Éric Tabarly Cultural and Sports Hall

Project description

Reconstruction of the Éric Tabarly Space Sports Hall.

Total Architectural Break with the Old Building
The city of Bolbec wanted to reconstruct a multifunctional sports hall attached to the part of the Éric Tabarly sports complex that had not been destroyed by a fire. Atelier Ferret Architectures decided to create a design that was in total contrast with the existing building, which had little aesthetic quality.
The connection between the two buildings is handled by a low, immaterial glass volume, which creates an essential breathing space between the two structures. This volume serves as the public entrance hall to the new building. On the first floor, it becomes a wide circulation space leading to the seating areas.

Staging of the New Building
The east facade is a double skin, consisting of a glazed wall and large vertical adjustable steel blades. These blades can be opened or closed to control the entry of natural light. This facade forms the architectural identity of the building. At night, a weave of light appears, more or less intense, between the metal blades. During the day, particularly in the morning, it creates a unique internal atmosphere. The building embodies and reflects the multifunctionality of the hall. Its overall volume is characterized by a prominent, taller section at the stage area. Viewed from the football field along the south facade, the hall seems to rise from the ground.

A Multifunctional Building That Resolves the Contradiction
The hall is a flexible space; it can serve as either a sports hall or a performance hall. The elements enabling this multifunctionality include:

• The mobile floor of Gymnasium B, which rises on a jack to become the stage.
• The red velvet theater curtain, opening Greek-style, which can be deployed on either side of the stage.
• The grid above the stage area (8 bars for hanging scenery, lighting, etc., and a catwalk in front of the stage).
• The retractable seating, which allows for varying the hall’s capacity and the volume of space occupied by seating.
• The management of natural light: The sports hall requires natural light coming from the north, without glare. The performance hall requires total opacity. The sunshades on the facade effectively meet both needs.

During the sports configuration, which can be set up as one or two gyms (A and B), the mobile floor is at the gym’s level, the retractable seating is extended (320 spectators in total, 192 on retractable seats) in line with the fixed bleachers, and the seating is accessible from the upper walkway. In the performance configuration, Gymnasium B hosts the stage and backstage areas. Gymnasium A becomes the area for seated or standing spectators (1,554 seats). The mobile floor is raised by 1.5 meters with jacks to become the stage. The dividing curtain between the two gyms transforms into a true stage curtain.