The Sports-Hospitality Anchor Resolving Urban Logistics and Security in Lahore’s International Cricket Circuit

Abstract

This is an architectural thesis that aims to conceive an integrated 5-star hotel complex within the historic precinct of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Structural polarization is a problem in developing countries with large and important sporting facilities that become crowded, energized and highly secure during major sporting events and remain underused, silent and off-limits to the public on non-event days. In addition, the presence of foreign sports teams in Lahore is often accompanied by catastrophic traffic jams on the 7 km stretch of a Lahore transit road that connects the farthest hotels to the sports complex because of tight security blockades. This project aims to solve these spatial and urban conflicts by introducing a high-density luxury hotel complex which is in direct linkage with Nishtar park sports complex. This proposal takes advantage of the recent strategic acquisition by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of a multi-storied building along with an adjoining plot in the area of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for Rs 4.68 billion (acquired initially for Rs 4 billion) and follows up on the public-private partnership (P-P) plan to transform the adjacent LCCA ground into a high-rise hotel node. The research methodology is mixed methods, which includes site analysis of Nishtar Park, dynamic transport modelling of the congested corridors of Lahore and precedent study of stadium integrated hotels worldwide, including Hilton Garden Inn at Emirates Old Trafford, and Radisson RED at Twickenham Allianz Stadium. The final design incorporates a luxury hotel with 250 rooms, in compliance with the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Building and Zoning Regulations. It includes special highsecurity athletic floors, a high-performance training center modeled after the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center, and multiple use public spaces that will be used to keep the street alive on days when it's not hosting events, in keeping with the Chief Minister's goal of fostering healthy youth activities. The project introduces a new paradigm in sports attached to the urban environment and successfully shows the integration of biophilic elements with public space using high-security architecture.