The project had to:

_ function perfectly with the existing elements on the site

_create optimum conditions for the practice of sports

_integrate itself into a context in full restructuration

_act as a symbol with an impact throughout the community

The prime aim of the sports complex is to be a constitutive element of the Coulée verte (Green Belt), and therefore the project’s major challenge lies in its capacity to generate cohesion within this context.

The project’s contextual insertion and a global reflection on the design of the plot were therefore fundamental to its success.

Initially, the site’s topographic constraints seemed to difficult to resolve, yet looking closer we saw it was possible to transform these into advantages quite simply, using a sloping forecourt to link the site’s different levels.

Our intervention was based on a will to protect and enhance what was already there, without modifying the natural terrain. Each element could thus find its rightful place within this configuration, the impact of this large parallelepiped on the environment is reduced and its presence rendered more seductive and feminine.

The gymnasium expresses its contemporary identity through an in-depth reflexion on durability, energy performance, materiality and respect for the environment. The use of a new energy-saving glass brick makes the façades luminescent and ensures optimum natural light during the day whilst respecting the envelope’s thermal requirements.

Yet this clarity of language and simplicity of volumes conceals complex systems. Particular attention was paid to bioclimatic choices ensuring maximum comfort all year round. We sought maximum compactness whilst limiting the surface of the envelope, and partially sunk the volume into the ground to reduce heat loss and maintenance costs.

The building’s envelope consists of glass bricks with high thermal performance (Uw=1.6 W/m².K), creating a glazed protective volume of around 50%, whose aim is to limit artificial light consumption. The glass brick is an extremely durable material requiring minimal upkeep. Its mass also provides high-quality acoustic insulation from outside noise.

We also worked on the fifth façade, the roof. An energy-producing photovoltaic membrane pursues the language of the façades and this elegant attention to an element often neglected but visible from all around shows our preoccupation with genuine integration.

Client : Ville de Gonesse / Cost: €4,5 excl. VAT / Surface: 4 450 m² / Schedule: 2010 / Team: HEQ: Franck Boutté, Surveyor: Desforges, Structure: Bollinger-Grohmann, M.E.P.: LBE