The project consists of designing a space that was unused and unconditioned, located beneath the stands of an athletic stadium on the Elviña campus of A Coruña University. We wanted to accommodate a fitness room and a sitting mat to be used by students and faculty of the university. New uses have to connect with the existing program of the building.
The tight budget of the project determines much of the decision making. We propose austere and expressive materials that contribute thermal and acoustic qualities, and give a new character to the site. A folded glass surface allows us to visually incorporate the corridor space that leads to the rooms, so that from it one can see the activities in the rooms. On the opposite wall, we replace the existing factory enclosure for a glass enclosure that provides the necessary lighting and natural ventilation. The view of the stadium lawn also brings some relief to the rooms and entertains the user’s gaze.
On the roof, folding panels of expanded polystyrene and wood shavings respond to an idea of coverage, protection, and a unifying element of the space. Ceramic painted white on the vertical divisions between the rooms, and floors made of recycled rubber, tatami mat and epoxy paint, are adapted to the specific use required in each classroom. A new staircase made of folded steel sheet coated with OSB solves the access to the top floor in the main room.
In terms of lighting, fixtures are installed out of context, more specific to an office typology. They seek to enhance the textures of materials, their vibration. The arrangement of the linear elements tries not to make evident the polygonal geometry of the room. At lower heights, we install specific surface luminaires such as beacons, closer to the domestic sphere.
