ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Noto-Lucchesi Stadium in Marseille, France by Atelier NaomDecember 16th, 2016 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Atelier Naom Investement in Public projets meets more and more difficulties : the proportion between the needs in relation to communities’ necessarily means raises questions about “how” and «how much», the “quality” and the “quantity”. Nevertheless, can we now be satisfied with a proposal that would only be “functional” and “quantitative” without considering that responsibility we have in the City, and which influences for many years the daily life of thousands of people? On the scale of time and space of an area, the calculation is exponential and the stakes are major issues .
So what is the role of the architect in the city and its impact in everyday life? And what is the investment of the Municipality for the development of these disadvantaged neighborhoods? The project of The Merlan Stadium meets these two fundamental questions : with the wish of contracting authorities not to stigmatize a neighborhood, and with the desire to choose Architecture. The current site was abandoned and was the scene of burned cars and all kind of smuggl ings . The cons t raint s wer e announced, the specifications well defined : – A disadvantaged neighborhood, plagued with delinquency So do we have to, under the aegis of these urban problems, let the plague of « barricades buildings” and “all concrete buildings” develop into town? The Architectural intention The importance of architectural design seemed so essential and, to « bunker-like” architecture in such neighborhoods where sometimes famous mediated scenes take place, we have preferred a « turtle-like » intervention! So the choice is simple, besides being adapted to the site : buildings will be buried in order to protect facades and roofs, to control access, and thus, provide a green space lacking in these « concreteasphalt” neighborhoods. Esthetics choices This unexpected functional response should not only intervene on the lives of people but also transform the aesthetics of this site : creating a « bubble of air », a parenthesis, a kind of sacred place of sport and recreation, dedicated to schools and residents. The project borrows a vegetal vocabulary to offer a unique outdoor space! The patina of corten steel, in warm shades ranging from orange to brown, evoking the color of the earth, joins the green slopes dotted with fallow lands and flowers. The blades of the fence offering closed view from the front, evaporate quickly like twigs in side view, allowing to close the site while keeping a sensible and perceptible link with the nearby urban context. “Far from separating, it sublimates visual and physical transition between the site and its environment and thus sanctifies the stadium.” So, with the esthetics of this fence, we understand that it was not just to close, to delimit or to erect a barrier between the stadium and the rest of the world : building conception and architecture means above all creating links. As well, from a « practical » point of view , the selection of a material such as corten steel is a sustainable choice because it is stable over time, naturally durable and easy to maintain: after sanding ( of a graffiti for example …), the patina regenerates itself. The entire street furniture was created for the site and, from the grid of tree to the interior signage, every detail is an opportunity to express our role as designer and to resist in our own way, to the sirens of mass distribution and its standard catalogs. This small piece of urban poetry contributes to a better living in the city and together, the “tailored” for a tangible realization in the city of Marseille … Contact Atelier Naom
Categories: Renovation, Sports Centre, Stadium, Vectorworks |