The sports and recreation complex according to the project of the Bureau "Architecturium" is planned to be built on the territory adjacent to the city park "Dubki" in Khimki, at the corner of Lavochkin and May 9 streets: one is perpendicular to the Leningradskoe highway, the other is parallel. There is a gas distribution station to the east of the site, so the construction will require the relocation of communications; to the west - playgrounds and sports grounds, the new center, in fact, should develop their functions. The new complex with an ice arena, a swimming pool, a fitness club and a restaurant is designed to revitalize and saturate the surrounding space, make the park more in demand by the townspeople, and form a new point of activity for the growing population of the area.
The provisional name of the complex, proposed by the architects for the project - "Iceberg" - fully corresponds to the image of the building, which looks like a block of ice that has grown against the background of the park's trees. “The easy-to-read image arose by itself - from the functional content, - says Vladimir Bindeman. - The customer wanted to combine two functional blocks inside: a pool and an ice arena. As a result, the contrasting combination of ice and water, as expressions of one essence in different manifestations, became the main ideological component of the project."
The two-storey building in the central part is raised to three floors. The plan is close to a right-angled triangle and is divided into three main blocks. The wide right wing houses the swimming pool with showers and changing rooms; in addition to the main 50-meter bowl, there is also a small children's pool. On the opposite side of the complex there is an ice arena with a large "Canadian" size hockey rink. The skating rink is planned to be used as a training sports ground for hockey players and figure skaters. During certain hours, the skating rink will be available for free skating for visitors to the sports complex.
The double-height spaces of the ice arena and the pool, about 7 m high, are united by a through lobby that connects the street with the park. The entrance is accentuated by a wide ledge and is fully glazed, inviting you to enter. Around the check-in area there is a cafeteria, sports equipment rental and a cloakroom. The central lobby provides access to the fitness club and spa area. One floor above, in the highest part of the building, there is a children's center with creative studios, choreography rooms and exhibition galleries. On the side of the park, at the top of the complex, there is a sports bar and a restaurant with the opportunity to go to the summer terrace.
If inside the building the ice and water elements exist, though side by side, but separately, then outside the idea of their collision becomes the main plot. The building is similar to an iceberg due to the finishing with large metallized panels. It is assumed that these will be custom-made volumetric sandwich panels: polished mirror elements resembling a surface of water alternate with embossed perforated metal, similar to ice powdered with snow. The color of the panels is neutral, but the textures are different, and the broken shape gives dynamics and turns the building into a sculpture.
The depth of the facades is enhanced by glass inserts - also sharply outlined irregular shapes. Due to the large number of reflective and mirrored surfaces, the complex seems almost ephemeral, dissolves into the environment. “This decision was prompted by the proximity to the park,” says Vladimir Bindeman. "The new building was not supposed to compete with nature, but, reflecting trees, shrubs, flower beds and blue sky, on the contrary, emphasize and maintain its beauty."
The interiors look no less symbolic. So, in the main vestibule, on the "icy" floor, there are traces of skates, and on the ceiling there is an ice drift on the river. The movement of cracked ice is imitated by built-in lights and individually designed stretch ceilings. In the area of the rink, the space with real ice was decided a little more calmly, only the monochrome pixel grid on the ceiling supports the overall theme of the project. On the other hand, the authors arranged a real "show of light" over the pool bowl: thanks to the dynamic lighting system, the visitors of the pool will be able to watch the northern lights overhead.
The adjacent territories follow the general logic of the project. There is a decorative pool near the central entrance from the street side. He, like a moat, surrounds the building, multiplying its reflections. And of course, the presence of such a pool reinforces the analogy with an iceberg appearing above the surface of the water. Here, in front of the central entrance, there is a paved square with comfortable snow-white benches, flower beds and lawns. Trapezoidal paving supports the geometry of the building's facades. And the graceful stele with the name of the complex is like a breakaway piece of an iceberg. However, along the “snowy” volume of the sports complex, trees are densely planted, which emphasize the connection with the park and seem to remind that this is happening in the central zone, and not beyond the Arctic Circle.
