A sports center like a promise: In Thion­ville, the “SPOT” merges past and present to create a spec­ta­cular stage for move­ment, encoun­ters and major events – with floa­ting archi­tec­ture, flowing spaces and a clim­bing wall as a land­mark.

With the “SPOT – Site Poly­va­lent Omni­sport de Thion­ville” project, an outdated ensemble from the 1960s – consis­ting of a theater and muni­cipal sports hall – was funda­men­tally revi­ta­lized in north-eastern France. The design by Domi­nique Coulon & asso­ciés trans­forms the faci­lity into a contem­po­rary sports and cultural center that is suitable for both inter­na­tional compe­ti­tions and a wide range of events without losing touch with the histo­rical subs­tance.

The leit­motif of the project is the respectful treat­ment of the exis­ting buil­ding. The charac­te­ristic natural stone wall has been preserved as an element that creates iden­tity and mediates between the times. The original entrance portal has also been preserved and conti­nues to act as a land­mark in the urban space. The new façade design picks up on the archi­tec­tural language of the neigh­boring theater: Vertical openings alter­nate with closed surfaces and create the impres­sion of a grown, coherent ensemble.

A striking element of SPOT is the shim­me­ring reddish multi-purpose hall that canti­le­vers over the stone base. Its appro­xi­m­ately 46-metre-long glass façade lends the buil­ding a surpri­sing light­ness and makes it appear almost floa­ting.

The inte­gra­tion into the urban space is achieved through targeted openings and visual rela­ti­onships. At the inter­sec­tion of two main axes, a gene­rously glazed dance hall pres­ents itself and makes the acti­vi­ties inside visible. On the oppo­site side, the buil­ding was set back in order to preserve an exis­ting Lebanon cedar tree, which shades the rhythmic gymnastics room with its 12-metre-high ceiling.

Inside, a clear, open orga­niza­tion ensures flowing tran­si­tions between uses. The archi­tects speak of “joyful poro­sity”: visual connec­tions, multiple entrances and intui­tive routing link the diffe­rent areas toge­ther. A two-storey foyer forms the spatial center and links the levels visually and func­tion­ally. From here, a sculp­tural concrete stair­case provides access to the multi-purpose hall and the grand­stands, while the sports hall and addi­tional rooms are located on the first floor.

The inte­riors in SPOT are deli­bera­tely desi­gned to be spacious and flooded with light. Supporting struc­tures visually recede into the back­ground, crea­ting a coherent spatial effect. Color-struc­tured zones in shades of blue, ochre and white support orien­ta­tion and lend the buil­ding a lively atmo­sphere.

A central archi­tec­tural high­light is the 42-metre wide and 15-metre high clim­bing wall, which is inte­grated into the sports hall as an inde­pen­dent spatial element. Its sculp­tural form is remi­nis­cent of a natural rock struc­ture. A trian­gular opening allows daylight to pene­trate deep into the room. Oppo­site is a grand­stand with 750 seats that extends into the multi-purpose hall above.

The two main volumes – sports hall and multi-purpose hall – are desi­gned as inter­linked units. They can be used inde­pendently of each other or connected to form a conti­guous area of around 2,800 m². This flexi­bi­lity enables a wide variety of scena­rios – from sporting events to major cultural events.

The SPOT has created a dynamic, versa­tile infra­struc­ture that harmo­nizes histo­rical iden­tity and contem­po­rary archi­tec­ture. The project shows how precise inter­ven­tions and spatial open­ness can create a place that meets the social and cultural requi­re­ments of a modern city.

From garbage dump to exhi­bi­tion grounds: the Parque Quin­tana Roo in Chetumal is the venue for a large agri­cul­tural fair and also a city park. With open-air halls.

The Parque Quin­tana Roo in Chetumal, the capital of the Mexican state of the same name, is the wonderful result of the trans­for­ma­tion of a land­fill site into an exten­sive ecolo­gical urban park.

The park offers a wide range of leisure faci­li­ties, inclu­ding a skate park, a spacious parkour garden, outdoor fitness areas and multi-sports and child­ren’s play areas – all housed in three indi­vi­du­ally desi­gned open-air halls.

The project was prompted by the need for a new venue for the annual live­stock and agri­cul­tural fair. Over the years, this fair has deve­loped into a major annual folk festival that includes concerts, fair­ground rides and craft markets.

The plan­ning comes from AIDIA Studio.

Jungle

The newly deve­loped exhi­bi­tion grounds cover an area of ten hectares. The site is located in a subtro­pical jungle. This loca­tion offered a special oppor­tu­nity to trans­form the area into an urban park with a variety of leisure faci­li­ties that can be used all year round.

Chetumal is the capital of the state of Quin­tana Roo, which also includes the tourist desti­na­tions of Cancún, Tulum and Bacalar in the Mexican Carib­bean. While the beach resorts in the north grew in popu­la­rity, Chetumal deve­loped into an important supply center. The city, which for a long time suffered from a lack of high-quality public spaces, is incre­asingly gaining in quality of life thanks to the recla­ma­tion of areas.

Orga­niza­tion

The trape­zo­idal plot measures 200 by 400 meters and is accessed via a ring-shaped road with parking spaces. An 800-meter-long walking and cycling path was also created along this ring.

The faci­li­ties include three open-air halls, inclu­ding an arena for up to 1,000 spec­ta­tors, which can be used for both sporting events and concerts. There are also covered basket­ball courts, outdoor fitness areas. There are also retail areas, a skate park, a child­ren’s play­ground and a “citi­zens’ square” at the entrance to the site.

This civic square is surrounded by eleven Ceiba trees, which are considered sacred trees in Mexico. Each tree repres­ents one of the eleven coun­ties of Quin­tana Roo. From here, water­courses run through the area, guiding visi­tors to the various faci­li­ties and crea­ting a flowing, non-hier­ar­chical spatial expe­ri­ence that ulti­m­ately ends at the arena, the park’s largest struc­ture.

The low buil­ding density of the park serves to maxi­mize the preser­va­tion of natural green spaces – an essen­tial aspect given the hot and humid climate in the region. All the mate­rials used for the squares and buil­dings are in light beige tones. Toge­ther with the light metal struc­tures of the buil­dings, the slender, olive-green supports and the curved wooden elements, they blend in perfectly with the lime­s­tone and wood­land surroun­dings, while the tiled roofs provide reliable protec­tion against the possi­bi­lity of heavy rain­fall.

The façades of the radial buil­dings use a brick pattern that enli­vens the surface struc­ture on the one hand and ensures air circu­la­tion and natural venti­la­tion through openings on the other. All of the buil­dings are planned on a modular basis to ensure cost-effec­tive cons­truc­tion and to make the cons­truc­tion process effi­cient.

The Presi­dent Valdas Adamkus Athle­tics Hall in Kaunas combines top-class sport, daylight archi­tec­ture and sustaina­bi­lity to create a pionee­ring athle­tics hall.

With the Presi­dent Valdas Adamkus Athle­tics Arena, which opened in November 2025, Kaunas has the most modern athle­tics hall in Lithuania. As an exten­sion of the exis­ting and neigh­boring stadium (S. Dariaus ir S. Girėno stadi­onas), it forms an inte­grated sports campus for top-level athle­tics, youth deve­lo­p­ment and public use that can be used all year round.

The arena was desi­gned by the Lithua­nian archi­tec­ture firm ARCHAS.

The compact plot and the proxi­mity to the adjoi­ning gree­nery played a decisive role in the archi­tec­tural stra­tegy. In order to visually reduce the buil­ding volume, the main hall was lowered around 1.5 meters into the ground. This measure faci­li­tates inte­gra­tion into the surroun­dings and improves the lines of sight to the compe­ti­tion areas – these are a 200-meter circuit, a 60-meter sprint track and the jumping and thro­wing zones.

The ancil­lary rooms such as chan­ging rooms, warm-up and massage rooms, medical areas and storage areas are located under­ground. Above this are publicly acces­sible uses: Café and confe­rence areas, offices and exten­sive trai­ning and fitness areas (Startas Gym) with digital weight machines, free weights and cardio zones.

The Presi­dent Valdas Adamkus Athle­tics Arena is consis­t­ently desi­gned for versa­ti­lity. A teles­copic grand­stand system allows flexible adjus­t­ment of spec­tator seating, from inter­na­tional compe­ti­tions to daily trai­ning sessions or local events. In summer, when compe­ti­tions take place in the neigh­boring stadium, athletes can use the hall to warm up, while in winter the arena itself becomes a compe­ti­tion venue.

The striking W‑shaped roof is a defi­ning archi­tec­tural feature. The north-facing skylights allow even, glare-free daylight into the hall – a decisive factor for athle­tics trai­ning without any disrup­tive sunlight or heat gains. At the same time, the geometry allows large spans with reduced mate­rial usage.

The façade consists of prefa­bri­cated rein­forced concrete panels with a deeply textured surface remi­nis­cent of oak bark – a deli­be­rate refe­rence to the neigh­boring oak forest (Ąžuo­lynas). The robust mate­rial guaran­tees dura­bi­lity, low main­ten­ance, very good thermal proper­ties and blends harmo­niously into the sporting and scenic context of Žali­a­kalnis.

The concept of honest, robust mate­rials conti­nues inside: exposed concrete, steel and mineral surfaces ensure dura­bi­lity in inten­sive sports use, while oak wood adds a warm, tactile quality. Colorful accents in the under­ground func­tional areas enliven the rooms and create a moti­vating atmo­sphere.

In addi­tion to energy-effi­cient buil­ding tech­no­logy, the sensi­tive treat­ment of exis­ting buil­dings also plays an important role. Exis­ting trees were preserved and inte­grated into the open space design, crea­ting a human scale and a plea­sant micro­cli­mate.

The Presi­dent Valdas Adamkus Athle­tics Arena is an example of contem­po­rary sports archi­tec­ture that combines high perfor­mance, suita­bi­lity for ever­yday use and ecolo­gical respon­si­bi­lity. It not only streng­thens Kaunas’ sports infra­struc­ture, but also sets an archi­tec­tural example for sustainable, flexible and future-proof sports faci­li­ties.

And the light is fanta­stic.