Like a strip wedged between the valley and the mountains, the Fieldhouse sports complex fits subtly between mountainous slope and the sports fields, like a new sleek and textural landmark, a modern piece of infrastructure dedicated to sports and free time.

The Laghetti district of the Town of Egna, in the province of Bolzano, lies squeezed between the slopes of the Trudner Horn Nature Park and the banks of the Adige River: the renovation project of its sports facility acts as a connecting element in a landscape characterized by small villages and fragmented clusters of homes, which dot the valley basin of Alto Adige.

 

Architecture that follows the forms of the site

The project entrusted to MoDus Architects involved the demolition of the previous building housing the locker rooms and sports association while maintaining the outdoor structures (the soccer fields). Additionally, the new expansion needed to bring an improvement of the facility’s energy efficiency while maintaining the previous photovoltaic system. The designers’ solution was a building that becomes infrastructure: a low volume with a regular, elongated plan that changes from a retaining wall on the slope of the mountain to become an integral part of the elevated landscape. The longitudinal development, as the studio’s co-founder Sandy Attia affirms, incentivizes the free usage of the spaces by the public, giving full visibility to the all the activities involved in the functional program.

The elevations of the building follow the slope and orography of the site with a continuous and linear façade, featuring a strong textural look marked by the trapezoidal geometries of the openings and sloping pillars.

The rough cladding of exposed concrete envelops the forms, enhancing their contours and geometric patterns: the structure appears as a unicum that insinuates itself into the landscape and interpenetrates it. Fieldhouse has two stories, one of which is partially underground. The upper level is above ground and extends outwards with a spacious terrace overlooking the sports fields.

>>> Discover three other sports facility projects in northern Italy

 

A meeting point for the community

A stunning architectural element of the building is the lighting tower soaring 11 meters, rising from the eastern side of the structure. As the focal point of the composition, it visibly balances the elongated volume and incorporates all the lighting poles into a single element. Designed as an integral part of the roof system, it blends seamlessly with the outline of building, which has 52 photovoltaic modules on the roof, capable of meeting 50% of the total requirements.

On its interior, Fieldhouse houses offices, a meeting room, a cafeteria area with a kitchen, in addition to locker rooms and restrooms with a capacity of 30 athletes on the lower level, connected directly to the sports fields.

The importance of the structure in the local social panorama elevates the purely sports function of Fieldhouse, which has become a gathering point for the local community – a meeting place to practice sports, meet, and pass free time together.

 

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