FLOWING PATH: SPORTS CENTER AS SOCIAL CONNECTOR

In the age of the information society, the prominence of internet
communication and social media has meant that the role of face-to-face
encounters in public life has been diminished. This trend has been
exacerbated by public health concerns in the aftermath of the COVID
pandemic. The social role of architecture and its contribution to the
sustainability of interpersonal relationships has become a significant issue for
architects. As a place to accommodate sporting activities and social space in
the community, sports centers play an important role in promoting social
cohesion and interaction. This is the focal topic of the present thesis.
The principal tasks of this thesis are as follows:
(1) This thesis collects and studies relevant literature on sports centers as
social spaces. A special emphasis is placed on discussions of social spaces.
The intention is to articulate design characteristics of community sports
centers that merit further exploration.
(2) This thesis selects three representative sports facilities as case studies and
considers how they promote the formation of social bonds and interactions.
The thesis offers a review of design ideas, planning strategies and specific
methods of implementation.
(3) This thesis takes the design project for a sports center in New District A in
Macau as an example, and puts forward a design strategy of "vertical
intensification + shared application". This strategy aims to promote the
integration of the sports center with the urban environment, while creating a
flexible public space that can adapt to the needs of spontaneous and social
activities. The intention is to make the sports center a place that promotes
community interaction and connectivity.
Overall, this thesis argues that community sports centers can become
important places to promote social interaction through well-designed
architectural space. Specific design factors and strategies explored in this
thesis provide useful points of reference for architects. Through on-going
processes of optimization and innovation, sports centers can better serve the
community of Macau.