This year’s winners of the international architecture awards for sports and leisure facilities have been unveiled at a ceremony in Cologne, Germany. At the festive gala on October 27, 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) presented the much-coveted medals for exemplary architecture.
The jury for the 2015 IOC/IAKS Awards commended three facilities with gold certifications, seven with silver and 14 with bronze. The IPC/IAKS Distinction for accessible sports facilities was given to four participants. The prize-winning projects cover 15 countries worldwide, while a total of 130 projects in 30 countries have participated in this year’s competition.
Special achievements
The most successful architects of the competition were Danish firm Keingart – the creative minds behind the Athletics Exploratorium in Odense (gold) and Tornhøjhallen in Aalborg (bronze), both in Denmark. In addition, Ruben Reddy Architects from South Africa received both the IOC/IAKS silver award and the IPC/IAKS Distinction for the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia.
Canada and Switzerland are the most successful nations, claiming a total of four prizes each. Two sports facilities for the London Olympics are among the winners – the London Aquatics Centre from Zaha Hadid Architects and the London 2012 Shooting Venue from Magma Architecture. Two FIFA World Cup stadia have also been awarded prizes – the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador (Schulitz Architekten and Tetra Arquitetura) and the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre (Hype Studio Arquitetura).
The IPC/IAKS Distinction commends the accessibility of sports facilities and other buildings. This year, 37 projects were submitted for the award. The four prize-winning facilities are located in Puerto Rico, Honduras, Canada and Russia.
The IOC, IPC and IAKS also presented, for the third time, the Architecture and Design Award for Students and Young Professionals, rewarding innovative designs and strategies for sports and leisure facilities. The competition is targeted at young architects, landscape architects and designers who are still studying, or who are in the first two years of their careers.
This prize has attracted 43 young planners and designers from 19 countries. The jury awarded a gold medal to Cyprus and a silver medal to Canada. Bronze was awarded to project teams from Greece, the United Kingdom, Singapore and the USA.
Winners of the 2015 IOC/IAKS Awards
Gold
• Athletics Exploratorium in Odense, Denmark
Architects: Keingart
• Ciutadella Park Sports Centre in Barcelona, Spain
Architects: Battle i Roig Arquitectes
• Naturbad Riehen, Switzerland
Architects: Herzog & de Meuron
Silver
• London Aquatics Centre in London, United Kingdom
Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects
• Palais Thermal Pool in Bad Wildbad, Germany
Architects: Kaufmann Theilig & Partner
• Baths of Géronde in Sierre, Switzerland
Architects: NAU
• Sargans Sports Centre, Switzerland
Architects: Blue Architects and Ruprecht Architekten
• Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia
Architects: Ruben Reddy Architects, SIC Mostovic
• Prince Arthur’s Landing in Thunder Bay, Canada
Architects: Brook McIlroy
• Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil
Architects: Schulitz Architekten and Tetra Arquitetura
Bronze
• Archery Hall and Boxing Club in Tokyo, Japan
Architects: FT Architects
• NCC Rideau Canal Skateway Facilities in Ottawa, Canada
Architects: CSV Architects
• London 2012 Shooting Venue, United Kingdom
Architects: Magma Architecture Ostermann & Kleinheinz
• Blocs & Walls Climbing Center in Copenhagen, Denmark
Architects: Powerhouse Company
• Regent Park Aquatic Centre in Toronto, Canada
Architects: MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects
• BG Zehnergasse in Vienna, Austria
Architects: GABU Heindl Architektur
• Centre sportif Jules Ladoumegue in Paris, France
Architects: DFA Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes
• Tornhøjhallen in Aalborg, Denmark
Architects: Keingart
• Luanda Multisports Pavilion, Angola
Architects: Berger Architects
• Bossard Arena in Zug, Switzerland
Architects: Scheitln Syfrig Architekten
• Stade Léo Lagrange in Toulon, France
Architects: archi5
• Landhausplatz in Innsbruck, Austria
Architects: LAAC Architects | Stiefel Kramer Architecture
• Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil
Architects: Hype Studio Arquitetura
• Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden
Architects: C F Møller and Krook & Tjäder Arkitekter
Winners of the 2015 IPC/IAKS Distinction
• Ray & Joan Kroc Community Center in Guayama, Puerto Rico
Architects: SCF Architects
• University Sports Complex in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Architects: Victor Cuadra Burlero + UNAH Department of Infrastructure
• Edmonds Community Centre in Burnaby, Canada
Architects: CEI Architecture
• Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia
Architects: Ruben Reddy Architects and SIC Mostovic
Winners of the 2015 Architecture and Design Award for Students and Young Professionals
Gold
• Sports4Peace by Philippos Michael and Panayiotis Savva (Cyprus)
Silver
• Actus by Vincent Morissette (Canada)
Bronze
• Athens Urban Park by Kallirroi Taroudaki and Antonia Vavanou (Greece)
• Daegu Sports Court by Mauricio Vieto Perez (United Kingdom), Natalie Kwee (Singapore) and Caio Caesar Barboza (USA)
October 30, 2015
