Through an urban and architectural process of re-composition, the city of Athis-Mons’ new leisure centre is conceived in order both to clearly identify the school group and to create a high-quality entrance giving onto a pedestrian space open to the church.
Embedded in its fluvial and railway territory, the building is disposed on a unifying mineral plinth and deploys a protective envelope, which ensures the intimacy of the internal spaces while allowing them to open up generously to the exterior.
Composed of concrete panels, which are curved and mass-tinted in rose-grey, the facade vibrates and interacts with the lights and the points of view. What is at stake is to overcome the imaginary linked to early childhood building, to set up an element that gathers and protects. The curve given to the concrete walls allows the interlocking of the panels and the concealment of the joints between them, while imparting to the ensemble a light and elegant rhythm.

The facade and the roofing’s 54 precast panels have been assembled in 35 days, reducing the impact of the intervention on the school grounds. The internal building system is composed of a precast column-beam structure, in order to allow the evolution of the workshops in the future. Conceived with the aim of facilitating ease of care and maintenance, the rooms are sober spaces, precluding the addition of finishing touches. The building guarantees a high level of comfort thanks to its inert walls, made in rough concrete that is isolated by wood wool; and to its green roofing, offering a better management of rainwater as well.

Far from a complex and expensive conception, the Jaurès leisure centre relies on the project’s economy and a refined territorial and usage inquiry, in order to offer to the Athis-Mons city sober, adaptable and sustainable facilities.

Credits:
- SCHNEPP-RENOU - PHOTOGRAPH