Nordic Educational and Sports Center of La Féclaz
Nestled on the plateau of Revard at an altitude of 1400 meters, the cross-country ski resort of La Féclaz is a major training and recreational area for the people of Chambéry. The chosen site for the construction of the Nordic Sports Education Center is extensive, situated amidst a clearing, occupied by cross-country ski trails in winter and pasturelands in summer. The built environment comprises public buildings associated with the Nordic station, sparsely distributed and dating back to the 1980s. The plot lies along the communal road encircling the station, away from the village center, between two individual houses curiously present for fifty years.
The program involves creating facilities to accommodate students, clubs, amateur adults, and high-level teams for Nordic skiing practice. Given that some spaces are reserved for equipment storage and changing rooms, the choice of a compact volume organized around a square shape was necessary, with the central part reserved for blind spaces.
Positioning the building along the departmental road creates a secure forecourt and minimizes the impact on the vacant plot. It allows for the installation of a terrace facing the winter sun and a large area for putting on skis in front of the white trail. Simple and monolithic, topped with a large three-pitched roof and a half-hipped roof on the front side, the building is protected from winter weather by large roof overhangs, inspired by the alpine barns of the Bauges, which store hay for the winter and whose wooden pegs allow for greater overhang. The volume generated within the framework is cleverly utilized, while the edges facing the adjacent plots are low to preserve the neighborhood and minimize the impact of the structure on pedestrians or skiers.
The masonry part that supports the framework is made of a double wall of concrete and massive stones from the local quarry exploiting the sandstone at the foot of the slope. Inside, everything is designed to withstand the significant number of users who frequent the center daily. The facilities are organized according to a forward-moving process, from the arrival of children by bus to putting on skis at the snow front. The need to manage a large number of people led us to design a rational project in which predominantly ground-level spaces are arranged under a large full-height volume. It is designed for use by various groups, including students, occasional cross-country skiers, regular amateurs, winter holiday tourists, high-level athletes, and clubs. It is also designed for use in summer, with a four-season equipment mindset.
