Dutch studio MVRDV has unveiled plans for The Grand Ballroom, a sports arena in Tirana, Albania, held within a 100-metre-wide sphere modelled on a sports ball.
Replacing the existing Asllan Rusi Sports Palace currently on the site, the mixed-use venue is set to include a 6,000-seat arena crowned by a glass oculus, alongside retail space, apartments and a hotel.
MVRDV designed the spherical 20-storey volume to mimic the shape of a sports ball, which means there won’t be any “rear facades that neglect the surrounding neighbourhood”.
MVRDV has unveiled plans for The Grand Ballroom sports arena in Tirana
“The spherical shape is a reference to the round ball used by so many sports,” studio partner at MVRDV Winy Maas said.
“Yet it also recalls enlightenment temples, from Étienne-Louis Boullée’s Cenotaph for Newton to Buckminster Fuller’s tribute to technological optimism, the geodesic dome,” Maas added.
“A great sphere in the heart of Tirana can similarly become a temple to sport and community.”
Public space will wind around the building
Renders of The Grand Ballroom reveal a gridded exterior composed of vertical and horizontal elements that frame rhythmic openings across the facade.
Alongside these regular glazed openings will be larger three-storey openings, containing spacious terraces on the upper floors.
The building’s rounded volume will be truncated at its base, where public plazas and sports facilities will sit alongside a ring of retail space and cafes on the lower ground level.
A glass opening crowns the arena
On the ground level, a series of staircases will lead up to various entrance points around the building. These will all open into a circular lobby flanked by two training pitches and public and private facilities.
The other facilities will be layered across the upper floors of the 90,200-square-metre building, starting from the arena, followed by the hotel, apartments and penthouses.
A glazed oculus will crown the arena while also serving as a centrepiece for a semi-enclosed residents’ garden on the floor above.
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“By stacking the hotel and residential functions on top of the arena itself, the design accommodates a significant amount of programme on a relatively small site,” MVRDV explained.
“The oculus could be closed with a thick layer of glass to form a soundproof barrier while maintaining a visual connection between the upper and lower volumes.”
The venue will host a 6,000-seat arena
Towards the top of the sphere, apartments will be arranged around a lofty atrium enclosed by an operable skylight, allowing for daylight access and ventilation.
Other facilities in The Grand Ballroom include a private rooftop terrace and bar, which will be provided alongside a series of duplex penthouses.
The development will include a residents’ garden
Also in Tirana, Eduardo Souto de Moura and OODA are designing a gridded skyscraper as an “urban gateway” for the city, and JA Joubert Architecture is developing a series of undulating towers that echo the surrounding landscape.
Albania is becoming a hotbed of statement architecture. In an interview with Dezeen, the country’s prime minister said this is because he believes architecture has the potential to make a positive change in the small Balkan nation.
Other spherical buildings recently featured on Dezeen include the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, revamped by HOK and CF Møller Architects, and The Sphere in Las Vegas, which is the world’s largest spherical structure.
The renders are courtesy of MVRDV.