Cutting Edge

gianluca milesi architecture
Gianluca Milesi, Stefano Elayathamby


Walltopia, Collider Activity center
International Competition, Sofia 2013

We thought this project as an opportunity to create
a vision and a landmark for Walltopia and the city of
Sofi a.
Through a contemporary attitude and a precise
architectural language we propose a poetic approach
to the theme of sport activities and free time.
According to the competition program we choose an
artistic and sculptural-scenic solution that can give
quality to the area and the city.
Reading the requests of the program and in relation
with our idea we decided for the design of a single
building volume containing all the function for the
convenience of the organization of the functions
themselves and also for economical reasons.
The building we propose is placed on the side on the
east-west direction in order to be at the same time a
fi lter and a connection between the city and the green
area to be expected in the north side of the lot.
Furthermore the shape and the orientation of the main
volume is articulated according to two directions in
considerations of the alignments of the property and
in a way to use all the panoramic potentials of the
area.
The formal idea/concept is directly related to the
image of the mountains and the rocks and their cracks
and cuts. In order to reach this result whit thought
to a Corten perforated plate skin wrapping the whole
building designing neat and not regular lines.
The Corten perforated plate allows the passage of the
light and the view to the exterior in every part of the
building. Beside this, the skin is cracked by vertical
and oblique cuts in particular points in order to have
a perfect visual communication. The skin wraps the
core building that is a glass structure sustained by
steel pillars and trusses.
Regarding the organization of the function of the
building we thought convenient to locate on the grand
floor the activities that were able to established a
connections between the plaza facing the city and the
green area behind. For this reason we placed on the
grand floor a double height entrance and distribution
hall hosting the main vertical connections, the coffee
shop, the climbing hall, that is developing itself till
the top of the building and the restaurant, directly
connected to the green area and the summing pool.
The coffee shop, organized on two fl oors, is intended
as a fulcrum between different function such as the
climbing hall and fantopia and is easily reachable from
the spa and the fi tness space located on the fi rst fl oor.
On the second fl oor are located the multifunctional
hall and part of the required offi ce spaces that occupy
the entire fourth fl oor. The mechanical rooms are
located underground.
The last fl oor of the building hosts the roof coffee shop
from where is possible to access to a panoramic view
terrace and at the same time to have a view to the
climbing hall from above. This visual communication
is any way maintained at all fl oors of the building.
In the climbing hall are provided climbing walls and
boulders according to the needs of the climbers and
this space is particularly open to the exterior through
the cuts on the skin and an a big opening facing the
plaza. The park-green area is organize on a linear
scheme perpendicular to the main facades of the
building. located several boulders and even climbing
walls are scattered in the park. the summing pools
are directly connected to the restaurant while the
event stage area is in the north side.
The green house designed using the same language,
of the main building, a glass box wrapped by a Corten
perforated plate, is located on the west side of the
park, visually connected to the main building. All
around the green area is articulated a cycling path.
The parking area is on the extreme north, fare away
and secluded from the park and the main building.
Our poetic way to work and design wants to satisfy all
the needs of a well working Activity Center conjugating
at the same time architecture, aesthetic, physical
needs, open air life style and leisure.