Sports Hall at C.P. Pablo Iglesias / Planta 33 Arquitectura

Architects: Planta 33 Arquitectura
Location: Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain
Architect In Charge: Rodrigo Muñoz García
Area: 830 sqm
Year: 2011
Photographs: Miguel de Guzmán, Palíndromo Mészáros

Collaborators: Sergio Calvo, Marita Martín, Patricia Pintado, Valentina Bidone, Iván Barreira
Constructor: Construcciones San Luis 32, Cypsa
Surveyor: Jose Luis Rocha Tofiño
Structure: GV 408
Installations: Sergio Calvo, Natalia Balmaseda
Budget: 693,088 E

From the architect. The work consist of an enlargement of an nursery and primary school which number of students has recently grown. The design includes two different projects: a new classroom building for pre-school education and a sport hall.

A strict scale and an accurate stitching with the surrounding buildings are needed due to the small size of existing free space.

The pavilion is located in the northern part of the site, in a very compact space that borders the railway line that reaches Talavera de la Reina. This dimensional limitation leads to locating the longest side of the building facing east-west.

The building has the traditional saw-tooth sectioned industrial typology, but in this case, having skyligths longitudinally arranged instead. This main volume opens widely into the north so to let natural, uniform, diffuse light illuminate the space, guaranteeing athletes won’t be disturbed by glaring.

A unique gesture provides the solution to the entire building. Longitudinal 2.77 m wide stripes with Z-section try to accomplish the same geometry and appearance for both sections and floor plans. Four large skyligths fold up over themselves to create a stepped floor plan that, by providing the stripes, extends to the changing rooms and storage room. Between every two pieces, private gravel-finished patios are created to allow the proper ventilation and natural lighting of changing rooms, improving the living experience of these spaces, usually considered unimportant.

The south elevation constitutes the main façade towards schoolyard. The main entrance is aligned to the old classroom buildings by a paved axis, blending in this way with the existing pedestrian paths of the complex. A space of transition between this area and the new pavilion building is created by a large porch that serve as a shaded area to play during breaks. This low piece built in front of the sports building box reduces the visual impact towards the school.

Assembly

An exercise of economic, light, industrialized and dry construction has been carried out. Almost every construction piece is manufactured at workshops and assembly in situ. There was no need to lay a single brick. A good care of joints dignifies the prefabricated system, and gets to worth and values this pieces that are normally used at industrial buildings. The steel plates normally used for constructions fences, here become the finishing surface material; humble, but respectable.

The 19.5 m distance is spanned by steel HEB 500 beams resting on HEB 180 columns. The longitudinal skylights are hanging down from these by steel six millimeter plates, which greatly helps to give the structure a weightless sensation.

The exterior walls are made with self-supporting galvanized trays, which are exposed in the interior. Steel lacquered sheets, grey or black, close the exterior of the building. For the deck roof, steel micro-perforated sheets are used to improve the acoustic of the room. Both the installations and the rainwater downpipes remain completely hidden inside these walls.