The project for Saint-Julien-du-Sault’s future gymnasium is a response to the need to renew the city’s sports facilities. Our goal is to follow the city’s ambition to urbanise the site of the Champ Tortu, where we have chosen to establish the construction of the future facility. The project is guided by the research of a discreet and smooth integration in its environment. The site stands out for its specific sloped landscape. Its gradient topography allows the project to play with declivity, anchoring the building to the landscape. The new facility occupies a simple parallelepiped volume that blends into its wilder, generously planted environment.

The emerging building asserts its presence, actively contributing to the identity of the gymnasium and its visual clarity. The volume is divided into three layers, each of which is treated In a singular manner, hence creating a rich visual comprehension of the building. The first layer stands out as a mineral base, whose heavy and anchored identity comes in direct contact with the slope.

The middle layer is entirely opened up to the view with peripheral glass façades. The layer’s complete transparency detaches the project from the ground, making the upper volume seemingly levitate above the landscape. The upper layer is distinguished by a treatment that highlights the choice of bio-sourced materials. The vertical elements of wood cladding give the gymnasium a sense of rhythm and slenderness. This final level caps the volume and asserts its identity, enhancing the facility’s visual influence throughout the site.