Fassio-Viaud

Gymnasium . Versailles

Fassio-Viaud . photos: © J-B Viaud . © paul Koslowski

The new gymnasium is by no means an architectural shock meant to infuse a new energy in a ackward setting; it is by all means an architectural balm meant to blend into an existing complex neigborough through the insertion of a sustainable, calm, caméléon like building.

Three parallelepipeds house the program.
Three materials and three colors as well.
They redesign the public space by redefining the necessary alignments.
The transparent entrance is amplified by the cantilevered mass and offers a shelter to the users and a signal to the city.
This fragmented street volumetry is treated as a checkerboard facade alternating stone, glass pannels and voîd, but always focusing on materials and surrounding tones.
Using a contemporary technique (natural stone panels on honeycomb structure), the apparant dimensions of the stone pannels have no équivalent ( 120X240 cm).
The stone was carefully chosen to match the surounding one.

For security visibility as well as day intimacy the large street baywindows show a screenprinted patterns recalling classic motifs.
The stone pannels used on the street limits change in nature as they fold in return to a rusty patina that comes into harmony with the with street furniture colorimetry of the city.
The Inside is monochromatic, warm and bright yellow
The details are meant to enhance the point of equilibrium and a certain delicacy in contast with the assembly of these big masses to the point of fragility.

Gymnasium for the city of Versailles France
Client : City of Versailles
Architects : Fassio-Viaud
Engineering : Betiba
Photographe : J-B Viaud et paul Koslowski