Ever­y­body Dance Now

Nestled among a sports hall, cultural center, stadium, tennis courts, and BMX track in the Breton town of La Bouëxière, a buil­ding has been created that aims to be more than just a new compe­ti­tion venue: The Marie-José Pérec and José­phine Baker Sports and Cultural Center connects exis­ting faci­li­ties into a new public hub—and uses archi­tec­ture as a tool for urban deve­lo­p­ment. The result is a striking buil­ding with a fabric roof, a public prome­nade, and a surpri­sing spatial compo­si­tion.

The muni­ci­pa­lity of La Bouëxière was looking for a faci­lity that could host regional sporting events while also provi­ding new spaces for culture and commu­nity gathe­rings. The site, located on the outskirts of the town center, is right next to the exis­ting Pierre-de-Coubertin sports complex and the André-Blot cultural center. Although other recrea­tional faci­li­ties were located in the imme­diate vici­nity, they were physi­cally sepa­rated from one another.

For the design team at Onze04 Archi­tectes, this was above all an oppor­tu­nity for urban plan­ning. Instead of simply buil­ding a new arena, the archi­tects deve­loped a concept that connects the exis­ting faci­li­ties and trans­forms the entire area into a cohe­sive sports and cultural campus.

The starting point for the design is a planned foot­path that was intended to connect a neigh­boring resi­den­tial area with the cultural center. The archi­tects altered its route, trans­forming it into a prome­nade and making it the central concept of the design.

This new prome­nade runs through the Marie-José Pérec & José­phine Baker Sports and Cultural Center, divi­ding it into two distinct buil­dings. To the north is the large multi­pur­pose hall; to the south are squash courts and dance studios. The path runs through the complex on two levels, crea­ting unusual visual connec­tions.

On the upper level, a public walkway leads directly to the upper blea­chers of the sports hall. A viewing plat­form is being built there, allo­wing visi­tors to catch a glimpse of the sporting action even before ente­ring the hall. On the lower level, visi­tors enter directly into the foyer and the center’s shared spaces. The buil­ding thus becomes not only a desti­na­tion but also part of the public space.

The diffe­rent uses called for diffe­rent spatial and energy solu­tions. The archi­tects responded by desig­ning two buil­ding sections that are clearly distin­gu­is­hable in terms of their cons­truc­tion.

The compact southern wing houses the heated areas, inclu­ding the dance hall, squash court, and ancil­lary faci­li­ties. The large multi­pur­pose hall, on the other hand, is covered by a textile membrane. Four high points set back toward the inte­rior define the distinc­tive roofs­cape and give the buil­ding its unmist­akable silhou­ette.

The geometry of the membrane roof also helps regu­late the indoor climate. Thanks to its unique shape, the hall is natu­rally cooled during the summer months. In this way, the struc­ture combines archi­tec­tural iden­tity with func­tional and energy-effi­ci­ency bene­fits.

The buil­ding is parti­cu­larly striking after dark. That’s when the white membrane enve­lope trans­forms into a large, glowing lantern. The Marie-José Pérec & José­phine Baker Sports and Cultural Center becomes a land­mark visible from afar, unders­coring its role as a public gathe­ring place.

This symbolic aspect is not a side effect, but rather part of the design concept. The center is intended to high­light sports, culture, and community—and to create a place that fosters a sense of iden­tity for the commu­nity beyond its actual use.

The ensemble was named after two extra­or­di­nary figures: the French sprint legend Marie-José Pérec and the dancer, singer, and civil rights acti­vist José­phine Baker.

The name reflects the buil­ding’s dual func­tion. Here, sports and culture are not only given equal promi­nence, but are also connected both physi­cally and symbo­li­cally.

A highly sustainable project.