Gymnasium at Marne-la-Vallée

The project is a response to the development programme launched by the Université de Marne-la-Vallée. The site is located where two roads intersect. The first, running east-west and known as the "La Terre" road, leads to a fortified farm, the Haute Maison, while the second, running north-south, follows the rue Galilée. The project respects the client's wish to retain a significant presence of plants by reserving the unbuilt part of the area for a planted garden.

For this combination of a number of large units in an urban location, the architect has suggested a uniform and partly transparent facade to enclose the whole of the built volume.

Access to the gymnasium from the car parks is gained via a pedestrian bridge, a prolongation of the La Terre road. There is a large height difference, approximately three metres, between the western access (the footbridge side) and the rue Galilée on the east of the site.

A full-length passageway forms the southern facade of the building. This very high-ceilinged passageway is punctuated by white tubular steel poles that accentuate the curved shape of the facade. The entrance hall and some spaces for offices are located in this area. On the lower level, a wide and well illuminated movement area links the halls and separates the building from the facilities area that looks out on the southern facade. The facilities areas include in particular changing rooms and showers, store rooms, offices etc.

The total area of the building is 1,996 m², consisting mainly of two large halls: the sports hall (840 m²) and the gymnasium (450 m²). The ballroom (125 m²) is in the centre, above the ground floor.

The structure

The load-bearing structure consists of steel profiles painted white, tubular or of I section, solid-webbed or honeycomb.

Round uprights with a diameter of 139.7 mm are spaced 2.50 m apart along the southern facade. The secondary framework of the envelope bears the load between these uprights. The structural interval of the halls is 5 m (east/west).

Arched honeycomb girders (ACB® castellated beams with circular openings by ArcelorMittal) have a reach of 24.50 m and a structural height of 730 mm. These very light primary beams (weighing less than 100 kg/ml) are delivered to the site as a single element already arched as a function of the 3% slopes of the roof.

Purlins also honeycomb, 6 m long and spaced every 2.50 m, form a support for the Toitesco sheet steel covering by Arval. The whole is braced by diagonals at intervals in each direction.

Light enters the halls through a series of glass panels in the upper part of the northeastern facade and can spread through the ACB® beams. Some round doors and windows are provided in the lower part. The inner walls are finished with horizontal strips of wood painted black and white. The outer envelope is clad with vertical wood laths of natural colour.

The composite flooring on each storey is implemented with Arval's Cofraplus, a combination of cast concrete on a steel profile.

This gymnasium was completed in a very short time, thanks to the dry fabrication and assembly processes that steel permits. In addition, its lightweight structure was a supplementary asset on a site with a low load-bearing capacity.

Additional information:
Contracting Authority
Université de Marne la Vallée
UMLV
Ludovic Féron - Secrétariat Général - Pôle Construction
Economist: Guy Morère
Technopole Agroparc Montaigne
BET PROJEX Coordination Delalande Patrice
Structures: TANG Pascal
Heating: LUSTRE Damien
Heavy and light current: DELECROIX François
Engineering Consultants
Stability & Security: QUALICONSULT - Mr Gley
Hygiene & Security: CBCC - Mr Bérard
Soil Studies
CAP-SOL Conseil - Mr Verdier

ArcelorMittal products used in the project:
ACB® castellated beams with circular openings
IPE - IPE A - IPE O - IPE AA: I-section girders with parallel flanges
Cofraplus 60