A wide array of sporting facilities is brought under one roof within this project in Bordeaux. The structure is an architecture of reduction to minimal means. Only restaurants and shops on the lower levels are enclosed within a façade. The rest of the reinforced concrete structure is mediated by just a braided mesh enclosure that acts as a shading device, windbreak, and ball-catcher without the need for large mechanical systems. This reduction is not only aesthetic. By minimizing heating and cooling costs, the architecture contributes to the project’s aim of providing low-cost access to sports for all.

By combining programs that are usually dispersed and that cater to different user groups, the project acts as a social condenser. This aggregation of activities into one form creates a new and exciting typology – one that could be inserted into any city in need of sporting facilities. The jury commended the project’s contribution to providing access to sport through purposeful minimalism. The open air approach is thoughtfully mediated by an innovative enclosing mesh that adheres to fire regulations without sealing the building. By carefully including only the bare necessities of architectural infrastructure the project succeeds in providing a generous space of encounter.

More about the project: Stacking Sports in France