BIGX reframes the indoor playground as a digital environment
Designed by Fun Connection Design (Funconn) in collaboration with Ningnuo Investment Management Company, BIGX Super Sports Playground explores a new approach to indoor spaces sport environments through the integration of digital culture, industrial aesthetics and interactive spatial systems. Responding to changing expectations around leisure and exercise, the project reinterprets the indoor playground as an immersive environment structured around movement, social interaction and visual storytelling. Instead of organizing the space only through functional zones, the design introduces the logic of the digital games in the natural environment, creating a spatial context where circulation, competition and gathering become interrelated experiences. The project combines industrial materials, high-contrast graphics, lighting systems and game-inspired spatial organization to create what Funconn describes as a “Sports Digital Innovation Lab,” a physical environment influenced by the visual language and interaction models of digital worlds.
all images by Ah Qi
Exposed steel frames a 3D playscape at BIGX
For the visual identity of BIGX Super Sports Playground, Fun Connection Design – Funconn Studio departs from the conventional color strategies often associated with sports facilities. Instead, the design relies on digital media, futuristic interfaces and industrial aesthetics to create a more dynamic spatial atmosphere. A controlled color system organizes the interior. Digital Blue is used as the main environmental tone, creating a continuous visual background throughout the space, while Signal Orange is introduced at structural intersections, interactive interfaces and key points of activity. The contrast between the two colors acts as a visual navigation system, highlighting movement paths and areas of interaction. Industrial elements, including exposed metal beams, structural pipes and illuminated surfaces, are combined with digitally inspired graphics to create a tension between physical infrastructure and virtual environments. The language of the material refers to a hybrid condition between high-tech and industrial roughness, reinforcing the work’s connection to digital gaming culture.
The spatial organization is centered around three large vertical structures: the twin BIGX viewing towers and the vertical competition tower. These elements act as architectural anchors within the playground, combining functions of circulation, observation and activity. Exposed steel frames, visible trusses and industrial piping create a strong structural character, while transparent and translucent materials reduce the visual weight of large-scale elements. Metal mesh, wire mesh balustrades and translucent sliding surfaces allow light and views to pass through the structures, maintaining visual connections to different areas of the space. The design uses changes in elevation to create multiple viewing relationships. An upper observation platform, mezzanine lounge areas and ground level seating form a multi-level spectator system where visitors can watch activities from different angles. The interplay between structural elements, lighting and circulation creates a flexible environment that supports sporting activities, social gatherings and brand experiences within a unified spatial context.
Lighting, graphics and materials reinforce the spatial identity
Beyond the main architectural elements, the project extends its design language to functional elements and supporting infrastructure. Entry systems, wardrobes, changing areas, sales points and equipment storage are integrated into the overall visual strategy to maintain continuity throughout the space. The entrance turnstiles act as transitional elements, using lighting and material changes to signal movement from the exterior environment to the immersive interior. The supporting facilities are treated as extensions of the spatial system rather than separate functional objects, with cabinets, vending machines and display elements integrated into the same industrial-digital visual language. Through the consistent control of materials, colors, lighting and details, the project creates a coherent relationship between architecture, branding and everyday use.
For the BIGX Super Sports Playground, Fun Connection Design translates the brand’s themes of technology, competition and punk aesthetics into a natural environment. The project uses spatial design as a tool to express brand identity through three interconnected dimensions. The visual dimension is established through industrial materials, digital references and high-contrast graphic elements that define the atmosphere of the space. The experiential dimension is created through motion-based layouts, competitive zones and social gathering spaces that encourage interaction between users. Combining sports, entertainment and design strategies inspired by digital technology, BIGX Super Sports Playground proposes a new model for contemporary leisure environments, where architecture, technology and social experience are integrated into a single spatial system.
