Sports Hall by Bohuon Bertic Architectes near Nantes

The town of Basse-Goulaine lies east of Nantes, where it extends between the outer urban ring road and a highway. The new gymnasium stands on the edge of a roundabout that is apparently in the middle of nowhere: a variety of commercial buildings, leisure facilities, a commuter parking lot, a secondary school and a few single-family homes dot the sparsely populated area determined by fields and forested clearance spaces. With the new construction of the Gymnase de La Chesnaie, Bohuon Bertic Architectes have now created a building with true recognition value.

Striking yet introverted

The building appears as a metallic sculpture with an extensively closed facade; however, it does not give its surroundings the cold shoulder. Instead, curves and soft transitions create a fluid shape and diverse views on the verge of the roundabout.

As material for the building shell, the planning team chose diamond-shaped aluminum shingles in a light-coloured metallic tone. The subconstruction of the curvaceous area consists of wooden trusses. Wherever the construction protrudes, the trusses rest on steel joists that are fixed to the gym wall.

Rounded outside, angular within

Near the canopy, which covers a large area to the west, the roof is borne by additional steel supports. The entrance façade beneath the canopy – like the event space adjacent to it – is completely glazed. The gym shows itself to the road with floor-to-ceiling glass as well. The few additional openings in the shell are covered with perforated shingles that in certain places give it a textile appearance and, when the artificial lighting is switched on at dusk, make the shell appear translucent.

The few additional openings in the shell are covered with perforated shingles. © Prefa, Croce & Wir

Behind the facade, the gym is 9,25 m tall and occupies the heart of the building. Docking onto it are the lobby, the event space, the ancillary spaces with changing rooms, seminar rooms, technical rooms and storage. The interior of the hall has been kept in shades of grey and – in contrast to the shell – almost looks like an industrial building due to its simple steel construction.