Jana Stojanovska
BLUE SKIES
Indoor Skydiving Facility
Located on the busy Southeast corner of Dundas St. E. and Bond St., BLUE SKIES is an indoor skydiving facility. While the literal meaning of “blue skies” is a cloudless day, in skydiving, it is imbued with more meaning. The phrase is used as a greeting or blessing. Inspired by the vertical wind tunnel needed to provide the wind flow for indoor skydiving, this facility focuses on verticality. The flight chamber is exposed with a glazed curtain wall to the major elevations on Dundas and Bond, becoming interconnected with the city. The programs consist of public visitor spaces and private back-of-the-house spaces. The glass chamber housing the wind tunnel dominates the building, rising higher than the other programs. It allows light to flow down to the seating pit at the bottom of the tunnel, visually opening the space to the sky. The viewing decks wrap around the flight chamber and eventually reach the tree branches of the mullions, creating a unique circulatory experience for its viewers. This supports the social aspect of indoor skydiving, as the platforms encourage visitors to stand close to the tunnel and interact with the flyers. BLUE SKIES also uses a dynamic solar shading system that adjusts to changing daylight and desired inflow of light. The façade is an integrated part of the building that creates a unique varying expression, inspired by the changing velocity of wind tunnels. The triangular steel perforated panels are reflected as interior details with the tree-like mullions supporting the vertical wind tunnel.
BLUE SKIES
Indoor Skydiving Facility
Located on the busy Southeast corner of Dundas St. E. and Bond St., BLUE SKIES is an indoor skydiving facility. While the literal meaning of “blue skies” is a cloudless day, in skydiving, it is imbued with more meaning. The phrase is used as a greeting or blessing. Inspired by the vertical wind tunnel needed to provide the wind flow for indoor skydiving, this facility focuses on verticality. The flight chamber is exposed with a glazed curtain wall to the major elevations on Dundas and Bond, becoming interconnected with the city. The programs consist of public visitor spaces and private back-of-the-house spaces. The glass chamber housing the wind tunnel dominates the building, rising higher than the other programs. It allows light to flow down to the seating pit at the bottom of the tunnel, visually opening the space to the sky. The viewing decks wrap around the flight chamber and eventually reach the tree branches of the mullions, creating a unique circulatory experience for its viewers. This supports the social aspect of indoor skydiving, as the platforms encourage visitors to stand close to the tunnel and interact with the flyers. BLUE SKIES also uses a dynamic solar shading system that adjusts to changing daylight and desired inflow of light. The façade is an integrated part of the building that creates a unique varying expression, inspired by the changing velocity of wind tunnels. The triangular steel perforated panels are reflected as interior details with the tree-like mullions supporting the vertical wind tunnel.
