GRAFT Wins “Apassionata” with Iconic, Temporary Structure for Horse Shows

German architecture firm, GRAFT, has been selected as the winner of the “Apassionata” competition. Tasked with designing a temporary structure for the exhibition of horses, GRAFT proposed a complete wooden building that could be assembled, dismounted and reassembled at the convenience of the company. 

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At the heart of the concept is an auditorium, highlighting one of Europe‘s most popular live arena shows for the past decade. The individual’s experience of procession to the building is likened to the acts of a “small play,” claim the architects, beginning even before entry. In the “prologue,” an individual catches sight of the building’s silhouette, an abstraction of the “power” and “dynamics” of horses running. Next, the transition between the exterior seamlessly blends with the interior lobby. Its red swathed walls foreshadow a strikingly crimson auditorium that ultimately ends in the thrilling display of the beauty and relationship between a horse and his rider.  

“This architecture speaks,” the team states, “creating a unique character and iconic image for the show company, Appasionata.”

Among the other participating firms were Sauerbruch Hutton, Jürgen Mayer H., Ludloff+Ludloff and Claudius Pratsch.