The new 'home' of the Georgia National Olympic Committee

Architects of Invention represent the idea of dynamics in sport

by Malcolm Clark
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The Georgia National Olympic Committee has a new Home. The interior of the building in Tbilisi has been designed by the pioneering Georgian practice Architects of Invention and is located in the old part of the city, amongst the historical buildings designed by German, French and Italian architects in the 18th century.

The practice was called upon by the Georgian National Olympic Committee to complete the restoration of the exterior, to plan the gardens, the museum and the office spaces for the over 100 employees. The building, originally constructed as as a private residence, has been used for government purposes since the 1960's. While the exterior retains its classical attributes, the interior is contemporary and definitively moves away from the past Soviet architecture.

Architects of Invention has worked on all the interior elements, from the reception desk - a standard rectangular table with a deep fissure running through the middle of it – to the running track on the floor, guiding visitors around the interactive displays.

The most surprising element of the project is represented by the staircase which winds its way through the four floors, connecting exhibition spaces and offices. It consists of a steel frame with MDF panels and the structure, steps and handrails are finished with beech wood veneer.

Architect Niko Japaridze explains: “This work represents the idea of dynamics in sport with the abstract compositions of the staircase and the reception table. The first object you encounter is the introverted desk with its never-ending fissure, and then you meet the extroverted staircase - like the open path to Olympus, where the summit meets its own reflection, inferring that striving never ends, that there is no limit to human achievement”.

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    National Olympic Committee House 60

    National Olympic Committee House

    Tbilisi / Georgia / 2011