Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado

21/04/2015. por Pedro Reis. [Melgaço, Viana do Castelo] Portugal
metalocus, BRANLY ERNESTO PEREZ

Located on the outskirts of the ancient village of Melgaço, on the northern border between Portugal and Spain, the new Sports University Building offers a serene and integrated learning atmosphere within the dynamic nature of a sports campus.

Exterior view. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Photograph © José Campos.

Exterior view. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Photograph © José Campos.

Interior. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Photograph © José Campos.

Detail of wall. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Photograph © José Campos.

Stair detail. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Photograph © José Campos.

Site plan. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis. Click above to see larger image.

Basement. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

Ground floor. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

First floor. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

Ground Cover. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

East Elevation. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

West Elevation. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

North Elevation. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.e. Escuela de Deportes Monte Prado en Melgaço por Pedro Reis. Imagen © Pedro Reis.

South Elevation. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

Section. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Image © Pedro Reis.

Exterior view. Melgaço Sports School Monte Prado by Pedro Reis. Photograph © José Campos.

As a result of an open public competition launched in 2008 by the Melgaço Municipality and the Viana do Castelo Polytechnic Institute, the new building was conceived as a central hub for the High Performance Sports Campus, concentrating all administrative, educational and social activities.

Based on a simple and clearly articulated geometric composition, the design strategy was a direct response to the challenges created by an imposing topography, a limited budget and the desire to achieve a balanced integration with the surrounding landscape.

The design followed a dialectic strategy by clearly distinguishing the social and administrative areas of the program, concentrated on the anchored concrete volume, from the main educational areas located on the lighter upper white volume. This dialectic strategy not only allowed an evident reduction of the scale of the building but was also decisive in defining its formal expression.

The interaction between the building and the surrounding landscape also followed this strategy by clearly intensifying a direct and transparent relation between the main social areas, with large glass areas in connection with the scenic countryside, as opposed to a more introspective nature that characterizes the main classroom areas, the office spaces and the library.

The design aimed to achieve a naturally balanced sustainable building, combining consistent passive design solutions, like the extensive use of natural lighting and ventilation, with the use of appropriate and long lasting materials.

CREDITS.-

Architects.- Pedro Reis.
Collaboration.- Nicola Tuan, Elisa Pegorin, Luis Ribeiro, Isabel Azevedo, Ricardo Lima.
Structural Engeneering.- ARA - Alves Rodrigues & Associados, Lda.
Specialist consultants.- ACRIBIA - Projectos e Desenho Técnico, Lda.
Landscape design.- Global2 - Inês Norton.
Location.- Melgaço, Viana do Castelo, Portugal.
Gross floor area.- 5050 m².
Project.- 2009-2011.
Groundbreaking.- 2011.
Construction completed.- 2014.