It is pleasing to see that one of the less well known practices, Magma Architecture, that designed one of the less well known buildings for the 2012 Olympics, has been shortlisted for the Emirates Glass Leaf Awards 2012 in the Best Sustainable Development category.
The three mobile buildings were designed for the 10, 25 and 50m Olympic shooting events. There is a lovely attention to detail and because they are demountable can be reused time and again at different venues.
The buildings are clad in a phthalate-free pvc membrane and are studded something like upholstery. The difference being that these membranes are beautifully tailored forming a perfectly tensioned double curved façade.
The dots are used to differentiate the buildings, animate the façade and act as tension points to the membrane, but some also admit air or make doorways. Now that is good design value!
