Form&Spectacle

SPORT & SPECTACLE

University of Pennsylvania: Master of Architecture

ARCH602: Design Studio IV

Instructor: Kutan Ayata

Partner: Kurt Nelson

Location: Philadelphia, PA

The sport of Rock-Climbing experiences large fluctuations in popularity, going from relevance to obscurity relatively quickly whenever someone ascends a particularly difficult rock-face. This phenomenon has been present since the days of camp 4 in Yosemite, largely due to the inaccessible nature of its climbs. Sport & Spectacle questions how architecture can boost the notoriety of the sport, helping it assert a more permanent presence in the public eye. Coupling a unique design embodying the vertical nature of climbing with what will be a high-traffic public space, see-and-be-seen culture of Philadelphia’s Rail Park drives public visibility of the sport, incorporating levels of public program into the climbing gym.

The simple act of climbing has an intricate set of operations and elements embedded within it. The building exerts force on the climber on all levels of interaction, driven by its mass, spaces, and materiality.

The project is composed of a forest of concrete cones which are vicariously connected through intersections of a normative volume. The form is defined by a third reading of the intricate connections between these objects.