Gymnastics and fencing venue

Fencing and both forms of gymnastics are Olympic sports where elegance, strength, coordination, reactivity and competitive spirit are essential requirements. The new gym on Viale dello Sport in Udine has been designed to provide training space and equipment areas for these graceful sports. This genuinely multipurpose centre is ideal for both practice and coaching, although the long, narrow balconies do provide some room for lovers of these sports. The building is highly visible and recognisable, located on a north-south axis with an outside parking lot on the north side. The purpose of the structure necessitates its significant bulk, but the actual design offers numerous perceptions and relations that make its somewhat less material, without crossing that bridge beyond which the edifice would fail to have a meaningful identity. The main section of the sports centre is a prism-shaped volume, with sectors with different heights, on a longitudinal axis (on the plan, about 78x32m). A smaller second section (front 21m, depth 13m, height 7m) sits perpendicular to the western facade. It is the cladding that most differentiates these two volumes. The smaller one has the entrance, with a row of vertical windows or doors on each level. The chosen cladding was black anodized steel panels placed vertically to match the glazing. The result is a sharp, tangible and distinctive shape that is juxtaposed with the larger section of the building. The starkness of this section contrasts with the overall uniformity and image of the complex. The addition of a red cantilever roof not only marks the different levels but also highlights the use of colour. By contrast, the larger section employs the cladding to make the structure slightly less tangible. Polycarbonate honeycomb panels are used for the envelope, forming a ventilated facade around much of the building. This is then decorated vertically with colour, freely using purple, blue, light blue and green, both in single sections and in clusters of the same colour. The translucent nature of the material brings real lightness to the building’s image during the day, with reflections flitting across the panels and tones mutating with the changing light. At night, the continuous line of lighting around the base and at the top of the air space between the envelope and the actual building creates quite striking effects, with the strong lighting at the bottom and top dissolving in the gentler, coloured middle sections. Consequently, the polycarbonate panels differ not only for colour, but also for light intensity in a mesh of vertical and horizontal lines. The interior is divided into three parts. The gym for rhythmic gymnastics, on the northern side, is the highest, with a shed cover. The middle section houses the entrance, offices, change rooms and bathrooms on the ground floor and the fencing gym, with related storage areas, on the upper floor. The third section, on the southern side, is for artistic gymnastics, with both a floor and spaces for the specialist equipment. The interior walls are a combination of bare concrete and coloured metal panels, which are also used on the balcony area for spectators. On the north and south facades, the structural V-shaped pillars are visible. The use of glazed sections on the lower floor allows people to see in and out, ensuring those on the inside feel connected to the surrounds and those on the outside, especially from a distance, get a sense of indistinct movement.

Francesco Pagliari