Josephine Baker - Marie-Jose Perec Sports and Cultural Centre

Located in the town of La Bouëxière, in Brittany, France, the project is positioned between two existing facilities: a sports complex and a cultural centre. Other nearby facilities—such as the stadium, tennis courts, bowling green—remain disconnected. The programme combines sports and cultural uses within two distinct volumes, each responding to climatic and functional requirements. The building features a laminated timber structure clad with textile membranes on the roof and façades. At night, its white fabric envelope transforms it into a backlit lantern, symbolizing the renewal of the site.

The project reinterprets the pedestrian path defined by the Town Planning Scheme, turning it into a structuring axis that organizes both the site and the architecture. This central walkway divides the complex into two complementary volumes, each responding to different functional and climatic needs. To the south lies a compact, heated volume containing the squash and dance hall, designed for daily use ensuring comfort and independent circulation. To the north, a large unheated space hosts the multi-sports hall, accommodating nine badminton courts, a handball court, a tennis court, and a basketball court. The walkway crosses the building on two levels: the upper level leads to a belvedere overlooking the sports hall and directly to the spectator stands, while the lower level connects the public hall and social spaces. This clear and efficient organization creates fluid connections between programs and integrates the building harmoniously within its urban and landscape context.

The multisports hall is built with a laminated timber structure and fully clad with textile membranes on both the roof and façades. Its roof features an inverted double-curvature form, rising to four peaks between 13 and 28 meters high. This geometry ensures natural ventilation through air convection at the peaks, maintaining a cool interior during the warmer months. The structure provides uniform daylight and transforms into an urban lantern at night, marking its presence in the landscape. The squash and dance building is constructed with concrete walls insulated from the outside, preserving the building’s thermal inertia while ensuring constant comfort for activities requiring heating. The project also includes a wood-fired heating plant that supplies energy to the existing facilities. The entire project combines structural lightness, energy efficiency, and spatial quality, offering a precise and sustainable response to the program’s requirements and the site’s specific context.