29.5.2017
Sports complex and school canteen
Between Cannes and Grasse, the village of Châteauneuf-de-Grasse is perched on the heights of the hinterland. The proposed site is located on a parking at the entrance of the village, near the elementary school and sports fields.
Its topography shows a slight slope. It is bordered by the intersection of two roads in the upper part and tennis courts in the lower part. The municipality wanted to build a sports pole (dojo, yoga room, club house) near the tennis courts as well as a collective kitchen and a school canteen in relation to the school of the village.
Programmatic device and mixity
The project is an “L” shape align with existing roads. We took advantage of the natural slope of the land to manage the programatic mix. The project takes place on the slope, is built on two levels and reveals two distinct volumes. The kitchen and school canteen as well as the clubhouse are located in the lower part of the volume and form the subbasement of the project. It forms a stone wall and hangs the project on the ground, in the continuity of stone retaining walls that characterize the landscape of the village.
The roof of the clubhouse generates a front entrance for the program of the floor related to sports activities (dojo and dance hall). This white volume has very few window. Cantilevered over the subbasement in stone, it operates a game of contrast while emphasizing the contemporary aspect of the project. Out of all demonstration, we have taken advantage of the constraints without pouring into the exceptional.