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MAGYAR
POLSKI |
The Olympic Games have always been connected with spectacular architectural ideas. What, however, had to be a first in the 4000 years of Olympic history is that a frog prevented the construction of a competition venue – and subsequently became the inspiration for an even more sophisticated structure.
September 23, 1993: All of Australia is in a state of euphoria as, in Monte Carlo, the IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch has just announced who will host the particularly prestigious 2000 Summer Olympic Games. “The winner is Sydney!” and Down Under the cham-pagne corks began to pop. For only the second time in its history the world’s greatest sporting event would take place in Australia. It is obvious that the aim was to give a good account of Australia for the Millennium Games. When the time came to welcome the 10,651 sportsmen and women to the specially built quarters for them, i.e. the Olympic Village – it was up to that point in time the largest in the history of the Olympic Games. The events themselves took place in the Sydney Olympic Park located near the Parramatta river. The Tennis Centre was also supposed to have been built there in a disused quarry. But things didn’t go according to plan.
“All of a sudden the frogs hopped into the picture”, said Neil Durbach, from Durbach Block Architects in Sydney. “They were of course always there, but it was then that the problem became apparent to everyone.” And as the Green and Golden Bell frog, which has its hideaway in precisely this quarry, is at risk of extinction, it quickly became clear to everyone that it would not be possible to build the Tennis Centre in its habitat.
“Instead we thought of how we could bring visitors here, close to nature, in a way that nature would not be adversely affected”, explains Neil Durbach. The idea of the Brick Pit Aerial Walkway was born: a steel circular viewing platform known as the Ring Walk, with a diameter of 180 meters supported on 20 meter high scissor struts. The all-round covering, which protects the visitors, consists, in addition to glass plates, of perforated aluminium panels, thus offering brilliant views. “1.5 millimetre thick aluminium perforated sheeting is used here”, explains Neil Durbach. “The dimensions of the individual panels are 2.5 x 1.2 meters. The rectangular perforation – known here in Australia as the brick perforation – and the colouring create a light, positive effect.”
For this reason, Neil Durbach describes his design as “happiness on 20 meter height in a tough environment”. That perforated sheeting plays a central role here is, however, not just due to aesthetic reasons: “In spite of its stability, it is light enough for these huge dimensions. And affordable – an all-round glass covering would have been impossible”, the architect let us know.
