“If there was a prerequisite for the future successful digital creative, it would be the passion for discovery”- these were the words of John Maeda, the great Japanese-American graphic designer. And from one great man to many others, it has often been believed that man never really invents, he just discovers the true potential in himself to believe in the unthinkable and do the unimaginable. Invention is just a by-product of discovering ways to fulfill one’s needs.
With the world shrinking like never before, everyone loves the idea of serving themselves with all amenities under one roof. And from this tiny powerful idea, a particular Michael Carton derives the concept of Shams Arena. Shams Arena is based on the concept of building a sustainable stadium that not only lets you enjoy the Sunday night game, but also lets you shop, get a massage, flirt with some gizmos and much more, all under one roof. This unique prototype is under development for sites in Liverpool, UK and Morocco. The venture is aimed at extending the limits of mega-sized event structures beyond those with only one function. A key aspect of the Shams Arena is to keep the local community involved and engage them during peak and off-peak event cycles round the year. The project’s brief includes private athlete accommodation, a shopping mall, a hotel and a spa, local community club and a standard FIFA regulation football pitch that can double up to also serve as two beach football pitches side by side.
Michael and his team have stressed on inherently programming the arena to have the local community connect well with the concept and thus its future status. The stadium’s main entry point also serves as the primary exit point from which the programmatic loops commence. The hotel, community and commercial loops change scales based on matters of security, spatial requirements and site access.
The word ‘Shams’ is an Arabic term for ‘sun’. And faithful to its name, the Arena, working in tandem with photovoltaic manufacturers, behaves as a solar energy collector. It is created in the form of a shutter-like paneling system that protects the building from the sun while simultaneously taking advantage of the solar exposure to harness energy. The Shams Arena may turn out to be the future of architecture, not just in terms of sporting arenas. With the future still under process, the present states that it has very well begun, at least in architecture.
Via: Insert
