This pock-marked trio of buildings comprises the venue for the shooting events at the 2012 London Olympics. Designed by Magma Architecture, the colourful structures look like someone unloaded a bunch of rounds into them — fitting for the place that hosts gun-toting competitions.
Each 3800-seat building will be home to events in the 10m, 25m and 100m Sport Shooting category. The first medal of the games will be awarded here for the Women’s 10m Air Pistol on July 28. Located in the city’s Woolwich neighbourhood, the venue is separate from Olympic Park and sits on the grounds of the historic Royal Artillery Barracks. When it gets taken down in August after the Olympics, it’ll be reassembled for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Its PVC membrane allows the insides to be bathed in sunlight. Designers wanted to evoke a kind of flow and precision that is associated with a sport so dependent on accuracy. The results are a dramatically curved, structured membrane on the outside, dotted with candy-coloured circles that look like bullet holes — a design that’s quite perfect for shooting. [ArchDaily]
Image: J.L. Diehl