Sports Complex
The architecture and urban planning firm JPAM, based in Barcelona and formed by Jorge Perea, Amado Martín, and Samuel Llovet, has been responsible for designing the Courts and Roof of the Sports Complex in the municipality of Pallejá. JPAM approaches the project with a comprehensive vision and the aim of providing character, coherence, and spatial clarity to the complex.
In its early phases, the Sports Complex evolved in a disjointed way to meet the demands of an expanding programme. Faced with this panorama, the architects reorganised the sports courts, following a strategy that resembled the layout of a chessboard. The use of color on the pavements was a solution that contributed to unify the various uses within the complex, encompassing both spaces intended for sporting activities and those designated for spectators.
To preserve an open condition and spatial continuity, the choice was to cover the multi- sport court without completely enclosing it on any side. The resulting roof stands out for its lightness: the assembly of white-colored metal structures is supported by two strategically placed concrete screens to free the corners, and by steel pillars on its rear facade. Through material contrast, the structure appears to rest effortlessly on the supports; almost floating, explain Jorge Perea, Amado Martín, and Samuel Llovet, architects from JPAM.
The facades are composed of flaps made from different materials and at varying heights, creating an exceptional envelope: from the outside, it presents itself as an abstract and hermetic volume; however, upon entering beneath its shelter, it allows the profile of the urban environment and the passage of natural light to filter through.
From the street level, the volume minimizes visual impact with a discreet height, revealing its maximum elevation towards the front, where it opens up to the landscape. This interplay of heights and materials, frames views towards the sporting activities and the surrounding landscape of the Llobregat Valley.
During the night, the interior lighting transforms the perception of the complex from the city. The interior light is an attraction, and at the same time, as the interior is perceived from the city, the structure is explained outward and lightened, emphasize from JPAM. The roof becomes an identifying element that redefines the urban landscape of Pallejá.
The project has been a finalist in the FAD Awards and has been included in the book 'L’espai public de la Barcelona Metropolitana 2018-2022, intervencions i converses' edited by the AMB.
