ARENA CITY : A LIVING STADIUM _ La Défense Paris

(1)

Our project's aim is to bring life in the interior and outside the stadium, when there is no sporting performances and during a match. Therefore the stadium is no longer an object put an a lot, but a micro city inscribed in the existing urban space.

(2)

The site analysis points out a intense dynamic : people's flow. Coming from different part of the neighborhood, for different things and with different intentions. There is 3 different types of flows, the main one : people coming for the stadium coming from different axes. Flow number 2 : People working in offices coming from La défense. Flow number 3 : People living in Nanterre.

According to this analysis we wanted to create an architecture that will be formed, that will interact, guide, and predict flows.

Therefore, the shape and location of programs is so original. We have planned and created two rules to guide the flow to take them to the bleachers (using the geometry of the north-south road) or by inviting them to cross the project (by extending the historic axis of Paris by radiation).

(3)

The topology of the topography is meant to formalize the part 2 (flow's guide). Instead of the massy stadium we wanted a human-scale topography. Thus the topography is completely traversable but leads the pedestrian by different alleys. These paths are separated by a 5 percent slopes going up or down.

This medley of architecture and flows create, as we wanted, different scenarios. As you can see the bleachers are independent, defined by a block , a module containing access to private dressing rooms, public access to the bleachers, restrooms and a snack bar.

(4)

Because all the vertical access are arranged inside the module. The entire ground plan become pedestrian and through this element, the stadium can be transformed into a city.

Inside the module, the ground floor is public. We provided empty spaces for commercial and cultural programs, for the stadium (rugby's shops etc...) and a market. These programs are naturally positioned according to the flows concerned and their location.

(5)

The structure is the last part of our project. The formal identity of the stadium is so strong that it was difficult to design the structural shape that will fit well (visually speaking).
We were inspired by the utopian project and especially by Plug-In City create by Archigram.

Therefore the structure plugs itself to the stadium like arms on a body.Because of the specificity of every block, the structure is an echo of the curve created by the block's height.
The removable roof is like a veil protecting the stadium.






RENDERED IMAGES


First Exterior Perspective _ Draft _ Only Vray

Final Project _ The Stadium Seen From The Bridge