Sports hall Alice Milliat, Lyon (FR)
New building
Client: Ville de Lyon
Location: F-Lyon, Place du Traité de Rome
Architecture: Dietrich Untertrifaller with Têkhnê Architectes
Competiton: 2013, 1. prize
Construction: 2014 – 2016
Area: 2,700 m²
Programme: Triple sports hall for various ball sports, training hall for martial arts, dance and gymnastics, meeting room and offices
Photos: Julien Lanoo
Team
Ulrike Bale-Gabriel, Andreas Laimer, Gordon Selbach
Text: Gerlinde Jüttner
Partners
Statics timber: Arborescence, Lyon
Statics concrete: DPI, Villeurbanne
Building services, electrics: Astrius, Lyon
Building physics: Eegenie, Lyon
Costs: Denizou, Villeurbanne
Acoustics: Peutz, Lyon
Master builder: B.L.B Constructions, Genay
Awards
- Wood Design & Building Award, Award
- Prix Regional de la Construction Bois der Auvergne, Award
- Prix National de la Construction Bois , Award
Ecological material, economical construction
The multifunctional sports hall forms a community centre in the heart of Bon Lait, an urban development area in Lyon. The spatial programme consists of a triple sports hall for various ball sports, a training hall for martial arts, dance and gymnastics as well as a meeting room and offices. The sports hall is available to schools, clubs and amateur athletes in the neighbourhood and is a meeting place for the local population throughout the week. The building is impressive proof of the effectiveness of timber architecture in an urban context.
It is not only renewable raw materials such as wood and straw that make the building sustainable. It is above all the interplay of ecological materials, economical construction, uncomplicated building technology and comfort that has been achieved here with optimal utilisation of daylight, natural ventilation and surfaces that appeal to the senses.
Urban loggia
With its façade made of pre-greyed larch wood strips and generous glazing, the sports hall stands out clearly from its surroundings in the dense and diversified environment. It opens onto the square with an urban loggia, emphasising its function as a communal facility available to all. The silhouette of the roof with its 18 sheds refers to the urban skyline and also to the industrial history of the site.
The reinforced concrete backbone of the building houses the internal access and ancillary rooms. As a contrast to the warm wood in the halls, the stairwells and ancillary rooms are made of exposed concrete.
Simple outside, complex inside
The hall is divided into three segments that can be used simultaneously. On the upper floor is the naturally lit martial arts hall, which is also used for dance and gymnastics. The exterior shape of what at first glance appears to be a simple box is deceptive. Inside the nine metre high ball sports hall, the shed ceiling impresses with its chessboard-like, pyramid-shaped light shafts that provide plenty of natural light. The wall panelling made of vertical wooden slats continues the profiles of the ceiling soffits and ensures good acoustics and an attractive appearance.
The spectator tiers are inserted into the spine of the building as three rows of concrete seating steps.
The chambers of the hollow boxes were filled with precisely fitting bales of straw.
Sustainable construction with wood and straw
The simple building was constructed using a timber frame construction with straw insulation. Box girders as external and partition wall elements reinforce the main supporting structure - an ideal solution in terms of both statics and energy efficiency. The box girders consist of frames planked on both sides with two or three chambers filled with precisely fitting straw bales. This is followed by the façade structure and the cladding made of pre-greyed larch boards.
From industrial site to residential neighbourhood
The French city of Lyon has undergone major changes in recent decades. The former industrial centre has become a modern city. This has also been accompanied by an increased commitment to urban planning. Various former industrial areas have been converted into residential neighbourhoods. They have been given urban infrastructure such as shopping centres, meeting rooms, nurseries or the multifunctional sports centre in the new 'Bon Lait' quarter in the Gerland district.
