MILA  NIKOLIĆ  ARCHITECT

The sports pavilion of the Club de Natacio Tàrrega creates a unity with its square as an open foyer, sheltering the main entrance for the general public and the athletes, and receiving the crush of people during sporting, theatrical and other events. A cafeteria and a restaurant, overlooking both the exterior and the game in the arena, dynamize the contact areas with the city. The transparency of the façade on the access level reinforces this relationship, showing the activities which take place within, promoting the sports, and inviting the citizens to join the club. In line with the entry of the women's basketball team in the national league, this façade symbolizes the aspirations of the club and the city and creates the media image of Tàrrega.

The entire building is based on a functional symmetry, adaptable to spatial needs of particular uses. Evoking the use of topography in Greek theatres, the project sinks the arena and makes the auditorium directly accessible from the street level, opting decidedly for ease in operation and clarity of orientation, crucial for public facilities of this type. The circulation system, distributed on the perimeter around the sports venue, allows different independent and simultaneous uses and users, and facilitates the arrival and rapid evacuation during the high influx of people.

The massive roof structure integrates a natural diffuse zenithal illumination and the photovoltaic system, as well as a whole floor for additional training, fitness and social activities of the club, which maintain proximity to the entrance zone through the comfortable ramped stairs and a continuous dialogue with the square and adjoining sports complex.