A large space whose challenge was the covering and therefore the structure, designed with Fink beams and metal pillars that help to optimize the structural elements that cover the variable lights of the structure, which range between 13 and 19 meters.
Description of project by GAP Associates
The building houses indoor athletic activities such as 100m race or long jump modalities, and is used mostly to develop specific trainings for high performance athletes and to supply a heated space to warm up and reduce injuries.
The shape of the building is defined by the footprint of the plot where is located, on one of the edges of the stadium, adjoining the athletics track on one side and aligned the streetwalk on the other side, while entrances are located on both short sides.
The structure and the envelope mainly define the design. The metal structure is designed with Fink trusses and metal columns painted in white, that help optimizing structural elements, to cover the whole space, varying from 10 to 19 meters long.
The in-situ concrete walls that put the building on the ground are due for vandalism and to restrict external-internal visual connection to help athletes to keep the focus and avoid distractions. The polycarbonate upper part makes the whole lighter and offers a filtered natural light, which homogenizes the illumination for the internal spaces and, at the same time, generates a visual reference in the dark in a location surrounded by garden city segregated from the urban area.
