L´Usine Sports Center in Tarbes

IDOM

The project is the result of an ideas competition for the transformation of an old military industry building from the early 20th century into a large sports center of importance for the city, the region and the country. The building, oriented north-south, measures 125 m long by 85 m wide, organized into a 20 m high central building and two 13 m high side buildings. With a clear and repetitive geometry and a saw-toothed roof the buildings emulate the nobility of a cathedral, despite having a modest exterior appearance, the result of the passage of time, of neglect and the absence of a façade cladding. Its grandeur is evident in the interior through the expressiveness of the polychrome structure that, although weathered by the passage of time, defines the character of the space with the spectacular zenithal light that penetrates the glazed roof over fifty percent of its surface area. Our proposal aims to maintain the value of what already existed, preserving to the end the perception of its original character, despite the introduction of a new light and colorful, characteristics linked to the new playful use that the building must express. We have intervened on the flooring, hitherto gray, filling it with colors to define the new sports practice areas: athletics, basketball, handball, badminton courts and climbing wall.