrance to Planýrka Park, and the new building will therefore become the gateway to the park in addition to its primary function. The access situation is also strengthened by the connection to the western quarter of the city through a new pedestrian crossing. The generous staircases running along both sides of the building emphasise the soaring structure of the velodrome. The open area between the planned building and the Lužánky pools, mostly paved, will serve as a new urban community sports park for cyclists, skateboarders, in-line skaters and scooterists.
Although this is a site outside the urban area, the Planýrka Park will also be regenerated. The aim is to preserve the natural character and develop the park's greenery while maintaining the existing high proportion of green space. It is necessary to clarify the structure of the park and the path system, and to define landmarks.
An important general feature of the green areas is a suitably selected, biologically diverse composition of multi-storey vegetation, a high proportion of woodland and a high level of tree canopy cover. The aim is to make use of a wide range of local species and natural, mixed perennial and ornamental grasses, which are well tolerant of the climatic conditions of the project area.
The proposal pays attention to ecological stormwater drainage, with rainwater falling on paved surfaces either draining or being diverted towards green spaces where it serves to irrigate vegetation and infiltrate into the soil. In addition, there may be water management features in the area that can contribute to localised rainwater harvesting. One feature could be a system of basins and leachate ponds with significant storage capacity.