An arabesque on the landscape
This nautical and sports center is the result of the desire of a young visionary mayor to offer his city a facility dedicated to the pleasures of water in all its forms. The project is located on a former industrial site transformed into a campus dedicated to new technologies and sports. The building offers 2,000 m2 of water space with swimming pools for competitions, spectator stands, relaxation pools, an outdoor 50m pool, a balneotherapy area with hammams, saunas, a sports center and two multi-purpose rooms that can be used as music or event rooms, cafeterias and outdoor solariums with plants. Structurally, the building is designed as a bridge to span an existing 12-meter wide road. To take advantage of the panoramic views of the Indre landscape and to absorb the slope of the land, the building is elevated and rests on a “Piano Nobile”, a high forecourt that gives it the status of an elliptical belvedere overlooking the landscape. Inside, the large edge-to-edge glass panels, with no joinery, give a unified vision of the landscape without cutting it off, and the zenithal light from the large roof windows provides an intense connection to the sky and the sun’s path.