The Clamart Sports Center is a stunning new building made out of sustainable wood, tucked under a giant green roof in Paris. Designed by Gaetan Le Penhuel Architecture, the building houses four schools under a lush field and a huge curved wooden shell supported by structurally efficient laminated wooden beams.

The complex is framed by two contrasting urban conditions: a suburban zone of detached houses in the south, and a uniform configuration of social housing towers in the north. In order to reconcile the different social and architectural scenarios, the architects created a new artificial landscape that combines educational functions, urban design, and public space.

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The continuous, hollowed shell housing the gymnasium, changing area, and a tennis court, contrasts with the flat green roof . Its laminated wood skeleton was built by Metsä Wood, a Finish manufacturer of sustainable wood products. The extreme curvature of the beams was made possible by using the firm’s Kerto® LVL rafters which allow wide spans and structural integrity.

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“The main challenge was to ensure that the elements supported the loads imposed by the shape of the roof,” said the company. “The stability of the building was achieved by a grillage frame structure made of Kerto® LVL beams. The structure transfers the loads from roofing, while delivering the desired architectural form. Certain areas in the structure were reinforced in order to optimize the cross sections and reduce the material cost of the diagonals.”

+ Gaetan Le Penhuel Architecture

+ Metsä Wood

Photos by Sergio Grazia

Article by Lacy Cooke at inhabitat.com