Russia X Latvia

The Russian - Latvian border has been a speculated origin point of a dreaded World War III. The border not only between two countries, but two large military alliances in NATO and Russian lead CSTO, this forested area is sparsely populated but hotly contentious; it was only a few decades ago that the same area was firmly inside the Soviet Union.

This proposal envisions a retreat in the forest, where the tree house typology is extracted to create one main court with a tree house on opposite sides and a mezzanine that connects the two small structures. Perched above the court, they serve as a place for spectating, connecting via the small library or recording studio, as well as a canopy for the sitting area on the court. Below the mezzanine, swings hang freely for further spectating and leisure, and a three foot wall envelops the rectangular court. 

The design leverages the dramatic seasonal changes of the area as an opportunity to produce new ways of playing basketball. The summer design extracts the design syntax of both countries’ flags to create a linear scoring context in contrast to the typical basketball arch, although the arch is still present. In the winter, however, the wall that envelops the court traps water which eventually freezes, transitioning the space to an “ice court,” where hoops can be played on skates!