The National Gymnastics Centre Pegan Petkovšek (by Enota) is part of the comprehensive renovation of Svoboda Sports Park in Ljubljana. It is the first of the three sports halls that are to be built on the western edge of a belt between an access street on one side and a large greened park layout with sports grounds on the other.
The building of the gymnastics centre is placed on the northernmost part of this belt. The northern and western edge of the building reference the building line regulated by the spatial acts, which also stipulate the greatest built ratio and the height of the building. The strict urbanistic regulations necessitate a very compact design that allows for little deviation.
The proposed spatial design with its predetermined compact volumes of sports halls divides the belt into three clearly defined sections intended for the halls, which are separated from one another by parking spaces.
Going somewhat against the urban design specifying the placement of vehicle and pedestrian building access points from all perimeter streets in alternation, traffic access is organised from Koprska Street in the west while the pedestrian accesses are clearly separated and arranged from the park side in the east. Immediately next to the buildings, the park features a wide central footpath with connections to all access platforms of the halls.
The building is clad in a varied facade membrane made of expanded sheet metal painted in strong colours. The seemingly complex but technologically simple facade wrapping entwined with an intense interplay of light and shadows gives the building a recognisable and lightweight expression and suits the character of the content that it houses.
An additional function of the expanded sheet metal is protection from the sun while at the same time, the fine structure does not obstruct the views of the building’s users towards the exterior.
architecturelab
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