Yin Yang House | STEFANIA ADDIS

The ancient Chinese concept of yin yang conveyes a description of the world as a series of interconnected yin and yang forces giving rise to each other in turn, in perpetual interaction. This interactive movement can be understood as an expression for the idea of balance between opposites such as slow and fast, or hard and soft, characteristic for martial arts, also to be found in other forms of physical activity such as dance, sports and games. In Kalundborg Activity House, we have applied this concept to define the relationship between planned and self organized sport activities, as well as the relationship between “open” and “closed” space. In order to ensure a dynamic relationship between planned and self organized activities, the project is organized according to a spiral principle. Four different sized sport fields are placed according to a spiralling movement upwards on four storey-high steps, which create multiple possibilities for visual interaction between the fields. Each step contains functions requiring “closed” space such as club and storage facilities to “back up” the “open” activities on the sport field to which they are a “closed” continuation of. This program organization allows for different activities with different noise level and need for exposure to co-exist side by side, while in the same time enabling easy access to club property, occasional furniture and shared training equipment. The sport fields are interconnected by means of two interlocked spirals: The Mountain Path and The Balcony Staircase. The Mountain Path connects the sport fields at their outer periphery, and culminates by the upper field, from where it transforms into the spiralling Balcony Staircase on its way down and back to the start. The Mountain Path provides a varied and highly differentiated obstacle course for all the users, while The Balcony Staircase offers a quick route wrapped with a series of balconies for “hanging out” and overviewing the sportscape underneath. The twisted roof creates multiple possibilities for movement and scenic overview outside, and a dynamic interior space, providing each sport field with a different room height, while in the same time contributing to regulating the acoustics of the shared “open” space.