Home of Legends_Dafne Wiegers

HOME OF LEGENDS J U LY 2 0 1 7 • I S S U E 1 • V O L U M E 1 • R P 0 . 0 0

E S P O RT S H U B F O R F N AT IC

A HOME FOR L E A G U E O F L E G E N DS

T H E B U I L D I N G IS F R E E TO P L AY !

A constant quest to f ind out where your heroes are

Inhabit physical and virtual spaces simultaneously

But where is the entrance?

And how do you get to the next level?

CONTENTS

1 (C) JEAN CHUNG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

P L AY !

15

Insight into the young and global audience of eSports.

6

Tips and tricks, from Buckingham palace to Boros bunker.

(C) JEAN CHUNG FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Now let’s turn these starting points into a building.

C AS E ST U D I E S

4 TA R G E T G R O U P

STA RT I N G P O I NT S TO BUILDING

22

An analytical introduction. In a hurry?

Start at the next chapter.

STA RT I N G P O I NT S The 5 starting points that led to the design of Home of Legends.

CONTENTS

36

TEMPLE OF GAMING

(C) LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

Turning game space into physical space.

61

M AT E R I A L S An insight into how Home of Legends is made.

76

FAC T S & FIGURES

How big is it, and what does it cost?

40

ONE BUILDING, T WO WO R L DS How do professional players and visitors cohabit one building?

48

ONE BUILDING, T WO WO R L DS I NT E R WOV E N Where and how do the world of players and the world of visitors meet?

CONTENTS

79 D R AW I N GS

(C) FNATIC

All the drawings, from f loor plans to technical details.

138

GG WP

READ ON

A brief finale to conclude the project, and a look into the future.

139

137

Q U OT E S

BAC K G R O U N D INFO

C R E D IT S (C) LOLESPORTS

140

136

A special thanks to...

P L AY !

A N A N A LY T I C A L I N T R O D U C T I O N O N T H E T O P I C . I N A H U R RY ?

STA RT AT T H E N E XT C H A PT E R .

IN 2016, 43 MILLION PEOPLE WATC H E D T H E WO R L D CHAMPIONSHIP.

(C) LOL ESPORTS

Home of Legends is an eSports hub in the heart of London, designed for Fnatic, housing their League of Legends team and headquarters, which can be visited by eSports fans.

T

he number of young people making a living in full-time gaming keeps growing. A dream?

It is above all hard work. League of Legends (from now on: LoL) is one of the games that is played professionally. The gamers’ work consists of competing with their team against other teams, spending their days in a digital environment, while at the same time sitting in their chair in a physical space (the term “real space” is purposely avoided, because what makes physical space more real than digital space?).

In 2016, 43 million people watched the LoL World Championship, far more than the World Series or NBA Finals. LoL is a MOBA, which means it is played in a team, in an online battle arena.

Fnatic is one of the most storied eSports organisations in Europe, succeeding in being about far more than just gaming. Fnatic’s mission is to bring eSports into every household. From designing hardware, gear and apparel to launching community experiences.

Fnatic is a lifestyle. My special thanks go out to Patrik Sättermon, Wouter Sleijffers and Finlay Stewart who gave me insight into the world of Fnatic and letting me visit the Berlin gaming house.

LoL was chosen as a topic to narrow down the subject, and because right now it is one of the most popular eSports. But of course the implications go for other (future) eSports as well. p. 1

TO B E PA RT O F S O M E T H I N G G R E AT E R .

eSports is a field of spatial study to which as yet little attention has been paid, even though it is an impressively fast growing market.

ALBA (BARCELONA PAVILION) AND KATARINA (LOL) MERGED

These professional gamers are a small part of a vast group of modern professionals whose worlds of work are fluid. They can work from home or from any place with a solid internet connection, and their living and working places are increasingly used in flexible ways. LoL gamers have that in common with other modern professionals, like graphic designers, web-shop owners or even accountants who can work from home or from anywhere else. They do not use the city like professionals did before.

Paradoxically, even though the eSports profession is digital from the onset, all major gaming organisations have gaming houses, where the players live and train together. In eSports, work takes place in a fixed space, at fixed times. Unlike people in traditional companies who think they are very trendy by not working at the office.

Fans gather en masse in stadiums, to watch the game live.

Why is this? Why do young people spend a lot of money to buy tickets to a match they can also see at

home, probably in better quality?

Of course these huge stadiums provide all kinds of entertainment, merchandise, screens and projections of the game in any direction, but it is the sense of being together with people with the same passion that draws them there. To be part of something greater than they can be alone by themselves.

The current team houses of eSports teams vary from modest single family houses with little furniture to $2 million Beverly Hills mansions and everything in between. What all these houses have in common is that they are not designed for gaming, but as regular single family houses.

Sometimes teams have a separate office or training facility in stead of gaming in their team house, but their job still requires them work together for about 11 hours a day.

The current team houses are functional: the players have a place to stay, a place to put their computer and there might be a swimming pool. But the goal of Home of Legends is to provide players with a space that can trigger something more.

Moreover, the fans are provided with a physical pilgrimage site. Just like web-shops as Zalando and Coolblue are starting to open physical shops.

p. 2

W E D O N ’ T WA NT C R A ZY A E ST H E T IC S W IT H F L A S HY L I G HT S .

When new media or inventions arise, they tend to be made to look like the ‘previous version’. Think of the first cars that looked like carriages, and of eSports players who wear team outfits resembling traditional sports jerseys. It would be great if eSports in the near future can turn that the other way around.

Fnatic merges gaming and design.

Traditional developers of gaming gear think gamers want “crazy aesthetics with LED’s, flashy lights and what not” says Patrik Sättermon in this video. Those old headphones made him “look like I’m from Star Trek or something”. So Fnatic, together with designers, develops gear that has a modern, functional, considered design. There is always a dash of orange in it, showing the Fnatic spirit. The Home of Legends building aims to do the same.

p. 3

TA R G E T G R O U P

R E C R E A T I O N A L P L AY E R S B Y G E N D E R

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1/11

S TA R T I N G P O I N T S STARTING POINTS

01

04

M A J O R C IT Y

E XC IT I N G , B UT N OT OV E R LY S P E C I F IC

02

05

C A N O N LY E X IST B E C A US E O F FA NS

TEMPLE OF GAMING

03

N E W T Y P O L O GY p. 6

STA RT I N G P O I NT 0 1 :

MAJOR CITY THIS WORLD MAP SHOWS THE GAMING HOUSES AND H E A D Q U A RT E R S O F L E A G U E O F L E G E N DS A R O U N D T H E WO R L D .

Gaming houses and headquarters can be found in major cities all over the world (except for Africa). Important cities are Berlin, Shanghai, Seoul and Los Angeles. The exact country of residence seems to be of less importance. The eSports movement has more to do with a global urban youth culture than

with nationalities, with young people always on the hunt for inspiration and places to meet. The teams are usually multinational. It is important that the new facility is in a major city, with adequate (public) transport and an airport nearby.

p. 7

STA RT I N G P O I NT 0 2 :

CAN ONLY EXIST B E C A U S E O F FA N S W IT H O UT FA NS , N O E S P O RT S

eSports teams like Fnatic receive their income in several ways. Prize money from winning tournaments, sponsorship contracts and merchandise products available for fans to

buy at tournaments and in the online shop.

Products range from gaming equipment like chairs, keyboards and mousepads to t-shirts, flip-flops, water bottles and beach balls.

p. 8

A L ARGE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS KEY TO E N G A G E W IT H FA NS .

p. 9

A S F N A T I C T H E M S E L V E S S AY : I T ’ S MORE THAN A GAME. Fnatic is an organisation with a CEO, CGO ( Chief Gaming Officer), countless products and teams for nine different games. “We at

Fnatic are dedicated to building the first globally-recognised lifestyle brand to emerge from the world of eSports.”

p. 10

A L L T H I S C A N O N LY E X I ST B E C A U S E O F T H E FA N B A S E

B E I N G A N E S P O RT S P R O F E SS I O N A L IS N OT A B O UT S IT T I N G I N D O O R S B E H I N D A C O M P UT E R . IT IS A B O UT E N G A G I N G W IT H Y O U R FA NS .

p. 11

STA RT I N G P O I NT 0 3 :

NEW TYPOLOGY T H E C U R R E NT F N AT IC G A M I N G H O US E D O E S N OT S H OW T H E D AW N O F A N E W E R A .

L O T S O F O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R A N E W T Y P O L O GY.

p. 12

STA RT I N G P O I NT 0 4 :

EXCITING, BUT NOT OVERLY SPECIFIC W H AT K I N D O F A R C H IT E C T U R E IS F IT T I N G F O R T H I S N E W T Y P O L O GY ?

T

(C) LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

he game itself has a very specific architecture, but in a few years a different game will be a hit, with a different architecture.

So, designing a building fit to the game will give it a very short life span. But making the building generic and suitable-for-all is not a solution neither. The same goes for bars and cafés: in the old days selling drinks was enough, but bars and restaurants get more visitors than ever, but only the bars with a concept, worked out to the smallest details. Interior design, food, drinks and waiters all fit the experience the costumer gets.

The target group of eSports has high expectations.

It’s a generation that grew up with electronic play tables in fast food restaurants and screens everywhere, they are not easily impressed by some electronic knick-knacks.

(C) MICROSOFT

If a new LoL or eSports building is not engaging enough, the fans will stay home with their AR/VR glasses on.

As Sert et al. wrote already in 1943: “The people want the buildings that represent their social and community life to give more than functional fulfillment.”

p. 13

STA RT I N G P O I NT 0 5 :

TEMPLE OF GAMING A GAME CHANGING ICON FOR GAMING

H

ome of Legends should be gaming turned into a building. Just like a temple is a belief turned into stone, and a football stadium is football fandom turned into construction. LoL fans, split between an alternate reality through a screen and physical gatherings in anonymous stadiums, can now at last experience these spaces in unity.

The building, the physical space, can be covered by a blanket of digital gaming space.

The building can be used to play games, but the building can also be turned into a game using augmented reality, inviting game designers to work with it, creating an alternative, ludic reality. This multi-layered spatial experience yields a new building typology where space is enclosed in a different way than our parents were used to in an analogous world.

p. 14

NOW LET’S TURN THESE 5 STARTING POINTS INTO A BUILDING

p. 15

MAJOR CITY: LONDON C U RTA I N R O A D , I N T H E H E A RT O F L O N D O N : S H O R E D ITC H .

p. 16

A

concrete structure, exciting, but undefined enough not to be outdated in the near future.

The structure can be filled in with all kinds of interiors, furnishings and functions, that can be altered over time.

EXCITING: EXTRAORDINARY CONCRETE STRUCTURE EVOKING THE GAMING WORLDS, W I T H O U T A NY S P E C I F I C REFERENCE

p. 17

NEW TYPOLOGY: FRAGMENTAT I O N (C) GREATBUILDINGS.COM

F R O M L I N E A R IT Y TO D E V I AT I O N

The Guggenheim museum is an icon of modernism. It has a linear route, the way a car or a book has a linear route. Modernism was about movement, the speed of modern cars of the 20th century. In the Guggenheim, accesses the building though the main entrance, buys a ticket and takes the outlined route circling through the museum, and exits.

In the Home of Legends building, their is no route. You can enter in a lot of places, and follow different paths up and down.

Like the internet is not linear, this building is not linear. Online, you might find a photo on Instagram, that leads you to a Facebook page, while at the same time you’re listening to the radio while your little brother is playing a game on his tablet. In our heads, we are more than able to piece all the fragmented information together, and turn it into a coherent story. What is real, how do we get to the true authenticity? That age old question doesn’t need an answer anymore, as we are already used to being completely submerged in different realities.

p. 18

CAN ONLY EXIST B E C A U S E O F FA N S : B R I N G I N T H E FA N S !

S O C I A L M E D I A A L R E A DY G AV E U S T H E H O U S E K E Y S A NY WAY

p. 19

S PA C E S F O R P L AY E R S A N D V IS ITO R S A R E I NT E RT W I N E D , L I K E T H E T W O F L AV O U R S I N A S U N D A E I C E C R E A M . P L AY E R S A N D V I S I T O R S C O N S T A N T LY DANCE AROUND E ACH OTHER, AWA R E A N D U N AWA R E O F E A C H OTHER, TO BE SEEN OR NOT TO BE SEEN.

p. 20

(C) MCDONALD’S

P L AY E R S C A N H AV E T H E I R P R IVA C Y, A N D V I S I T O R S A R E O N A C O NSTA NT Q U E ST TO F I N D O UT WHERE THEIR HEROES ARE.

EXAMPLE: FLOOR PLAN OF LEVEL 1

L E V E L 1 : S PAC E S F O R P L AY E R S A N D STA F F

L E V E L 1 : S PAC E S F O R V IS ITO R S

p. 21

CASE STUDIES

2 US E R G R O U PS I N ONE BUILDING How to do that? Tips and tricks from precedents.

p. 22

HOLLOW WA L L S

(C) CHRISTIAN9119

[you can also watch on YouTube]

H O L L O W WA L L S IN LOL

(C) SCHOTT RAMSOOMAIR

The top left image depicts a plan view of summoners rift, where LoL takes place, indicating the massive poché: the “walls” one can’t get through. But there is also hollow poché. The top right image is a plan view of the hollow poché.

When hidden in the hollow poché, the champion cannot be seen, even if he is bigger than the space he is hiding in: one of the typical differences between game space and physical space.

H O L L O W WA L L S I N B U C K I N G H A M PA L A C E The queen can enter the white drawing room from her private quarters by stepping into the hollow wall (hollow poché) and then opening a secret door dressed as a cabinet.

p. 23

Hollow walls in Home of Legends. What appears to be a massive wall opens up, a player is coming out.

p. 24

TUNNELS

TUNNELS IN LOL Certain champions in LoL are able the use tunnels. The tunnels last for up to 10 minutes and can have up to 8 pairs of tunnel entrances active at the same time.

The tunnels can be used to sneak up to the opposite team.

TUNNELS IN DISNEY WORLD Disney World, Florida has a large system of tunnels (the Disney utilidors) so that characters can go from one land to another without being seen.

p. 25

Tunnels in Home of Legends. Fnatic team members can enter the building unseen by the public.

p. 26

SAME S PA C E B U T S E PA R AT E D

S A M E S PA C E B U T S E PA R A T E D I N L O L The champion in the picture above can’t walk up to the purple tower, although they are in the same space. The tower can’t walk. They are in the same space, but separated.

S A M E S PA C E B U T S E PA R A T E D I N C O U RT R O O MS In traditional courtrooms it is very clear for the defendant that he is not supposed to go up to the judge, without their being a wall holding him back.

Various clues, like the judge’s chair being on a platform, indicate that. Also the jury is in a separate space, without being actually separated.

p. 27

Same space but separated in Home of Legends. When a match is taking place, it is clear that the crowd is not supposed to walk up to the stage.

p. 28

DEAD END CORRIDOR

DEAD END CORRIDOR IN LOL Champion Avinia just made a wall. Players from the opposing team will find a dead end corridor keeping them from their goal.

DEAD END CORRIDOR IN M U I D E N C AST L E

The south tower is the most important tower of Muiden castle. Enemy soldiers fight their way up to the gate tower, only to find out that the passage to the south tower is a dead end corridor. The south tower can only be reached by an ingenious route only residents know.

p. 29

Dead end corridor in Home of Legends. The stairs on the left go down from the roof to the balcony, but then lead nowhere.

p. 30

(C) PETER ZUMTHOR

(C) CHRISTIAN9119

(C) PETER ZUMTHOR

HIDDEN ROOMS

HIDDEN ROOMS IN T H E R M E VA L S In Therme Vals by Zumthor, what appear to be large columns turn out the be rooms containing baths and showers.

p. 31

Hidden rooms in Home of Legends. The building appears to have only horizontal and vertical slabs of concrete, and no rooms. But rooms hide among the slabs.

p. 32

(C) REALARCHITEKTUR

(C) SANTIAGO SIERRA

SUPERIMPOSED C U TO U T S

S U P E R I M P O S E D C UTO UT S I N BUNKER BOROS The Boros Bunker shows a geometrical floor plan, with cutouts superimposed.

When entering the building, the setup seems simple. But the cutouts make that, when walking on, you find yourself looking down on a space you where in before, without knowing then that there was a space above you. This happens more than once, with the visitor looking down on he space he was before, where he looked down o a space he was before that.

p. 33

The basic floor plan of Home of Legends is geometrical, containing slabs and circles.

By superimposing and turning it multiple times, and making cutouts, it becomes a building you can wander around in, like an adventure game, not knowing what might be behind the next wall.

p. 34

TO S E E O R N O T TO S E E IN CONCLUSION

In League of Legends, like in many games, seeing or not seeing is critical.

In Home of Legends this is also the case.

In the game, being seen or unseen is crucial between the two teams: you don’t want the competing team to see you are sneaking up on them. In Home of Legends, being seen or unseen is important between Fnatic players and staff on one side, and visitors on the other side.

p. 35

TEMPLE OF GAMING

p. 36

A BUILDING W IT H O UT A FAC A D E .

In many games, the arena where the game takes place, is more or less ‘floating’ in its surroundings.

In Monument Valley for example, the space is literally floating, and in LoL the arena - Summoner’s Rift - is located on a mountain top. One can look down into the world below, but never leave the arena.

The buildings surrounding Home of Legends are neatly ‘boxed up’ by a facade. But the eSports hub itself is not, leaving it unclear for the visitor where the building begins.

p. 37

W H AT A B O UT T H E C O L D ?

Without a facade, won’t it be very cold inside? This plan view of level 1 shows the thermal boundary in red. Spaces that need to be warm (office, toilets, players bedroom, etc) are warm and shielded from

the elements. So there is a thermal boundary, it is just not where you expect it to be.

p. 38

W H AT A B O UT E NT R A NC E F E E S ?

Just like several big online games, the building is Free to Play.

Visitors can enter freely. Fans can walk through the building, and neighbourhood residents can use the roof terrace as a small park to hang out with their kids. But, just like the game, you have to pay for all

the extras: having a drink or a bite, staying the night over, watching a match, buying merchandise.

At night, the building can be closed off with three strategically placed statues/doors.

p. 39

ONE BUILDING, TWO WORLDS P L AY E R S Players want a good environment for their training sessions, a good bed to sleep in, greener y to help relax af ter a long day of gaming. Symbol: the archetypical house.

V IS ITO R S Visitors look for a day out, entertainment and sensation. Escape from daily routines. One of the oldest symbols: the Colosseum. It’s not new, escapism is as old as humanity.

These two typologies are not new, but having them together in one building is. p. 40

This is the building divided into spaces for visitors (white) and spaces for players (blue).

p. 41

P L AY E R S

This player’s private room gives a good view of the players ‘world’ within the building: a comfortable environment to live and work in. Player’s private rooms are spread throughout the building, and come in different shapes and sizes so that everyone can choose a room that fits him. The rooms have great sound insulation, so players can relax without being disturbed. They all have a comfy bed and a shower pod, and players can style them the way they want, with personal items or change the flooring and curtains. There is an extra room, for friends or family to sleep over.

p. 42

P L AY E R S

This office, where marketing, gaming, R&D and other staff work on the thriving global brand has a great view over Curtain Road where they can see the fans streaming in. The glass facade is coated to avoid sun on the desktop screens.

p. 43

V IS ITO R S

The world of the visitors is sensational from the start. Where is the entrance? What is behind the black hole? How do I get to the next level?

p. 44

V IS ITO R S

The arena in full glory: the Fnatic team entering, ready to win against Team Liquid. The arena encompasses a multilevel reality: the players can be seen on the slowly turning stage and on the wall projections. The match can take place on the floor as holograms, you can watch others in virtual space and play using your body. The audience can see themselves as a projection, and the commentators can walk around in the game taking place in this overwhelming web of interfaces where you might not know what is physical or digital. When there is not a match taking place in the arena, the fans can use the space to play against each other, and maybe if they’re lucky against one of their heroes.

p. 45

V IS ITO R S

The area where fans can buy merchandise and see the trophies on display. Behind the opening in the wall, a glimpse of the Epic Games Wall can be seen, displaying the epic moments in Fnatic’s history.

p. 46

V IS ITO R S

For visitors, it’s the most perplexing building ever. There is no arrow pointing to the stairs to the next level, you have to find the way to the next level yourself. You can play the building like a game, constantly exploring new areas you haven’t seen before. The scheme above shows someone on the top level, looking down on a friend on the level below, but he can’t see what his friend sees: that there is still another space below. This also makes you want to return for another visit: when someone asks you if you have seen this-and-this-space, and you weren’t even aware that it existed, you have to come back and check it out.

The scheme below shows a feature common in game space, where you are able to shrink and grow. Likewise in game space you might enter a building and find out that the interior of the building turns out to be bigger than the exterior. In physical space, this is not possible, but, because the building consist of elements that are the same but different in size, it feels to the passer-by that he is shrinking and growing.

p. 47

ONE BUILDING, TWO WORLDS, INTERWOVEN Players and staff need their p r i v a c y, b u t s o m e t i m e s they want to come out and meet their fans. That is where the two worlds meet.

p. 48

After completing the entire journey going up to level 3, and then down to level 1, these two visitors finally arrive at the artist in residence . But they can’t get there: there’s a void in between them. This is an element often found in games, completing a route only to find a gaping void between you and the destination (remember the first Prince of Persia).

p. 49

In the arena fans can watch their heroes play, from a short distance, and maybe take a selfie afterwards. This is where the magic happens, from fully digital to fully physical and all enhanced and mixed realities in between.

p. 50

From their secret tunnel entrance, players can see the visitors. But the visitors cannot see them.

p. 51

Players get their food delivered in their living room from the restaurant on level 1. They also have a small kitchen themselves. But this player, in the orange jumpsuit, has decided to instead walk into the restaurant to grab a quick bite and have a chat with his fans.

p. 52

The fire escape stairs wind around each other: one route for the players, one for the visitors. The stairs can also be used when there is no fire, to go up or down a few levels quickly. Players and visitors don’t see each other, unless there actually is a fire and they run down and both exit the door on street level.

p. 53

Home of Legends has two roof terraces. The lowest one is for visitors, the higher one for players.

Players can walk to the edge to see the visitors, but visitors cannot normally see the players.

p. 54

Two visitors are standing behind a wall with a fade out-effect. They can hear some noises, can see a ball rolling by, but they cannot look into the area where the players do physical sports. On the left, there is a panel made of heavy fabric, you cannot see through, but touching the panel you can know something is there.

p. 55

From their living room, players can see visitors walking into the arena.

p. 56

The physical sports area for players is hidden under the beams. Players can look up and see the sun, but the two visitors standing on the balcony cannot see what is beneath the beam structure.

p. 57

For best quality, you can also watch this video on YouTube

This moving section shows the world of the visitor, with upside-down the ‘shadow world’ of the player. We watch them as they meet each other on the street. The visitor passes through the merchandise area, and goes up the stairs to the arena. The player on the other side goes up the stairs to the office, and from there to the arena. In the arena they meet each other again: time for a photo. The visitor then goes up to level 3, where there are gaming desktops connected to the world of the players. The player leaves the arena through the tactics room, and takes the lift down. In the restaurant they meet again.

p. 58

To go from one place to another, both players and visitors can choose different routes. Players can always choose the ‘privacy route’, where they won’t meet any visitors. Furthermore, to every space there is also an accessibility route, making use of lifts and avoiding stairs.

Above, two different routes to the gaming arena are depicted.

p. 59

p. 60

Two different routes to the office.

MATERIALS

p. 61

• Concrete is the main material: the entire structure of horizontal and vertical slabs is made out of concrete • The beams covering the physical sports area are made out of wood, and so are all the sliding doors • Glass shields off the areas that need to be shielded from the elements • Mechanical and electrical tubes and wires are exposed, showing the core business of the building.

Besides, built-in installations for this kind of building would be outdated in no time.

• Lots of greenery to give the players a nice environment to live in

p. 62

p. 63

C O NC R E T E

The concrete structure has insulation inside. This way, all visible sides are concrete, and when needed in the future outdoor spaces can be converted to indoor ones and vice versa. The thermal boundary is flexible. p. 64

C O NC R E T E

On level 0, the concrete tiles of the sidewalk extend into the building. This enhances the feeling that the building has no clearly marked entrance. p. 65

C O NC R E T E

The concrete has a rough look, it doesn’t have to be all neat and spotless.

p. 66

WO O D

Beams covering the physical sports area are made of wood, as well as all the sliding doors. p. 67

G L ASS

Cable net facades shield off the thermally insulated spaces. The cables of the facade match the cables and wires used for gaming that can be found throughout the building. The cable net facades have a minimal look and don’t overshadow the concrete structure. p. 68

G L ASS

The cable net facade in the office. p. 69

G L ASS

A pantheon-like skylight illuminates the players walking into the arena. When the match starts the skylight closes. p. 70

WIRES AND D UC T S

Mechanical and electrical systems are exposed, showing all the wires and ducts running through the building. Ducts and wires are color coded showing their purpose. If you see lots of wires going to one space, there’s probably something important going on there. Moreover, made to measure and builtin installations would be outdated in very short time. The same we saw with bespoke installations in modernist buildings that proved to be very short-lived. p. 71

WIRES AND D UC T S

(C) GOOGLE / CONNIE ZHOU

I NS P I R AT I O N : G O O G L E D ATA C E NT R E S

Google data centres - which feature multicoloured pipework, cooling rooms that glow green and bicycles for staff to get around - were a motivation for exposed installations in Home of Legends. p. 72

WIRES AND D UC T S

In the arena, wires going up to the computers on the stage light up when a match takes place. p. 73

N AT U R E

Lots of plants and greenery can be found throughout the building, giving the players and staff a nice environment to work in. Visitors likewise benefit from the green environment.

p. 74

GLASS

V E RT IC A L C O NC R E T E S L A BS

H O R I Z O NTA L C O NC R E T E S L A BS

WOODEN BE AMS

I N T E R I O R + D I G I T A L L AY E R S

p. 75

FA C T S A N D FIGURES

1475 m2 S I Z E O F T H E P L OT

38 m W I DT H O F T H E P L OT

21,4 m B U I L D I N G ’ S H E I G HT

p. 76

3889 m2 G R O SS F L O O R A R E A

2031 m2

(52%)

H E AT E D S PAC E S

700

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PEOPLE

29

N U M B E R O F TO I L E T S

2

p. 77

L I FT S

€ 7. 7 0 7. 4 7 8

B U I L D I N G C O ST S I NC L U D I N G I NSTA L L AT I O NS , E XC L U D I N G F U R N IS H I N G

Begroting Fnatic London

Recapitulatie

Project & Locatie Projectnummer Status & Datum Fase Peildatum begroting

Project & Locatie : Fnatic London Projectnummer : B17.400 Status & Datum : Definitief 3 juli 2017 Fase : Peildatum begroting : 1-jul-17 Onderdeel

Percentage

Algemene gegevens

Fnatic

BVO (m2)

: : : : :

Bruto vloeroppervlak (BVO)

Totaal 3.889

3.889

Onderdeel Fundering Bodemvoorzieningen (13) Vloeren op grondslag (16) Funderingsconstructies (17) Paalfunderingen

Fnatic London B17.400 Definitief 3 juli 2017 1-jul-17 Vormfactoren

3.889 m2 (H)heid

(E)heid

€/eenheid

3.889 3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € € €

6,52 22,40 137,52 28,00

€ € € € €

756.186 25.347 87.120 534.827 108.892

€ € € € €

194 7 22 138 28

3.889 3.889 3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € € € €

183,25 55,54 34,90 6,50

€ 1.089.659 € € 712.650 € 216.000 € 135.730 € 25.279

€ € € € € €

280 183 56 35 7

Daken Dakafbouwconstructie (37) Dakopeningen (47) Dakafwerkingen

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

21,55 43,71 86,21

€ € € €

589.100 83.820 170.000 335.280

€ € € €

151 22 44 86

Gevel Buitenwandafbouwconstructie (31) Buitenwandopeningen (41) Buitenwandafwerkingen

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

131,85 77,18 -

€ € € €

812.916 512.762 300.154 -

€ € € €

209 132 77 -

Binnenwanden Binnenwandafbouwconstructie (32) Binnenwandopeningen (42) Binnenwandafwerkingen

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

6,50 35,00 30,00

€ € € €

278.064 25.279 136.115 116.670

€ € € €

72 7 35 30

Vloeren Vloerafbouwconstructie (33) Vloeropeningen (43) Vloerafwerkingen

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

86,00

€ € € €

334.454 334.454

€ € € €

86 86

Trappen en hellingen Trap- en hellingsconstructie (34) Balustraden en leuningen (44) Trap- en hellingafwerkingen

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

44,74 -

€ € € €

174.000 174.000 -

€ € € €

45 45 -

Plafonds Plafondafwerkingen

3.889

m2bvo

€

70,00

€ €

272.230 272.230

€ €

70 70

Vaste inrichtingen Vaste verkeersvoorzieningen Vaste gebruikersvoorzieningen Vaste keukenvoorzieningen Vaste sanitaire voorzieningen Vaste onderhoudsvoorzieningen Vaste opslagvoorzieningen

3.889 3.889 3.889 3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € € € € €

0,15 3,86 -

€ € € € € € €

15.600 600 15.000 -

€ € € € € € €

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

19,85 -

€ € € €

77.200 77.200 -

€ € € €

20 20 -

3.889 3.889 3.889

m2bvo m2bvo m2bvo

€ € €

192,25 182,75 24,56

€ 1.553.875 € 747.660 € 710.715 € 95.500

€ € € €

400 192 183 25

2A

(11)

Directe bouwkosten Algemene bouwplaatskosten

12%

Subtotaal directe bouwkosten

€

5.953.283

€

5.953.283

€

714.394

€

714.394

€

6.667.676

€

6.667.676

200.030,29

€

200.030

2B (21) (22) (23) (27)

Nadere planuitwerking

3,00%

€

Indexering tot start bouw

0,00%

€

-

€

-

Indexering tijdens bouw

0,00%

€

-

€

-

Algemene kosten

7,00%

€

480.739

€

480.739

Winst en risico

4,00%

€

293.938

€

293.938

Nazorg

0,50%

€

38.212

€

38.212

CAR

0,35%

€

26.882

€

26.882

€

-

Bankgarantie van 5%

nvt

Totaal excl. BTW

€

7.707.478

Bouwkosten totaal per m2bvo

€

1.982

7.707.478 €

1.982

€/m2bvo

€/Totaal

(28)

Skelet Dragende buitenwanden Dragende binnenwanden Dragende vloeren Dragende daken Hoofddraagconstructies

2C

(27)

2D

(21)

2E

(22)

2F

(23)

2G

(24)

2H (45) 4A (71) (72) (73) (74) (75) (76)

Terrein Terrein, bouwkundig (90) Terrein, werktuigbouwkundige installaties (90) Terrein, elektrotechnische installaties 5A

(90)

3 3A 3B 3C

Installaties Werktuigbouwkundige installaties Elektrotechnische installaties Transportinstallaties Totaal directe kosten

€ 5.953.283

4 0 4 -

1.531

p. 78

D R AW I N G S EVERYTHING Y O U WA N T TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUILDING, FROM F L O O R P L A N S TO THE VR MODEL

p. 79

O N E O F T H E F I R ST S K E TC H E S , J UST A FT E R T H E STA RT O F T H E P R O J E C T p. 80

Level -1 features the underground tunnel for the players to enter, a lift to go up, and a small tactics room for the visiting team, connected to the arena on level 2.

LEVEL -1 p. 81

This is the street level, where visitors enter through a system of vertical slabs. Important spaces in this level is the merchandise and display space, the in, where visitors can stay the night, and the physical sports area for players.

LEVEL 0 p. 82

On the top of the drawing the physical sports area can be seen. The playing surface is inspired by LoL. Players can take the lift down to the changing rooms before they enter the sports area.

L E V E L 0 : P L AY E R S p. 83

L E V E L 0 : V IS ITO R S p. 84

The restaurant for visitors is on this level. Players also get their food delivered from here (or they can go down to grab a bite with their fans). To the left on the street side are the offices and meeting rooms for Fnatic staff.

LEVEL 1 p. 85

On the top right of the drawing one of the player’s private rooms can be seen. The rooms are located throughout the building and come in different shapes and sizes.

L E V E L 1 : P L AY E R S p. 86

L E V E L 1 : V IS ITO R S p. 87

The gaming arena is the most important element on this floor for both players and visitors.

LEVEL 2 p. 88

The players enter and exit the arena through the tactics room (top right).

L E V E L 2 : P L AY E R S p. 89

L E V E L 2 : V IS ITO R S p. 90

LEVEL 3 p. 91

The third floor has the player’s gaming practice area, with everything nearby to have a great training session. This training space is connected to the living room, where they can relax in the greenery.

L E V E L 3 : P L AY E R S p. 92

To the left we see some gaming computers for visitors, that can be found throughout the building.

Visitors playing on the computers look down into the gaming arena below. The pavilion on the bottom right is a big open space where all sorts of events can take place.

L E V E L 3 : V IS ITO R S p. 93

The entire roof can be used as a green roofscape terrace.

ROOF p. 94

Players make use of the highest part of the roof, where they can enjoy privacy.

R O O F : P L AY E R S p. 95

Visitors can look down into the gaming arena below while enjoying the sun. The big circle on the top left is the player’s living room. This living room has a glass roof, but with a large wall around it so the visitors cannot look inside.

R O O F : V IS ITO R S p. 96

THERMAL BOUNDARIES

p. 97

p. 98

p. 99

p. 100

p. 101

p. 102

p. 103

p. 104

p. 105

T H E WO R L D O F T H E V IS ITO R , W IT H U PS I D E - D OW N T H E ‘ S H A D O W W O R L D ’ O F T H E P L AY E R

p. 106

p. 107

p. 108

C O NC R E T E

p. 109

p. 110

DIRECTION OF CONCRETE SL ABS p. 111

p. 112

T H E B U I L D I N G D IV I D E D I N T O V I S I T O R S PA C E S (W H I T E ) A N D P L AY E R S PA C E S ( B L U E )

P L AY I N G W I T H S C A L E ( A S I N G A M E S ) : T H E B U I L D I N G A S A K E Y C H A I N p. 113

M O D E L I N E NV I R O N M E N T, S C A L E 1 : 1 0 0 p. 114

p. 115

p. 116

p. 117

p. 118

p. 119

p. 120

BIRD VIEW p. 121

ST R E E T V I E W p. 122

S T R E E T V I E W, A Z I R p. 123

S T R E E T V I E W, C H O ’ G A T H p. 124

S T R E E T V I E W, MY C A T H E C T O R ( C O U L D N ’ T R E S I S T ) p. 125

V I E W T H R O U G H ST R E E T p. 126

E NT R A NC E A R E A p. 127

G A M I N G A R E N A , E M PT Y p. 128

GAMING ARENA, IN ACTION p. 129

O F F I C E A N D M E E T I N G S PA C E S p. 130

M E R C H A N D I S E A N D D I S P L AY S PA C E p. 131

( M U S I C ) PAV I L I O N p. 132

P L AY E R ’ S P R IVA T E R O O M p. 133

P HY S I C A L S P O R T S A R E A F O R P L AY E R S p. 134

( m a d e b y p a v o v r. c o m )

p. 135

WA NT T H E V R M O D E L ?

O R D E R IT H E R E !

GG WP H

ome of legends is an eSports hub for Fnatic. But it is also an investigation of how our physical habitat will look if the digital habitat is becoming more and more influential, and we spend more time submerged in it. How will this process change the physical environment, and how can architects adapt their strategies to cater for this yet unknown future? With working and leisure environments merging and digitalising, with digital professional gaming gaining influence, not only the digital stage has to be catered to, but likewise the physical stage of those players. Here lies both an immense challenge and an opportunity for architects and spatial designers.

I think the digitalisation of our lives is a revolution as important for architects as was the housing development with the industrial revolution, the social turnaround of the sixties and the crave for sustainability in the nineties and zeroes.

to the public and neighbourhood gives neighbours a space and roof terrace to spend time and connect with others, while also providing a business model for the owner, as all the extras (food, drinks, merchandise, watching a game, sleeping over) have to be paid for.

Like in games, the Free to Play model might provide a more futureproof alternative than trying to even more optimise the gross/net ratio: in fact you could say it eliminates the net ratio.

Victor Hugo in Notre Dame de Paris (1832) had concluded that printing would eventually eliminate architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright countered that the machine could be intelligently used, in accordance with its own laws, as an agent for abstraction and purification (Frampton, 1980: 59). Now, with this second machine revolution and people fearing that the computer will kill architecture, architects stand befor the same task. But the outcome will be different.

One engaging outcome of Home of Legends is the Free to Play model for buildings. Though common in games and other internet services (LinkedIn for example is free, but if you want extra features, you have to pay) it is not yet seen in buildings.

But opening up Home of Legends

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CREDITS THANKS TO, IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: CHRISTIAAN DORLAS Visual support DENNIS MOLENDIJK Providing the VR model that looks great and gives a real sense of space DAAN GROEN Interview DIELIAN DIJKHOFF Visual support ERIK MARS Calculating building costs FINLAY STEWART Showing me around the gaming house in Berlin FLORIS BUURMAN Gamer, interview FRANK TEMMINCK Gamer, interview FRANK TIJSTERMAN Gamer, interview FRANCESCA CACCIOLI Visual support. Also for giving feedback on how to change the lighting in my render from a Belgian hotel room at 23:30.

HARM FREYMUTH Technical details and feedback HERMAN HERTZBERGER Inspiration HERMAN WIEGERS Model making, made all the wooden parts so neatly and shipshape that they look like they are 3D-printed in wood INA WIEGERS Cutting out news paper articles and urging me not to make a crazy project and keep on working IRA KOERS Commissioner. Always enthusiastic and helpful, provided the idea to look at Buckingham palace and other castles JEROEN BAIJENS Feedback KAMIEL KLAASSE Commissioner. Enthusiastic from the start, makes good points that get you thinking.

KLAAS JAN FEIJEN Sparking the idea of Home of Legends in the first place, and supporting me all the way through, even when I wanted to quit and start a bed & breakfast in Romania, and tolerating all my bad moods

KRISTINA KOSIC Model making JAN-RICHARD KIKKERT Former mentor, urged me to push further and go crazy KORNÉL VARGA Making the VR model that looks great and gives a real sense of space LAURENS JAN TEN KATE Feedback. Provided idea to combine the two worlds like a Sundae ice cream. And mental support: urged me to un-cancel my fourth commission meeting MACHIEL SPAAN Mentor. Helped me a great deal, with good advise. Also available for emergency meetings when needed MARTIJN BEEMSTERBOER Materials NICK FRINKING Lending me the touch table from Bazelmans verhuur to present on, in exchange for crates of beer NOEL SEEGERS Drove Rimaan to the model shop to get me materials PATRIK SÄTTERMON Chief Gaming Officer of Fnatic, helped me throughout the project, informed me about Fnatic’s needs and wishes and provided feedback on my drawings REBECCA PETRANI Visual support RENÉ GLAS Interview RIMAAN AL-DUJAILI Helped with the model, and provided feedback at every hour of the day and night, even when having dinner with her fiancée in a restaurant STEYE HALLEMA Interview TIM VAN DER GRINTEN Interview YCHA VAN DIERMEN Construction YONNE GROENEVELD Gamer, interview WOUTER SLEIJFFERS CEO of Fnatic, brought me into contact with the Fnatic team after I send him a message on LinkedIn. Was enthusiastic from the start.

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C QRUEODTIETS S T H E D I G I T A L S PA C E S S O O F T E N F R E Q U E N T E D B Y G A M E R S H AV E C H A N G E D A N D A R E C H A N G I N G O U R N O T I O N O F S PA C E A N D T I M E , J U S T A S F I L M A N D T E L E V I S I O N D I D I N T H E 2 0 T H C E N T U RY. F R I E D R I C H V O N B O R R I E S , A R C H I T E C T, D E S I G N T H E O R I S T I F E E L L I K E E S P O RT S IS H A P P E N I N G W IT H O R W IT H O UT US . G A M E S H AV E B E C O M E T H E B I G G E S T U N O F F I C I A L S P O R T S L E A G U E I N T H E W O R L D R I G H T N O W. P E O P L E A R E C O M P E T I N G A L L T H E T I M E A N D I T ’ S C O M P E T I T IV E B Y N A T U R E . T H E R E ’ S A M A S S IV E U N O F F I C I A L E C O SY S T E M O F C O N T E N T, W H E T H E R I T B E O N Y O U T U B E O R W I K I P E D I A PA G E S , D E D I C A T E D T O T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T D E D I C A T E D G A M E R S E R I C H I R S H B E R G , C E O O F A C T IV I S I O N FOOTBALL CLUBS MORE AND MORE SEE A DECRE ASE OF THE NUMBERS O F Y O U N G P E O P L E I N T H E STA D I U MS . AT T H E S A M E T I M E , V I E W E R S ’ N U M B E R S O F G A M I N G TO U R N A M E NT S G O B O N K E R S .

R E N É T R E U R ( E )S P O RT S C O M M E NTATO R D O N ’ T C O N F US E I M M E R S I O N W IT H P H OTO R E A L IS M . S O M E O F T H E M O S T I M M E R S IV E G A M E S A N D A P P L I C A T I O N S D O N O T L O O K ‘ R E A L ’ AT A L L .

RENÉ GLAS, GAME RESEARCHER T H E P R O S P E C T S O F A R C H I T E C T U R E A R E N O T D IV O R C E D F R O M T H E P R O S P E C T S O F T H E C O M M U N I T Y. I F M A N I S C R E A T E D , A S T H E L E G E N D S S AY, I N T H E I M A G E O F T H E G O D S , H I S B U I L D I N G S A R E D O N E I N T H E I M A G E O F H IS OW N M I N D A N D I NST IT UT I O NS .

L E W IS M U M F O R D , H ISTO R I A N , S O C I O L O G IST P E O P L E WA N T T H I N G S T H A T A R E C O M P L E T E LY T H E S A M E , Y E T T O T A L LY D I F F E R E N T. M I K E O K U D A , G R A P H IC D E S I G N E R STA R T R E K

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M O D E R N A R C H I T E C T S H AV E B E E N H A R P I N G C O N T I N U A L LY O N W H A T IS D I F F E R E NT I N O U R T I M E TO S UC H A N E XT E NT T H AT E V E N T H E Y H AV E L O S T T O U C H W I T H W H A T I S N O T D I F F E R E N T, W I T H W H A T I S A L WAY S E S S E N T I A L LY T H E S A M E .

A L D O VA N E Y C K , A R C H I T E C T

BACKGROUND INFO G A M I N G A N D P HY S I C A L S PA C E .

P HY S I C A L S PA C E A N D O L D E R M E D I A B O R R O W I N G

Games are everywhere, just like the influence they are starting to have on the older media and the world around us.

G A M E S PA C E M O D E L E D A F T E R P HY S C I A L S PA C E The world in games is (loosely) modelled after the physical world, as a fantastic reinvention of the world given to us. For example, in the material world, a house with a slanted roof is typical, it fits our idea of what a house should look like. The use of the slant to get the rain off the roof is lost in a digital space, for there being no real rain. This is an example of an element of real-life architecture adopted in games, because we are used to it, not because it has any function in the game.

F R O M G A M E S PA C E With games becoming more and more commonplace, we might see that this process of adoption is reversed.

When a new medium emerges, it generally first takes over characteristics of the preceding medium, and when it is more established the older medium takes over the characteristics of its newer sibling.

Chances are that in the near future we will see gaming elements emerging in physical architecture. Examples of gaming elements appearing in other environments are films based on video games, as can be best seen in the Wikipedia-entry of ‘List of films based on video games’, but also street art inspired by games and the significant phenomenon of cosplay, when fans dress up and act as their favourite game character.

D I F F E R E N C E S B E T W E E N G A M E S PA C E A N D P HY S I C A L S PA C E The space in games and the space in physical life differs in a number of ways.

To begin with, in game space, the usability of landscapes and architecture is often hidden or altered, when it fits the narrative. In LoL for example, the player views the world from a bird’s-eye view, but when an enemy player would not be visible from the eyes of the character, he remains invisible to the player. In the above screenshot from LoL, an enemy could be standing in the darker coloured area on the centre left. He is invisible because he is standing behind some rocks. To mark the ‘invisible’ areas, these are coloured darker. This is a complete alteration of normal vision and spatial relations, as it combines bird’s-eye view (camera from above) with the restrictions of eye sight. This would never occur in physical space, but is a recurring element in many games, and therefore normal in gaming space.

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I

n gaming, realism is often less relevant than narrative, spatial art and motivation. In the LoL screenshot on the next page, the size of the trees does not match that of the flowers. In other games, architecture may be too small, or a door may be too big if it helps to tell the story. LoL purposely differs in this from games like for example Grand Theft Auto where realism is often more important than the competitive element.

Correspondingly, game space can be completely freed from material constraints. Escher-like constructions can be as functional as regular architecture. It is possible to cheat architecture into impossible shapes, to create closed loops so that a building or landscape seems infinite. In games, that works because the space being used has no physical limitations, and therefore does not need to correspond to physical laws as gravity and such. As a result, game space can be an improved version of reality, as a player recounts: “In the game World of Warcraft, I would climb to a high rock and look at how well it was all made. Sometimes games are like sophisticated nature photo’s. Suppose you like going to the Rocky Mountains, in a game those mountains can be made even more beautiful and make the real ones look dull (anonymous, 2015).”

Game space becomes larger and more detailed as computers become faster and better, in such a way that today game space can be even bigger than the physical world.

S I M I L A R I T I E S B E T W E E N G A M E S PA C E A N D P HY S I C A L S PA C E Apart from aforementioned differences, there are also parallels between game space and physical space.

Architecture is fundamentally about organising spatial relations, and the same goes for good game design. Games are often seen as a narrative art, like a participatory film or story. But maybe we should consider viewing games more as a spatial craft, like architecture is. Now that the potential of game design is expanding, games may provide real place making in the future.

It is true that game spaces are an architecture of illusion, but materialistic architecture often is so too.

Only think of infinity pools, mirrored walls, Las Vegas façades and attempts to make a building seem taller or bigger than it actually is

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