Sports

Stackable soccer pitches will bring sport into cities

Stackable soccer pitches will bring sport into cities
The caged design of Pitch/Pitch means passersby can see into the courts, while walkways around the pitches allow spectators to watch ongoing games
The caged design of Pitch/Pitch means passersby can see into the courts, while walkways around the pitches allow spectators to watch ongoing games
View 3 Images
The caged design of Pitch/Pitch means passersby can see into the courts, while walkways around the pitches allow spectators to watch ongoing games
1/3
The caged design of Pitch/Pitch means passersby can see into the courts, while walkways around the pitches allow spectators to watch ongoing games
Integrated lighting means that the Pitch/Pitch soccer pitches can be used at night
2/3
Integrated lighting means that the Pitch/Pitch soccer pitches can be used at night
The Pitch/Pitch system can be constructed quickly and easily, with a view to being installed temporarily on derelict or vacant plots
3/3
The Pitch/Pitch system can be constructed quickly and easily, with a view to being installed temporarily on derelict or vacant plots
View gallery - 3 images

Building soccer pitches isn't typically a priority in London's limited space, so architect AL_A has devised a way to make the most of the spaces that are available. Its Pitch/Pitch concept can fit multiple five-a-side soccer pitches on small disused plots by stacking them on top of each other.

Like Pavegen's footstep-powered pitches in Brazil and Nigeria, the aim is to help foster community and to encourage healthy lifestyles, with AL_A pointing out that it's no longer safe for kids to play soccer in the streets due to traffic, and that existing sports facilities can be oversubscribed and costly to use.

Where there are five-a-side pitches, they are routinely spread across a ground-level area, which isn't the most efficient use of space. There's no reason, though, that such pitches can't be built across multiple levels, like buildings or car-parks.

AL_A has taken advantage of exactly this possibility. Working with Arup, it has designed a modular system of pitches with a lightweight carbon fiber frame. Additional levels can be added without adding much weight (relatively speaking) and, therefore, without the need for a huge supporting structure.

Integrated lighting means that the Pitch/Pitch soccer pitches can be used at night
Integrated lighting means that the Pitch/Pitch soccer pitches can be used at night

The system can also be constructed quickly and easily, with a view to being installed temporarily on derelict or vacant plots. AL_A suggests Pitch/Pitch installations could be erected for events as short as a fortnight or for extended periods of a year or more.

The caged design of the structure means passersby can see into the courts, while walkways on each level around the pitches allow spectators to watch games that are ongoing. Access is provided to each level by built-in stairwells, and integrated lighting means that the pitches can be used at night.

The pitches need not just be used for soccer, either. They could be adapted for sports like basketball, hockey and tennis or used for exercise and dance classes.

AL_A says it is currently working with partners to finance and roll-out the Pitch/Pitch concept across London.

Source: AL_A

View gallery - 3 images
2 comments
2 comments
PaulMastre
perfect for deck hockey or tennis
Wolf0579
What the world needs more are stacking science classrooms.