Lac de Vioreau Leisure Center

The site is turned to the South, facing the shores and the banks of the lake. Discovering the site, one can measure the importance of a project that would have to be set as a link between the different elements composing the environment: the water sports facility, the parking lot uphill, the archery training spot, the camping site, and the pathway going to the lake.

The leisure facility has to be inscribed in the environment and play with it, without disturbing it, just modifying its principles, in cohesion with the architectural and landscapes dates given here. The project turns the site, composed of independent elements, into a single piece, well articulated and wired. To confort that, it was decided not to modify anything; the camping site, the different access, the landscape layouts, the pathways going through the site.

The topography of the site is totally used to set the project on two axes:
– North/South axe, in order to fit the project in the hill;
– West/East axe, in order to stretch the project along the hill, parallel to the bank of the lake.

The floor of the upper level is set on the natural terrain, creating a soft slope from the parking lot. The downslope of the site makes that the new building does not impact much the site, slipping the storage rooms, the changing rooms, the technical rooms in the terrain, at the lower floor, on the same level as the bank, making the manœuvre and the access to the lake easier.

Thus each floor stands on the ground level, connected directly to the topography of the site. The lower level has a generous space (4m under the beams) to store all the water sports equipment. The project is based on a sustainable approach, adopting the principles of a bioclimatic architecture:
• North/South orientation, taking into account the climate, the wind and the sunshine of the site
• Low impact on the landscape thanks to its materiality (wooden covering for the upper level, moulded concrete for the lower level)
• Compacity of the building (simple and compact form), with strong inertia that bring thermal confort all year long
• Passiv exploitation of solar energy, summer protection added
• South façade generously opened on the landscape, circulations in the North part

This disposals and passive methods concerning the form, the implantation, the orientation and the nature of the facades and the roof are to be completed by simple and well-known technical solutions, such as reinforced isolation, mechanical ventilation, transformation of the energy of the heat, etc. This technics work on a perfect airtightness and the use of a passive production of electricity, and lead us to great thermal performances.

Concept: a contemporary approach of vernacular aesthetic
In this context, marked by a poetic of the landscape, the project sets a strong identity, interpretating in a contemporean way the vernacular aspect of the site. The project superposes two layers that reveal the context as well as the program:

– On the lower level, a mineral layer made of moulded concrete giving a rocky aspect lays on a site-inspired geometry, that you can find in the area of Chateaubriand/Nozay/Joué-sur-Erdre, from the vernacular architecture made of stones to the numerous schist quarries. This moulded concrete skin is covered with irregular paintings, interpretating the colours of the rocks on the site.
– On the upper level, a large an light glazed South façade turns into a wooden covering on the North, West and East façades, just like the wooden architecture of the Pays de la Mée.

The project relies only on simple technical construction solutions and well-known materials. Taking into account the energy performances, the equipment and the autonomy of the two levels, we decided to adopt the following constructive principles :
– for the upper level a timber framework. Everything is prefabricated, this way we ensure the control of the detail, of the assemblies, and it guarantees a noiseless construction site and a flexibility of the building in the future
– for the lower level a pilars and beams concrete structure

Reception hall
The reception hall is North and South oriented, controls the access and the distribution to the services of the facility : class rooms, multimedia room, changing rooms and storage. It offers also a private and discrete access to the housing. It is a large and confortable space (4.5m high under the ridgepole), lightened by the smooth North light goign through the chimney, and direct sun from the largely glazed South façade. It is opened on Vioreau’s lake thanks to large all-high windows and a terrace, transition between the inside and the outside. The hall contains the reception desk, the secretary and management offices, and man/woman toilets.

Class rooms, ‘nature’ room and multimedia room
Situated on the East part of the upper level, the class rooms are controled by the reception hall. They are oriented on the North/South axis and are granted with a view on the lake, largely opened to the South thanks to ‘over-measured’ all-height windows, a balcony on the landscape. They are linked to each other, and the ‘nature’ class room can open directly on the reception hall. The multimedia room is on the West part, and is controled by the management offices.

Housing
The housing for the watchman and the accomodations for the seasonal workers are on the West part of the upper level. They have a private access from the pedestrian pathway.

Many apparatus reinforce the notion of appropriation and proper house: a footbridge, a small barrier access, a private transition room, a South oriented terrace for the watchman’s housing. These accomodations also have a direct access to the reception hall and users do not need to cross the outside playground to get to their housing.

Storage
On the East part of the lower level are placed the storage rooms for the water sports and the mountain bikes, and the technical workshop. They have huge spaces opened on the outside thanks to all-height folding doors. The dryer room opens directly to the outside or on the storage.

Changing rooms
They are in the West of the lower level and are articulated around a generous corridor, separating the two main changing rooms. Two different circuits, a ‘wet’ one and a ‘dry’ one, are offered, generated by the disposition of the elements. When the users are dry, they can go to the reception hall and use the ‘dry’ circuit without crossing the ‘wet’ circuit. The changing rooms are placed along the façades: they have direct sunshine and ventilation.

Technical rooms
They are compacted in the West part of the building, and are directly accessible from the outside.

Climbing wall
It is found on the East outside wall of the lower level, 14m long (corresponding to 9 climbing ways), 6 to 8m high thanks to the difference between the lower and the upper levels.