Neighbourhood Sporthall in Schaarbeek

The sports hall plays an important role as urban and social invigorator. It is a local landmark for neighbouring young people, particularly for those who don't have access to any other recreational facility than neighbouring squares and streets. Hence the project shares intrinsic relations between the public space and the users; it acts as social unifier for local young communities. The project sits within a historically upper class area, within a homogeneous and continuous building frontage that defined clear boundaries between private and public space. While maintaining the building alignment, the proposal stands off the traditional layout, and gives a contemporary answer to the current social and multicultural change. The building blurs the boundaries between public and private thanks to a perforated metal cladded front courtyard. As visitors (users, pedestrians) approach it, a milk like perforated white screen gradually opens up and reveals a front open air recreational amenity and a background high performance translucent polyester volume. While maintaining the street alignment, the lower part of grated screen unfolds to allow the public space to extend within the building during opening hours. Beside the social unifying symbolic role, the large folding gate creates porch roof for the building.

The translucent polyester façade allows a maximum of natural to get inside the building while creating an equally singular atmosphere inside and outside the building. The large window openings within the lower part sports hall participate to the building transparency and visually link the front semipublic space to the rear open space. The 'patio' space around the back which accommodates a climbing wall and forms part of the large school open air and recreational facilities.

area building : 1000 m2 12 kwh/m2/an K16 n50< 0,6V/h