GAME StreetMekka in Viborg, Denmark by EFFEKT

Danish studio EFFEKT have transformed an abandoned windmill factory in Viborg, Denmark into a thriving hub for youth culture and street sports. The industrial factory building dates back to the late ‘60s – early ‘70s, with the designers seeking to re-adapt the corrugated steel structure for the StreekMekka project. The vast interior offers cathedral-like proportions with, quite literally, plenty of room for activities; the centre contains everything from a skating bowl to basketball courts, workshop studios for artists, music production, DJ’ing and animation.

EFFEKT describe the project as “an anti-elitist, pop-culture take on a hybrid between a sports facility and a culture house, that is robust enough to stay open to the public 24 hours a day without supervision and where the users are in charge and take initiative.”

The design team removed walls at both ends of the building, placing all administrative and workshop spaces on one side of the existing structure and sports areas on the other. The internal former manufacturing space was left intact. Two new glass facades replaced the end walls, allowing more daylight and enhancing connectivity with the exterior spaces and activities. Social areas are strategically interwoven between and in close proximity to activity zones, aiming to foster maximum participation from visitors.

A translucent polycarbonate skin wraps the exterior of the 3,170-square-metre building, forming a point of difference from the surrounding concrete structures and making it appear modern and welcoming. The polycarbonate will also serve as a blank canvas for local artists to project and display their work.

Large sliding doors open the centre to the outside, with further recreational elements and a pedestrian and bicycle path planned to connect to downtown Viborg.

See more design project for kids on Yellowtrace here.