On the border of the Banane district in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, the Amandiers sport center was born out of a survey of this area undergoing major urban and social transformation. Its location, in an area wedged between a passageway well-known for its street-art and towering social housing blocks, lends it a reconciling value between the domestic dimension of the faubourg streets that frame it and the implacable presence of the low-income residences that overlook it. In this setting, the design of the sports complex does not derive from a fine reading of its context, but from its program and the socio-economic issues inherent in the neighborhood.
The project aims to densify the program as much as possible within a single volume, to leave space for a void whose function is to widen the public space, and to make clear the presence and function of the facility in the neighborhood. The dojo, gym, community rooms and covered playgrounds form a homogeneous whole, deliberately disengaged from its physical context. Imagined as a sport shed where nothing but its function "speaks", the building is composed of a metal structure clad in white folded cladding. The bright, clear tone of the overall design establishes a degree of neutrality, while focusing on the strict minimum.
The complex is organized to ensure fluidity of access and use, while guaranteeing control over visitor circulation. The interior is made of raw, durable materials: cinderblock, recycled aluminum and glass. The dojo's multi-sports room, meanwhile, plays on shades of dark blue to evoke the ambience of its origins. Outside, while all the playgrounds are protected by white metal fencing, the building features a grey cinderblock wall to accommodate future street art.
Photo credits : Clément Guillaume