Sports and Leisure Center in Saint-Cloud / KOZ Architectes

Architect: KOZ Architectes / Christophe Ouhayoun

Location: Saint-Cloud, France
Project team: Ambrus Evva, Franois Kharatt
Structural Engineers: EVP Ingnierie
Contractor: Delta Fluides
Acoustic Consultant: Delphi Acoustique
Budget: $3.8M Euro
Project Area: 1,600 sqm
Project year: 2007-2009
Photographs: Stephan Lucas

Nicolas Ziesel

Non Conformist and Bold

This building is not lacking in self-confdence. As proof, you only have to take
the second left along the Avenue de Longchamps from the Les Cteaux tramway Statio
n in Saint-Cloud. No sooner have you left behind a quiet row of smart private ho
uses in the traditional millstone grit Parisian style with front steps and plane
trees than you come face to face with an odd-looking building, imposing but als
o childishly simple, more cubist than cube-shaped, decidedly fashy , evoking happy
memories of a child s toy.
An appealing, totemic building that you sense is designed for festive celebratio
ns and young people, and that you might expect to fnd in Rotterdam rather than t
he uber bourgeaois St Cloud neighbourhoods. Even if it is only 300 meters away f
rom OMA s Villa Dalll Ava.
With its cheerfulness and nonconformism, the building contrasts strongly with th
e urban development zone in which it s located, behind a new block of private apar
tments and next to neo-Haussmannian offces and a day-nursery in a similar style.
It is with the facing 1930s infant school that it empathises, extending the met
aphor of the balcony courtyard, the passageways, the brick colour and the foreco
urt. As for the 1970s infant school next door, it maintains an obvious affnity w
ith it in terms of shapes, only to dynamite the whole lot.
All in all it s an odd little castle and cubist mountain, that owes its existence
to the boldness of the Saint-Cloud Town Council, which has thereby acquired faci
lities that have revitalised its image and opened it to the most contemporary an
d positive architectural thinking.
Superimposed but not Separated
This brief provided a real headache: how to accommodate two autonomous programs
on a narrow plot of land. KOZ chose to:
- Extrude the available area to the maximum height and hollow it out as with can
yons that bring a clear and massive outdoor light deep inside the block.
- Superimpose the two programs without isolating them, by creating visual links
between activities and applying the same principles on all facades and in all sp
aces.
The spaces are superimposed without being separated. They communicate via visual
glimpses: you see each other on all sides, you feel each other, you can easily fn
d your bearings in a building with a spatially fuid but unfamiliar layout. Never
theless, the functional and administrative autonomy of the two activities (separ
ate entrances and different operational timetables) is respected.
A Pure Colour Scheme
The building uses colour very openly and assertively, with a wide palette rangin

g from red to green, by way of yellow, pink and orange. These colours cover the
faade in wide stripes. Inside, the same colours are systematically repeated, like
stepping in an oversized graffti.
A colour coding that helps you locate from the outside the areas created on the
inside. A means of spatial orientation for young children. An echo to street cul
ture codes for those who crawl on what is dubbed the coolest indoor climbing wal
l in France,or practice on the pop fencing rows below!
Spaces to be Filled
Over and above the pure functionality of the activities identified in the projec
t, the architects placed great hope on the imagination and inventiveness of the
occupants. That s why all corridors, access ramps and passageways, are wide and sp
acious, up to 3 times the regulation size. The ramp leading to the outdoor games
and training area has been designed along the same lines. Due to its exceptiona
l width, it provides an additional space and safely contributes to the strong phys
ical and visual continuity between the Leisure Centre s internal and external area
s. Indeed, it was designed with the aim of making it useable for activities rang
ing from just running up and down to becoming a small sized outdoor theatre . Wi
th no steps and surrounded by a 1.80m railing, it is a secure and private area w
here children can go alone in complete safety.
A Concrete Ribbon
The building is a vertical pilling of activity spaces (gymnasium, climbing walls
, leisure centre, outdoor area) wrapped in a ribbon of concrete providing unity
to the whole . Concrete was the natural choice as it highlights the building s scu
lptural appearance while satisfying the requirements of:
- Superimposing of large rooms atop the gymnasium with little load bearing possi
bilities
- Acoustic insulation between the two components of the project.
The project is broadly made up of prefabricated concrete load-bearing panels.The
moulded and tinted reinforced concrete contrasts with the coloured surfaces of
the laminated panels.
Coloured Faades
The main facade is made of tinted glass with a colour gradient from red to green
. The other 3 facades are more homogeneous, albeit coloured too.
A Sustainable Project
KOZ is part of the environmentally aware generation. The openings in the roofs and
the glass facades bring maximum natural lighting everywhere to limit electrical
consumption.
Concrete was chosen for the reasons mentioned above but the preference was for p
refabricated concrete, generating less waste and spill.
The tinted glass facades provide good protection against setting sun and long-la
sting colour. And of course all hot water is solar heated.