Hungarian architects Paradigma Ariadné push the concepts of progression and growth to a literal spatial extreme in their proposal for a new sport complex for the MTK Football Academy. Drawing inspiration from the diagram of traditional European peasant houses, the design stretches into a kind of visual infinity, stacking all the rooms in the building along a single horizontal axis.
The historical reference is meant to emphasise the communal spirit inherent in sport, particularly in that of soccer. The nearly 100 rooms include spaces for accommodation and dressing rooms in addition to training rooms, and stretches 434 meters - the exact distance of the adjacent sports fields. The rooms are stitched together by a single corridor that flows the length of the building, expanding and contracting from a standard 1.5 meter width to a hall of up to six meters in spots, accommodating a gym, restaurant, and common areas.
The architects found inspiration for “House with 100 Rooms” in the houses of Hungarian peasants, where the number of rooms connected by one corridor represented the wealth of the owner. This structure meant that it could hypothetically be extended infinitely, an architectural depiction of the potential for social mobility. Seizing upon this concept, Paradigma Ariadné’s design for a sports academy retains these ideas of mobility with the idea that a young athlete reach milestones in a similar way.
Although the design is immediately notable for its interesting conceptual and cultural inspiration, the project also cleverly addresses practical considerations. Its unique design provides quick accessibility to the the soccer fields from every dressing and training room, and is easily constructible.
