“Ludotopia” : promoting physical activity within the built environment

Abstract

Ludo – ‘To play’ Utopia - ‘An ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects.’ Obesity and sedentary lifestyles are increasing becoming linked as contributing factors to a range of health issues in New Zealand and worldwide. The issue facing society is not only how to combat and address the concerns of preventable chronic disease, but to also find ways to improve health for the individual and the collective. Through architecture, this thesis is intended to design a community physical health and education centre that has a focus on providing increased opportunity and education for physical activity within the urban environment. By evaluating the psychological and functional spaces required both within the site and the wider master planning context, this facility is intended to serve as a catalyst for architecture's response to the ever growing issues of obesity, physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyles and chronic disease. It is time for architects to worry less on the convenience and luxury of self-opening doors and more on the rise of physical inactivity within the built environment. It is estimated some of us spend up to 90% of our days within an architectural context, so its only seems imperative that architecture itself be designed to limit issues relating to chronic disease and preventable burden. Proposed site: 157 Fanshawe Street, Auckland CBD.