Danish architects [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] have won a competition to design a centre for research, education and training about women’s sports in Malmo, Sweden.

Called The World Village of Women Sports, the project is conceived
as a series of buildings of varying size with sloping roofs,
alternating with open spaces.

The main hall will be able to accommodate football matches, concerts, conferences, exhibitions and markets.

Here’s some more information from BIG:
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BIG wins competition for The World Village of Women Sports
BIG, in collaboration with AKT, Tyréns and Transsolar are awarded
first place in a design competition in Malmo, Sweden for a 100.000m2
first of its kind sports facility.

The World Village of Women Sports seeks to create a natural
gathering place for the research, education and training in all areas
connected to the development of women’s sports.

Located in the centre of Malmo, the 100.000 m2 facility will create a regional landmark and new attraction for the area.

The winning design was chosen among five submissions by a jury,
comprised of the founder and main financier of the World Village of
Women Sports, Kent Widding Persson, the co-founder and entrepreneur
Maarten Hedlund, City of Malmo Architect,Ingemar Graahamn and
Architects Mats Jacobson and Cecilia Hansson together with
representatives from the City of Malmo.

“BIGs design places great emphasis on architecture tailored to women
with an unconstrained atmosphere and a feeling of well-being. The
architects see the WVOWS as a town within a town rather than just a
sports complex. The decisive factor has been the holistic approach and
the overall impression of the design – the ability to interact with the
neighborhood and environment, and creating attractive housing and
functions at the same time.” Mats Jacobson, Jury Member, WVOWS

Composed as a village rather than a sports complex the WVOWS
combines individual buildings with a variety of uses with open spaces
and public gardens.

The sloping roofscapes and alternating building volumes provide the
complex with the varying identity of a small village thus reducing its
scale to the adjacent neighborhood.

The interior streets animated through public functions resemble a
medieval downtown, supporting all aspects of human life – generous
living, work and intensive play.

“Considering the special requirements of women of all cultures and
all ages, special attention has been given, to provide the sports
village with a feeling of intimacy and well being often lacking in the
more masculine industrial-style sports complexes that are more like
factories for physical exercise, than temples for body and mind.”
Bjarke Ingels, Partner-In-Charge, BIG

The central hall is large enough to accommodate professional
football matches as well as concerts, conferences, exhibitions and flea
markets. Rather than being an introverted sports arena shut off from
the surrounding city – it appears like an open and welcoming public
space, visible from all of the surrounding streets – generously
offering its interior life to the passers-by. The pedestrian network
around the main sports hall plugs into the surrounding street networks
as well as the interior galleries of Kronprinsen, turning it into a
complete ecosystem of urban life.

“The WVOWS fuses high levels of ambition within public space and
private accommodation, living and working, health and recreation, sport
and culture. Like a village rather than sports complex it merges the
modern utopianism of the neighboring Kronprinsen with the intimate
scale and specificity of the nearby historical city center of Malmo.”
Bjarke Ingels, Partner-In-Charge, BIG

“From the main football field at its heart, to the gyms and
auditoria, from the handball halls of the university to the
laboratories of the health facility, it is an entire village committed
to sport.” Nanna Gyldholm Moller, Project Leader, BIG
WORLD VILLAGE OF WOMEN SPORTS CREDIT LIST:
PROJECT: WVOWS
TYPE: Invited Competition
CLIENT: H-Hagen Fastighets AB
COLLABORATORS: AKT, Tyréns, Transsolar
SIZE: 100.000 M2
LOCATION: Malmo, Sweden
STATUS: 1st Prize
Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels
Project Leader: Nanna Gyldholm Moller
Team: Gabrielle Nadeau, Daniel Sundlin, Jonas Barre, Nicklas Antoni
Rasch, Jin Kyung Park, Fan Zhang, Steve Huang, Flavien Menu, Ken Aoki

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Posted by Rose Etherington from dezeen.com