Playscraper by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati with Italo Rota has unveiled the design for Playscraper – a Tennis Tower which features multiple courts stacked on top of one another. The project was developed for RCS Sport, the sport and media branch of the leading European multimedia publishing group RCS MediaGroup.

CRA worked on the design as part of a larger team of engineers and technical consultants. The design is made possible by an innovative construction technology based on a lightweight stainless-steel sandwich structure, developed by the company Broad Sustainable Building (BSB). The 90-meter (300-foot) high Tennis Tower consists of eight courts, totaling 5,500 square meters (60,000 square feet) of playing space.

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The courts are layered vertically rather than horizontally, using BSB’s B-Core slab structure, a solution inspired by the outer shell of a spacecraft. This technology made international headlines in the past, as it allowed for the safe deployment of prefabricated construction units in record time. The Tennis Tower contains eight sandwich structures piled on top of the other, each containing a stand-alone tennis court.

The narrow sides of each “box” feature transparent walls offering panoramic views. The two long sides incorporate an electronic facade that can stream sports matches and other digital content. In this way, the tower’s unique design engages not just the players on the court, but those in the surrounding area who can view the action on its wide screens. Source by CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati .

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