No facade for the “Sports Theatre” of Bordeaux
in ARCHITETTURA | architecture
© Maxime Delvaux I UCPA Sport Station.
Paris-based studio NP2F recently completed the Bordeaux UCPA Sports Station (France) in the Brazza neighborhood. The complex, developed on a trapezoid-shaped lot, has a surface area of over 15,700 m² for a height of 20.6m, equal to a total of 6 storeys. The sports facility is a true “Sports Terminal”, hosting within it: a 14m climbing gym, an area for racket sports (paddle tennis and squash), two shops, a restaurant with bar and relaxation area, rooms for body-building and fitness, spaces designed for children, indoor cycling, and e-sports as well as a covered court for playing golf and organizing events.
© Maxime Delvaux I UCPA Sport Station.
Architecturally, the project is conceived as a vertical sequence of equipped public squares made exposed concrete slabs and columns. A monumental building without facades given that the elevations (from the first to the third floor) are covered with windbreaks controlled by a mechanical system that “wraps” the entire complex during closing hours, giving it a metaphysical and arcane appearance. Behind this veil hides a space articulated by solids and voids punctuated by long balconies as well as walls and windows behind which specific sports are practiced, functional rooms that require a heated environment such as the fitness area or the children’s park.
© NP2F I Plan of the third level.
The result is theatrical if we consider that from the outside it is possible to see the sportsmen (golfers, climbers, squash and paddle tennis players) practicing their activities, and users getting around on foot from one level to another. The dynamicity of the internal space organization, the use of materials and neutral colors of this architecture are deliberately sober. It helps to make a structure, that makes you think at an industrial building, a place of leisure and tranquility. The architectural elements such as the reception counter, the stairs and the volumes of the closed environments are essential and “box-like”.
© Maxime Delvaux I UCPA Sport Station.
This “Theater without a facade” is a body that “breathes” naturally with the systems (heating, air conditioning, ventilation and artificial lighting) reduced to a minimum to obtain maximum energy and therefore economic savings. Only 30% of the volume is heated. In total, 900,000 kWh/year are amortized, with a reduction in consumption of 56% – compared to the same building if it had been buffered – equal to a reduction of 2270 tons of CO2 (63%). Due to its typological conception and management policy, this new sports facility is aimed at a wide audience. In fact, thanks also to the “popular” entrance fees and the proximity of municipal structures and schools, the structure is destined to become a “social catalyst” not only for the inhabitants of the Brazza district.
© Maxime Delvaux I UCPA Sport Station.