Architects:URLO Studio

Area:8772m²

Year:2022

Photographs:JAG Studio

Category:Sports Field

City:Samborondón

Country:Ecuador

Text description provided by the architects. This project for a communal house and sports fields on Mocolí Island proposes an efficient and sober design, which is aesthetic and functional at the same time in order to address the requirements of the program. The main pavilion of the complex is placed in an orthogonal manner, generating strategic visual and functional relationships between the key parts of the program.

The pavilion consists of a single-height rectangular floor plan that subtly appears behind the powerful surrounding vegetation. The building has a central patio, filled with native vegetation that creates a fresh and pleasant environment, next to which the entrance, reception and waiting area are located in a covered outdoor space. The white metal structure enhances the lightness of the structure and highlights the rhythmic pattern that is generated on the façade.

The public program (offices, restaurant, and gym) is related to the exterior through transparent glass planes, while the private program (kitchen, changing rooms and service areas) enhances its privacy with opaque green composite aluminum planes. This configuration allows the project to blend into its surroundings, while its single height guarantees universal accessibility and reduces its impact on the landscape.

At the west end of the pavilion is the gym which has a direct visual relationship with the sports fields through a floor-to-ceiling glass façade. The adjacent covered outdoor space allows for the development of outdoor activities such as yoga, either under cover or directly on the grass below.

At the opposite end, following the same visual permeability strategy, are the restaurant and bar. Inside, the custom-designed mobile furniture with incorporated vegetation, allows staff to create more private or open spaces for customers depending on the occasion. The sliding doors that open to the pool generate a direct interior-exterior relationship, connecting the restaurant the covered lounge area.

The project has four fields: a soccer field, a multifunctional court, and two tennis courts, with the main ones having covered stands for spectators. An exterior access corridor accompanies one side of the semi-Olympic pool and its infinity edge blends the water with the lush landscape. Next to this corridor there is a shallower platform for sunbathing and for children to enjoy safely. The landscaping that surrounds the pool seeks to create a fresh and private environment, providing greater visual intimacy from both the street and the courts.

The supporting structure of the pavilion is made of steel frames built on continuous footings. This structure supports the steel-deck cover on which a lightweight concrete with polystyrene insulation is placed. The aluminum composite ventilated façade system has low-emission chamber glass on the transparent sides to reduce the impact of equatorial sunlight. These strategies help to improve the thermal performance of the facade.

Project gallery