POLYVALENT HALL, LE VAUD
Set adjacently to the south of these dug-out spaces, the multifunctional sports hall is situated on the same floor. A stage is built into the body of the western wall to provide the necessary facilities for locals to enjoy live spectacles. An upper ground floor level acts as a balcony area spanning 18 metres by 16 metres which overlooks the hall from the northern side, as well as functioning as an entrance lobby for the entire building. Users can move easily between floors via a staircase on the north eastern side of the plan, providing access to the storage and plant rooms below. Structurally, the hall’s mass is supported by the load-bearing walls of the roof gables which allowed the architects to keep as much interior space as possible unobstructed. Aside from a minimal two-beam truss at the central ridge between the two pitched roofs, the interior is completely open plan. “You can walk 40 metres without encountering any pillars,” remarks Saurer. In order to accommodate the various sporting activities and events programmed for the hall, the form of the interior shell deliberately diverges from that of the external envelope. Saurer explains: “Whereas the exterior reacts to the natural and built context, we designed the interior to best fit the norms of many different sports and activities.” The studio also worked in close collaboration with lighting designer Etienne Gillabert, who was particularly invested in minimising the clutter when it came to light fittings. “A traditional multipurpose hall would have a large light on the ceiling, but in this project,” says Saurer, “we gathered all the lights to the main beam to emphasise the structure and offer a kind of purity.” 80 spots, one every square metre, form a lighting grid which evenly illuminates the hall. Natural ventilation services the large spaces through hand-operable windows and openings on the north and south elevations which are situated to align with the prevailing winds in the region, while the smaller rooms on the lower ground floor benefit from mechanical ventilation.
Alpine source With one of the client’s requests being to incorporate as much local material into the construction as possible, the architects had only to look to the nearby alpine region for inspiration. “White pine is a very well-known Jura wood,” explains Saurer, “it’s very resistant and often used by farmers, so it was very natural to use in this context.”
ADF AUGUST 2019
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