Built in 1855 but closed and secanctified in 2011, the Church of Epiphany has gotten a new life as a pop-up basketball facility to be used as a training space for local high-school teams.
Nike took over the building earlier in 2018 and turned it into a basketball training facility containing a state-of-the-art basketball court, sports gym, and locker room offering activities such as interactive youth workshops, training, and school clinics. By introducing how the power of sport can be a catalyst for change, the aim is to inspire youth to follow their dreams.
The conversion work took a little over than a month to complete. Design is the work of Storey Studio, a British design studio that has previously collaborated with Nike on a number of projects.
This church conversion project is the latest example of Nike's engagement in so called "brand urbanism", a growing trend of companies taking on urban development projects in exchange for exposure:
// Created in partnership with the local community, these kinds of projects are aimed at serving both. The Just Do It HQ is yet another example of brand urbanism by Nike, where the brand gets to create vibrant public spaces for the city. While the city gets to enjoy additional financing and physical upgrading by the brand, the brand gets to interact with the community and its following in a more personal way.
However, their influence isn’t just local as the brand usually attracts media attention, gaining international exposure and goodwill. With brands increasingly allocating their marketing budgets to brand urbanism, it tells something about the effectiveness of this strategy. However, it raises questions about the future of our cities.'
Pop-Up City has dwelled on this question that raises both enthusiasm and concerns. Check out this sports court by an architecture firm in Mexico City for example. //
[ Source: Pop-Up City ]