Host Field Advantage

UDM HOME RE:SEARCH HOME KNOWLEDGE HOME TITAN CONNECT

DSpace Home
→
University of Detroit Mercy Dissertation, Thesis, and Student Project Collections
→
Architecture Thesis Collection
→
View Item

Host Field Advantage

Case, Cameron

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10429/2442

Date: 2023-04-27

Abstract:

Sports and competition promote a particularly level playing field that helps people, athletes, and their nations form proud alliances and carefully cultivated bonds. In addition, athletic competition and movement has been proven to improve mental health, physical health, social aptitude and self-esteem / confidence. Therefore, it is important to offer sporting opportunities to all people because of the social, communal and health benefits. The largest display of sporting competition and alliances among people is in the example of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. Together with the ability to bring people together, hosting events also carries with it the great hopes of bringing economic prosperity and enhancing the reputations of the hosting nations. Instead, host cities are frequently saddled by unsustainable construction, exorbitant costs, and inhabitants who receive terrible treatment during an event. This thesis proposes a case study event which responds to these common dilemmas. The proposal that is suggested for the city of Detroit in this thesis is based on precedent studies of previous events as well as architectural principles for developing sustainable sports architecture. In order to create a positive event, sustainable precedent events included temporary constructions, the reuse of existing structures, outward development, and adaptable spaces. Because the focus is not only on the event's completion but rather on what occurs after the event as the most essential part of the design, events that have used these approaches at different scales in recent history have been more successful in producing a sustainable outcome. In other words, creating event-hosting structures and infrastructure systems that are easily adaptable to the circumstances and requirements of the citizens of the host city after the event. The proposal in this thesis imagines a medium-sized event focused in the water sports sector, specifically swimming, diving, water polo, open water swimming and synchronized swimming. Based on statistics showing a discrepancy in the opportunity for inhabitants of Detroit to engage in these activities, water sports were selected. The plan envisions using temporary buildings at some of Detroit's monuments to spur development outside of the city as well as the reuse of numerous existing recreational facilities in underserved areas. The Johnson Recreation Center was formerly unoccupied, but this case study shows how it may be converted into a top-notch event venue before being modified into a community-driven, sustainable recreation center. This case study serves as an example of how community-driven flexible design and an awareness of the surrounding context may be used to create a beneficial athletic event.

Description:

Within the field of architecture, there are many typologies of building. This thesis focuses on the area of sports architecture. Sports architecture encompasses arenas and stadiums which host thousands of spectators at a time. In addition, this typology also encompasses sports training facilities and the infrastructure that supports them. Sports are an important function of society because as an athlete, one benefits from healthy physical activity as well as the internal or team competition to overcome. For fans and spectators, sports are able to create a uniting atmosphere which is uplifting. This unifying effect can be multiplied when a sporting competition, turns into a sporting event. Sporting events range in size from small to large, largest being the Olympic games, and vary in actual sports being played. These events have been great displays of ground-breaking sports architecture and development within host cities. In addition, sports events are the largest example of unifying community fostered by sporting competition. Countries feel pride for their athletes as well as the athletes feel empowered to compete for their country. However, these games are often carried out in an unsustainable way. This thesis aims to combat these issues by proposing a case study design which combines the use of various strategies and community drivers to create a lasting positive event. The common assumption is that the Olympics and other large sporting events like it are substantially beneficial in many ways to the host nation or city. However, through history these events have rarely left a positive legacy. The public rarely sees their money used for real benefit as often these event spaces invested in are practically forgotten, unraveling a sustainable mess. Billion-dollar structures end up having the life span of one major event; rarely seeing action after the Olympics are done. However, the London Olympics of 2012 are one of the first examples of a mega event being transformed into a positive act for society. Most of the new structures built for those games have been transformed into public space and re-used as housing. This concept involves engaging the neighborhood and community in the design. Planners and designers create spaces which can host the event, but also be retrofitted to community curated programs. In a larger context, community driven projects are more sustainable because they fill a purpose supported by real needs. Sports and physical activity are a vital part of people and communities. Facilities which support activity provide spaces to compete, meet and improve one's health. The value of competition lies in the ability for one to be a part of something bigger than themself or challenge oneself internally. Sports are a cultural and social experience which brings people together and holds communal value. Sports and traditions are varied throughout the world which leads to the importance of contextual design. The first question this thesis moved to discover is what are the components and implications of a sports event. Moreover, what lessons can be learned from large sporting events such as the Olympics, or World Cup, which can be applied to creating sports architecture which is economically and environmentally sustainable while also serving the host communities? The second question this thesis moved to answer was to uncover a specific set of design principles to govern a case study which explores a sporting event architecture. Specifically, what can be learned from precedent studies and literature review that can reveal strategies to create positive sports architecture? The third question this thesis has investigated is how the dilemma of unsustainable events can be addressed through a design solution. Is there an event design which encompasses sustainable strategies and community needs to produce a lasting positive event? While the recent trend in sport event architecture is to build the largest and fanciest facility with little regard for the surrounding context of the site, this thesis aims to illustrate a more sustainable and just opportunity to create a sports facility which responds to the community. Through a case study application in Detroit, MI, this thesis will apply the life cycle model which emphasizes the re-use of an existing structure, temporary aspects of the design, adaptable spaces for retrofitting and a program which is derived from community needs that is employed after an event. In this case study application, the sporting event acts as a catalyst for outward development into an underprivileged neighborhood within Detroit, and the financial development of the case study facility site. After an event ends, the design intent is to retrofit the facility to a space which is downsized but transformed into a curated community recreation center. The goal is to highlight a possible situation where an underprivileged community is uplifted through the hosting of a sports event and ultimately left with a space that enables healthy physical activity for all residents. In addition, this thesis proposes this design in the context of larger planned water sports event (Fina Championships) which emphasizes outward development, re-use of structures, community engagement and efficient transportation. This thesis is a design-based exercise. However, the design is based on various forms of products and contextual analysis. To understand sports events, literature review and investigations into previous Olympic games and World Cups revealed the common short falls of these events on a large scale. These events are often wildly over budget because of poor planning and environmentally unsustainable due to the large waste. In addition, events have often left residents displaced or severely crippled by taxes related to the cost of the games. This thesis responds to this by creating a space which understands the surrounding community will be the long-time occupants, not the event athletes. In addition, this thesis responds to socially sustainability by re-using all structures for a planned event and an efficient looped transit route. By re-using an existing structure, the case study will also be more environmentally sustainable with no plan to displace residents. Precedent studies revealed various strategies which act to respond to the life cycle model. For example, like the aquatic center of the 2012 Olympics in London, this design will employ a temporary element aimed at hosting spectators for an event. After the event, this element can be removed for less spectator seating. Learning from the Multisport Center in Mexico, this design will contain a large adaptable space for ease of transformation. Lastly, taking from the Jubilee Pool in England, the program of the facility will be informed by community needs. The Jubilee Pool was once a swimming only pool, now the facility is a café shop, pool and events center based of community response. In order to apply these strategies to a design, the Johnson Recreation Center in the 7mile / Wyoming neighborhood of Detroit, MI was selected as the optimum site. Detroit is storied sports town, with may existing facilities. However, the city is very centrally developed with all the major sports events occurring in the downtown region. The Johnson Recreation Center poses a great opportunity to create outward sports development as well as serve an underprivileged community in the 7mile / Wyoming neighborhood. In this case study, the Johnson Rec Center is part of a larger transit route which stops at all event locations. Event locations include community specific competitions to drive resident engagement as well as locations that are spread throughout the city to drive outward development. Through the investigation of this case study at the Johnson Recreation Center, a design which employs the life cycle model will create the largest positive impact in the community because of the important history and existing structure, applicable contextual support including a large lot size and proximity to major transit routes and a neighborhood which has inequal opportunity for sporting opportunities. The main critique of this approach would the introduction of a sporting event into a community which really does not want a sporting event there. Events bring people in the host cities from all of the world, residents may not want to interact with these visitors. In addition, visitors can often act entitled in cities which they do not belong to, especially a venerable city like Detroit. This can be supported by the backlash many residents have voiced over events like the Olympic games. In the case of the Paris 2024 Olympics, climate activist have camped in front of the headquarters recently and the event is still two years away. Even in Detroit these is evidence to support this claim. In 1960, Detroit fell to second place for an Olympic bid because IOC cited major social unrest in the city. Underprivileged communities felt like their needs were not being met. This argument can be summarized by concluding that often the residents of the host communities are an afterthought of the event planners and receive the biggest burdens overtime. To suggest that an event such as the Olympics would truly benefit the city of Detroit is unrealistic. While the city may have the existing sport infrastructure to support the games, with the recent trend of new and fancy, the IOC would have a hard time selecting Detroit over a city which has the means to build new stadiums and facilities. More importantly, however, the cost of the games would be too large of a burden to carry for the city and its residents. Detroit is already a financially fragile district, with the introduction of an event like this, taxes would sky rocket. Ultimately, the city of Detroit creates the largest limitations to the project. As any site and context informs a design, it will also limit the possible applications. In the case of Detroit, this thesis aims to be realistic as possible, within the limitations of size, economic feasibility and community impact. As previously mentioned, sports events come in all sports and sizes. Employing a smaller event which is curated to the region of the city it is hosted by is a more sustainable solution for this context. This thesis aims to employ a life cycle model to a case study investigation at the Johnson Recreation Center in Detroit. The design intent is to curate a small to medium sized sport event (Fina Champioships) which can act as a catalyst for the development for the site, as well as a financial influx into the surrounding community from event spectators. After the conclusion of the event, the facility will be retrofitted through adaptable spaces that are informed by the needs of the contextual analysis and community needs. The goal is to create an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable sports architecture which creates a positive space for healthy physical activity in an underprivileged community. Within the field of sports architecture, projects are often guided by creating the most impressive structure, with little thought of the surrounding context. In addition, sports architecture has often acted in a way to represent the prosperity and dominance of a host city and this has been referred to as “sport-washing”. In other words, cities and countries shovel tax dollars into these projects, to raise their reputation, however, overtime these arenas and facilities produce no real benefit to the host community. This thesis illustrates a model which can be used to create sports architecture and events which truly and justly support a host community before, during and most importantly, after the conclusion of an event.

Show full item record