Maurice Boyau Stadium

Project description

Renovation of Maurice Boyau Stadium (demolition/construction) 10,000 covered and seated places

Maurice Boyau Stadium was no longer suitable for hosting high-level sports competitions. The seating offered for rugby matches provided limited visibility, and there were no spaces like lounges or media areas. Therefore, the city of Dax decided to renovate the stadium with a project whose strong and positive image would establish a genuine social space around both sports and cultural activities.

The architectural choice focused on creating a public building with a strong visual identity, where its symbolism and function would serve both the public and athletes.
The natural topography of the site lent itself to a “U”-shaped configuration of the stands, with a vegetated mound to the north, acting as a natural terrace. This feature allowed for either standing room for part of the audience or the installation of a stage for cultural events.

On the south side, the grandstand benefits from an urban-style façade, supported by simply squared Landes pines. These pines form both arcades and walkways, evoking the values of rugby. The rear façades of the three stands are adorned with perforations, inspired by the logarithmic spiral of pine cones. The façades, particularly the south-facing one, which is the most visible, feature a strong identity.

From a functional perspective, the intention to create a stadium for both the public and athletes was successfully achieved. Since the seats in the corners offered poor visibility, these areas were repurposed for different functions such as the USD (Union Sportive Dacquoise) shop, a restaurant, and spaces for administration and training. As a result, all the seats in the stands benefit from exceptional visibility and comfort. The seating areas are covered by three roofs, corresponding to the three stands, which are inclined according to the surface of the solar panels with photovoltaic cells.