Children's entertainment center "GŌVS"
Basic information
Project Title
Children's entertainment center "GŌVS"
Full project title
Conceptual design proposal for children's entertainment center "GŌVS"
Category
Regaining a sense of belonging
Project Description
The conceptual design proposal of the children's entertainment centre “GŌVS” is the qualification work of two students at Riga Technical School of Arts and Media, which has been developed based on the plan of Ventspils City Council to create a real centre in the former ship repair factory building in the Latvian city of Ventspils. Design philosophy is based on the viewpoint of the child through a carefully curated artistic experience through abstract symbols of local culture and environment.
Geographical Scope
National
Project Region
Latvia
Urban or rural issues
Mainly urban
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
The conceptual design proposal for the children's entertainment centre “'GŌVS'” is developed on the plan of Ventspils City Council to create a real children's entertainment centre in the former ship repair factory building. Behind the window of the former shipbuilding building is the river Venta, on the other side of which is the port of Ventspils, and Ventspils Southern Pier and Promenade are nearby, so the concept of the children's entertainment centre is based on Ventspils and its symbols.
Ventspils' best known symbol is the cow and Kurzeme is the place of origin for the blue cow of Latvia. Due to its bluish colour, it is also referred to as a sea cow or moon cow, where the sea cow symbolizes the water theme characterizing Ventspils (sea, port, pier, coast, etc.) and the moon cow symbolizes the theme of the sky (wind, clouds, balloons, etc.), so the Latvian Blue cow has been chosen as the main image of the children's entertainment centre, which successfully combines the theme characteristic of Ventspils with its versatile and Latvian image. Cow is an elegant and laconic being who radiates peace and loveliness through his simplicity, while symbolizing so many artistic and encompassing values known to all.
The entertainment centre is built on two floors. The ground floor is inspired by the Ventspils Sea and Port, which is implemented with a two-storey volume ship attraction and pier. The second floor is inspired by the windy jetty of Ventspils, which is implemented with wavy-shaped motifs and a balloon attraction. The laconic nature of the image of a cow is implemented inspired by cow's milk, which will be implemented with a white and glossy glossy flooring, maintaining a very minimal palette of colours, consisting predominantly of only white, blue and black tones, and using very abstract, laconic and elegant shapes and motifs in the interior elements.
Ventspils' best known symbol is the cow and Kurzeme is the place of origin for the blue cow of Latvia. Due to its bluish colour, it is also referred to as a sea cow or moon cow, where the sea cow symbolizes the water theme characterizing Ventspils (sea, port, pier, coast, etc.) and the moon cow symbolizes the theme of the sky (wind, clouds, balloons, etc.), so the Latvian Blue cow has been chosen as the main image of the children's entertainment centre, which successfully combines the theme characteristic of Ventspils with its versatile and Latvian image. Cow is an elegant and laconic being who radiates peace and loveliness through his simplicity, while symbolizing so many artistic and encompassing values known to all.
The entertainment centre is built on two floors. The ground floor is inspired by the Ventspils Sea and Port, which is implemented with a two-storey volume ship attraction and pier. The second floor is inspired by the windy jetty of Ventspils, which is implemented with wavy-shaped motifs and a balloon attraction. The laconic nature of the image of a cow is implemented inspired by cow's milk, which will be implemented with a white and glossy glossy flooring, maintaining a very minimal palette of colours, consisting predominantly of only white, blue and black tones, and using very abstract, laconic and elegant shapes and motifs in the interior elements.
Key objectives for sustainability
The main aim of the project is to preserve an existing scavenged shipbuilding building that is in a unique location and has long been neglected, adapting it to a new function - a children's entertainment centre. The aim is to use the existing building as a shell for the new entertainment centre, preserve its industrial charm and significantly extend the life of the building, and all elements of the centre are designed with the idea of their longevity (build to last).
For the implementation of the project, it is intended to select genuine (green/nature-friendly) materials sourced or manufactured locally, thus supporting local enterprises. We plan to use concrete, metal, glass, and glass fiber as key materials in the project. The materials are specially selected with high quality and wear resistance as they are for public use. The potentially high cost of materials is justified by their sustainability, durability, relatively easy maintenance, and above all they are nature friendly.
In summary, the project can be exemplary in being highly sustainable because of its highly eco-friendly and long-term sustainable material choices and them being sourced locally same as the design objects being manufactured locally.
For the implementation of the project, it is intended to select genuine (green/nature-friendly) materials sourced or manufactured locally, thus supporting local enterprises. We plan to use concrete, metal, glass, and glass fiber as key materials in the project. The materials are specially selected with high quality and wear resistance as they are for public use. The potentially high cost of materials is justified by their sustainability, durability, relatively easy maintenance, and above all they are nature friendly.
In summary, the project can be exemplary in being highly sustainable because of its highly eco-friendly and long-term sustainable material choices and them being sourced locally same as the design objects being manufactured locally.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
We wanted to show everything we as young designers are capable of.
This was achieved by creating a design for all the elements seen in this project, creating a completely unique entertainment center design that, through abstractly stylized symbols of local culture and region, minimal color palette and material selection, brings new life into the old ship repair building, creating an opportunity for the old building to become a world-class design Landmark.
A complete protest to cheap butaphoric design, which has become the norm in Latvia and elsewhere in the world, because of its low price.
Instead, we wanted to be respectful and as truthful as possible to any visitor of the centre. This has been achieved by maintaining the existing industrial building as a shell and choosing genuine materials sourced or developed locally (glass, metal, concrete) for the design, example of this ideology is the design of the pier element, which in reality would be made of concrete, is also designed to be made of concrete in the entertainment centre, which enables any visitor of the centre to feel the monumentality of a real pier by simply touching it and being next to it. Another example is the ship element, the design of which is a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the ship's structure is planned to be made from glass fiber, working with “Latitude Yachts,” a Latvian company manufacturing yachts worldwide.
Our project is exemplary because every design object is thought through to the tiniest detail. We have carefully crafted the whole experience through methodical thinking about every possible scenario and how we can enhance it, for example the ship element consists of multiple attractions that we designed ourselves to create a continuous loop where the kids can play and each time they repeat the loop they can make multiple decisions on which route through the different attractions they want to take thus making the experience non repetitive.
This was achieved by creating a design for all the elements seen in this project, creating a completely unique entertainment center design that, through abstractly stylized symbols of local culture and region, minimal color palette and material selection, brings new life into the old ship repair building, creating an opportunity for the old building to become a world-class design Landmark.
A complete protest to cheap butaphoric design, which has become the norm in Latvia and elsewhere in the world, because of its low price.
Instead, we wanted to be respectful and as truthful as possible to any visitor of the centre. This has been achieved by maintaining the existing industrial building as a shell and choosing genuine materials sourced or developed locally (glass, metal, concrete) for the design, example of this ideology is the design of the pier element, which in reality would be made of concrete, is also designed to be made of concrete in the entertainment centre, which enables any visitor of the centre to feel the monumentality of a real pier by simply touching it and being next to it. Another example is the ship element, the design of which is a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the ship's structure is planned to be made from glass fiber, working with “Latitude Yachts,” a Latvian company manufacturing yachts worldwide.
Our project is exemplary because every design object is thought through to the tiniest detail. We have carefully crafted the whole experience through methodical thinking about every possible scenario and how we can enhance it, for example the ship element consists of multiple attractions that we designed ourselves to create a continuous loop where the kids can play and each time they repeat the loop they can make multiple decisions on which route through the different attractions they want to take thus making the experience non repetitive.
Key objectives for inclusion
The main design determinant of the project is the child, but special attention is also paid to various scenarios involving their friends and family, which may include babies, the elderly, and people with mobility difficulties.
The centre's design has been designed to make any visitor feel comfortable and enjoy the time with their family. This is achieved through careful study and consideration of appropriate ergonomics and accessibility. The centre features a lift and a ramp on the second-floor level to make it easy for people with mobility issues to navigate the entire centre. An area for family and friends has been designed on the pier at the second-floor level.
The area is strategically positioned on the pier because from the second-floor parents have the opportunity to watch what their children do in the rest of the centre and at the same time the opportunity to babysit the centre's smallest visitors in a specially designed miniature playground that combines several of the centre's main elements, creating a special version of the center for toddlers.
It is worth mentioning that any visitor of the centre will not be bored, as the design of the centre is like an art exhibition for all its visitors entirely, regardless of their age.
The centre's design has been designed to make any visitor feel comfortable and enjoy the time with their family. This is achieved through careful study and consideration of appropriate ergonomics and accessibility. The centre features a lift and a ramp on the second-floor level to make it easy for people with mobility issues to navigate the entire centre. An area for family and friends has been designed on the pier at the second-floor level.
The area is strategically positioned on the pier because from the second-floor parents have the opportunity to watch what their children do in the rest of the centre and at the same time the opportunity to babysit the centre's smallest visitors in a specially designed miniature playground that combines several of the centre's main elements, creating a special version of the center for toddlers.
It is worth mentioning that any visitor of the centre will not be bored, as the design of the centre is like an art exhibition for all its visitors entirely, regardless of their age.
How Citizens benefit
As part of the project, the target audience of the centre was interviewed and questionnaired.
As a result of the collection of information, here are the few main things we found out:
For the most part, in all children's entertainment centers, attractions are not for all age groups of children, especially babies who need special attention.
It is not enough to only have a place to leave outdoor clothes, visitors also want a place where they can safely put away more valuable personal belongings and easily access them at any time.
Party rooms should be close enough to attractions for a child to have easy access to the party, snacks, or parents.
Be able to intuitively navigate the centre, for example, it is easy to find toilets.
There should be a separate space for new parents to feed and take care of their baby.
Toilets should be practical for all visitors of the centre, for example sinks have appropriate heights for both children and other visitors.
There must be good lighting.
There should be a place to park the trolley.
After gathering and analyzing all the information we incorporated the needs of potential visitors into our project.
As a result of the collection of information, here are the few main things we found out:
For the most part, in all children's entertainment centers, attractions are not for all age groups of children, especially babies who need special attention.
It is not enough to only have a place to leave outdoor clothes, visitors also want a place where they can safely put away more valuable personal belongings and easily access them at any time.
Party rooms should be close enough to attractions for a child to have easy access to the party, snacks, or parents.
Be able to intuitively navigate the centre, for example, it is easy to find toilets.
There should be a separate space for new parents to feed and take care of their baby.
Toilets should be practical for all visitors of the centre, for example sinks have appropriate heights for both children and other visitors.
There must be good lighting.
There should be a place to park the trolley.
After gathering and analyzing all the information we incorporated the needs of potential visitors into our project.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Innovative character
The project is innovative in every way starting from its unique design and ending with the innovative technology incorporated into the different attractions. The design benefits from the old building in which it is incorporated also the local culture.
Our project is telling a story about our perception, art, design and the human experience which sadly is beginning to fade away in local projects and our aim is to protest this negative tendency in the best way we can – through art and design.
Our project is telling a story about our perception, art, design and the human experience which sadly is beginning to fade away in local projects and our aim is to protest this negative tendency in the best way we can – through art and design.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
We embraced every interaction with our tutors, the people responsible for the real project and everything else around us. We found inspiration in every conversation, image or piece of text that kept us open-minded throughout the whole project.
Methodology used
The main methodology that was the biggest contribution to the success of the project was coming to the school and working together every single day until the deadline. We focused on the ways of best showing our vision to other people by replacing simple drafting’s of floor plans by 3d rendered visual plans and a 3d presentation walkthrough which has the capability to be walked through in virtual reality.
How stakeholders are engaged
During the project we were consulted by our tutors. We got to interview the project locations supervisor and Ventspils city government's supervisor of the existing project. Keeping in mind that this is a qualification work which is a conceptual design proposal, we did not need more input from the project supervisors. The main value from engaging with the supervisors was a feel of a real world project.
Global challenges
The project addresses the global tendency of valuing economical data and income above the human experience.
Learning transferred to other parties
Everything seen in the project could be transferred or replicated anywhere else on the planet. The design is universally artistic and elegant, accessible, and inclusive. The theme of the project is a story of the Latvian blue cow which a unique species of cow which is blue in color and living only in Latvia in small numbers, the story and philosophy of the project is universally relatable in today’s world – to remember and not forget about the little things in front of us.
Keywords
Latvian blue cow
Ventspils seashore
Abstract
Laconic
Honest
