Elegant

Stade Phil­ippe Mahut

 

 

 

Barthé­lémy Griño Archi­tectes

Situation

In 2008, the Fontaine­bleau local autho­rity laun­ched a compe­ti­tion to rede­velop the Faisan­derie sports grounds, situated on the edge of the forest of Fontaine­bleau. This rede­ve­lo­p­ment includes land­sca­ping and the rebuil­ding of the exis­ting stands between the two main sports grounds.

The new grand­stand, 75m long, would be inserted between two planted mounds. The awning that shel­ters the seating would be the only struc­ture to rise from the site.

Grandstand

The base of the grand­stand is made up of five lines of terraced seating facing the main foot­ball pitch, and a rear terrace that looks out over the second sports ground.

Beneath the seating and terrace, the ground floor level incor­po­rates chan­ging rooms, wash­rooms and storage. This base is made of rein­forced concrete left untreated to the exte­rior, painted or lined inside.

The presence of heated and wet rooms under­neath the terraced seating required parti­cular solu­tions to ensure water-tight­ness and thermal insu­la­tion, taking into conside­ra­tion the weight of spec­ta­tors over­head. At the centre of the terrace, a parti­ally glazed pavi­lion accom­mo­dates the stairs and lift lobby.

Construction

An awning covers the whole of the terrace and the terraced seating. The roof has two slopes conver­ging towards a valley with a central gutter along its entire length.

The roof is supported by a system of spre­a­ding ‘tree-like’ columns placed every 17m. These comprise three posts, which, above a height of 3m, branch into painted steel tubular bi-arti­cu­lated links. Each post system is trian­gu­lated to give trans­versal strength, and each gives six points of support to the roof.

Material

The roof’s struc­ture is in Douglas fir. It is composed of pairs of glulam beams of variable section, linked by thir­teen lines of purlins. Longi­tu­dinal bracing is provided by the central pavi­lion. The awning is covered by sheets of corru­gated poly­car­bo­nate.

Beneath this cover is a screen made of a dense grid of thick planks of Douglas fir. The screen filters direct sunlight and creates a play of light and reflec­tions on the wood, high­lighting the roof line.

Conclusion

Stade Phil­ippe Mahut was named after a French inter­na­tional (1956–2014), whose game was charac­te­rized by uncom­pro­mi­sing simpli­city — after all, he was a defender. Mahut began his career at the Racing Club de Fontaine­bleau and later became presi­dent of the club.

The archi­tec­ture of the Stade Phil­ippe Mahut is just as clear and uncom­pro­mi­sing. A solid base houses the neces­sary func­tions and ancil­lary rooms, clear and uncom­pli­cated. Above this a roof floats, which appears rather light and playful — roughly like the French offen­sive of the early 1980s led by Michel Platini and Jean Tigana.

Bien joué.

We did this.

Project data

Architect

Barthé­lémy Griño Archi­tectes
68 rue de la Folie Méri­court
F — 75011 Paris 

Client

Ville de Fontaine­bleau

Project team

Trag­werk: QL Inge­niería
Vermes­sung: María José González Vicente
Baulei­tung: José María López Llaquet
Bauun­ter­nehmen: TECOPSA

Physical address

Stade Phil­ippe Mahut
Route de l’Er­mi­tage
F — Fontaine­bleau

Opening

2016

Photograph

Arnaud Schel­straete

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
More Sports Media

Design

Plans

Opening

Video

Contact

How can we be helpful?

Addess
More Sports Media
Am Weit­kamp 17
D‑44795 Bochum

Phone
+49 234 5466 0374
+49 172 4736 332

GDPR Cookie Consent with Real Cookie Banner