Airsoft Games As a Way of Reusing Post-Military Areas
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Civil Engineering and Architecture 4(4): 163-173, 2016 http://www.hrpub.org DOI: 10.13189/cea.2016.040403 Airsoft Games as a Way of Reusing Post-military Areas Adam Siniecki Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology, Poland Copyright©2016 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Abstract The paper presents the results of a study on or Airsoft only appeared here in the 1980s. This activity, preservation of military facilities conducted in 2013 and which might come across as something hostile and 2014 at the Faculty of Architecture at Poznań University of aggressive, is in fact an apolitical and interesting way to Technology. The study focused on the issue of reusing and spend free time. In research conducted at Poznan University preserving former historic military buildings. The objective of Technology’s Faculty of Architecture, on account of their of the study was to verify the possibilities of adapting shared characteristics and similarities, they have been military areas located in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship for assigned a common title: “paramilitary sports”.1 the organization of games which more or less employ It is assumed that both Airsoft games and Paintball2 are military tactics. The paper introduces a definition of played by adults. Individuals under fourteen years old are paramilitary sports, which was created for the purpose of the prohibited from taking part. Whereas teenagers are older author’s doctoral dissertation. The results of the analysis of than fourteen have to obtain a written consent from their current trends in developing land for the purpose of Airsoft guardians. People up to 30 years old constitute the largest games are also presented. The data from the analysis were is age group for these sports. Gameplay often entails an expert method applied to create a theoretical model of pre-determined aims or tasks. Their completion requires paramilitary sports. The model was then used to evaluate the cooperation between team members, strategic thinking, former military facilities with respect to their adaption for planning and anticipating the behaviour of enemies and allies. Airsoft games. In correlation with the historic value of the In the opinion of most players, this hobby is a source of analyzed facilities, the results of the evaluation allowed the positive emotions, a large dose of adrenalin and a way to author to produce a list of sites of military architecture in the temporarily forget everyday problems. Wielkopolskie Voivodeship that present great potential for Paramilitary sports enthusiasts often choose forests, the above mentioned purposes. The paper concludes that the deserted industrial buildings, warehouses and former theoretical model for paramilitary sports centers is an communist collective farms as meet venues. Most are efficient tool for evaluating the suitability of prospective unsecured and constitute a risk to players as well as other locations for Airsoft games and helps to properly develop the people. Despite efforts to clearly mark the game zones, there area in terms of its functionality and spatial lay-out. The is always a risk that bystanders, forest mushroom pickers or results of the study proved that the model can be applied to hunters, not to mention wild animals will enter the area. all former military facilities in Poland that remain Former military facilities, near city boundaries, seem to be un-adapted. The study also presents the outcome of ideally suited to these types of activates. Their location is cooperation of the Faculty with the Military Academy of ideal: within easy reach of cities and yet at a safe distance Land Forces in Poznań, and with the “Poznańczycy Group”, from residential buildings. Thus, there is an opportunity for which maintains one of the Prussian bomb shelters in military facilities and the terrain (ditches, hills), which used Poznań. to be important for the army and it’s functioning, to be given Keywords Military Architecture, Post-Military a second lease of life in the hands of military enthusiasts. Paramilitary sports may activate ex-military facilities and as Brownfields, Paramilitary Sports such continue the “military spirit of the place”. 1 . Introduction Sports, which to the uninitiated seem similar to military operations, are becoming ever more popular around the world. This is quite a new trend, as games such as Paintball 1I define them in subsequent parts of the article. 2A type of paramilitary sports 164 Airsoft Games as a Way of Reusing Post-military Areas 2. Research Voivodeship and drawing up a list of unused and abandoned ex-military facilities (brownfields). Determining the architectural and historic value of unused former military 2.1. Research Objectives facilities makes it possible to establish a list of “more recent” The research aimed to develop a method for evaluating military architecture historic monuments in Greater Poland. abandoned post-military areas in terms of their suitability to Whereas evaluating post military brownfields in terms of host Airsoft games. The works focused on coming up with a adapting for paramilitary sports centres, made it possible to theoretical model for spatial and functional development of a identify the facilities most suited for the aforementioned paramilitary sports centre. A list of characteristic, priority purpose. buildings (military architecture historic monuments), with Furthermore, airsoft environment development goals have the largest paramilitary sports use potential was drawn up at all been set within the scope of the research. The current the same time. trends within the scope of organising Airsoft games were In determining the territorial scope for the search, analysed and boundary conditions for the game courses in accessibility to the research material and the necessary terms of player and bystander safety were determined. volume for analyses and site visits were taken into account. As the developed model may be used for all post military This leads to a decision to conduct research within the brownfields in Poland and abroad, works constitute Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland) Voivodeship. Due to its application research. location on the map of Europe as well as its rich history, the region has witnessed a number of wars and armed conflicts. 2.2. Thesis There are numerous military facilities architecture facilities in Greater Poland. They stand testament to the evolution of In conjunction with the problem of general deterioration fortifications over the ages. of ex-military architecture, the following research question A number of factors were significant in determining the surfaced: How is it possible to stem the deterioration of age span of the facilities taken into account by the research. military architecture historic monuments and use those The first is the fact that the disused post military facilities, facilities within the framework of urban activation of the located in Poznań include buildings of historical significance area? erected at the tome Festung Posen was under construction. The search for an answer to the above question led to the Some are unique on a European scale and depict the formulation of the above thesis: Correct spatial development evolution of fortifications in the 19th and 20th centuries: and hosting of airsoft games in abandoned military bases starting with forts subsequently adapted by the Polish Army constitutes an effective tool to protect and look after military during the inter-war period and then transformed to reflect architecture in Greater Poland. the needs of the Cold War period. For example, signs of each of the aforementioned epochs are visible in infantry bunker 2.3. Methodology J1 VIIIa et al. Babimojska and Fort VIIa et al. Marcelińska in Poznań. Looking closely at the evolution of defensive I adopted the following research schedule to prove the architecture a clear tendency to gradually reduce thesis. architectural details is noticeable3. Thus it was necessary to Identification of facilities which are historic monuments determine an age span for the analysed fortifications. The Stage I and require protection boundary date is 1828, when construction of Festung Posen Stage II Conduct an architectural evaluation of those facilities fortifications began on the basis of major Johann von Brese’s Define the adaptability of former military architecture Stage III designs. Research spans the period up to 1993, when, for the needs of Airsoft games following withdrawal of the Russian Federation’s army from Stage IV Perform ad hoc experiments military bases, more than 56 thousand hectares of former military areas were returned to polish hands and a further 20 Stage V Construct a model of a paramilitary sports centre thousand hectares were released by the Polish Army [2]. Stage VI Synthesis of analytical material, conclusions The relatively long research period makes it possible to The research comprised literature and archived data demonstrate post military facility diversity in terms of analyses; site visits to venues in Poland where Airsoft games architectural and historic value, size, form and function. The are hosted; site visits surveys of post military areas; quality three developed paramilitary sport centre models facilitate research of centres in Poland and abroad; questionnaire the most efficient use of ex-military areas. based surveys (expert method); evaluating criteria using