International Winners 2022

Although BCM reduced the number of categories still plenty of beautifully designed Centers with QubicaAMF bowling center equipment, technology and bowling pin machines were mentioned and awarded in the 38th edition of the Bowling Center Architecture & Design Awards.

Hollywood Bowl - Speke: BEST NEW CENTER

Although there have been corporate machinations along the way, The Original Bowling Company has roots that can be traced to 1960 — the same year a rock band that would go on to achieve some acclaim was formed in Liverpool. This 16-lane tenpin venue is located seven miles from Liverpool’s city center, and represents the modern iteration of Hollywood Bowl facilities, which feature a great bar and diner, as well as the latest amusement games — in this case, 30 games in a 2,400-sq.-ft. space. Triangular shapes and arrows are ubiquitous in the design elements, and the center has what the designer calls “a Californian feel with urban features, bold black and white imagery and a sunset color palette.”
Perfectly placed lighting is used to enhance the architectural elements and highlight various design details. To borrow a line from the Fab Four, the Hollywood Bowl brand just keeps “getting better all the time.”

check out Hollywood bowl gallery

The Keys - Preston: BEST INTERIOR

Sometimes a nod to the past can bode well for a successful future, and the owners of The Keys embraced that philosophy in building this 12-lane tenpin center in a 110-year-old warehouse. They describe it as “a reimagined vintage bowling alley,” and contributing to the ambience from a design perspective are exposed timber beams, custom stain-glassed bulkheads and historic columns from the demolished Spencer Street train station.

check out the keys gallery

Games Factory - Troyes: BEST ARCADE (TIE)

Cracker Zac's - Johannesburg: BEST ARCADE (TIE)

If there’s a universal symbol of the video game era, it has to be Pac-Man. Who can forget dropping a few quarters in the game console, embodying the title character, and attempting to eat all the dots to advance to the next level, all the while avoiding the four ghosts — Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde?
Just as statues of legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle welcome fans to Yankee Stadium, Pac-Man is the “official greeter” for the arcades inside Games Factory (featured in the sign above the entrance) and Cracker Zac’s (depicted with the Ghost Gang in an elaborate lighted maze in the ceiling area). Both venues own their arcade attractions, Games Factory with 25 and Cracker Zac’s with 14. Games Factory includes 16 tenpin lanes among its attractions, while Cracker Jac’s is located in a high-end mall and includes four tenpin lanes among its offerings.

check out games factory gallery Check out Cracker Zac's gallery

Download the full BCM International awards pdf