Christophe Gulizzi  Architecte

Arena du Pays d’Aix

Arena du Pays d’Aix

Auer Weber; Gulizzi

Arena du Pays d’Aix

ARCHITECTS
Auer Weber; Gulizzi

CREDITS CHRISTOPHE GULIZZI ARCHITECTE
Christophe Gulizzi

PHOTOS
Aldo Amoretti Photography (11)

SIZE
100,000 sqft - 300,000 sqft

BUDGET
$50M - 100M

YEAR
2017

LOCATION
Aix-en-Provence, France

TYPE
Hospitality + Sport › Stadium

Arena du Pays d’Aix

The new handball arena was a collaboration between Auer Weber, in Munich, and Christophe Gulizzi, in Le Tholonet.

Arena du Pays d’Aix
Arena du Pays d’Aix

The lead firm was the building company Fayat, the client the SPLA Pays d’Aix Territoires, the conurbation authority of the Pays d’Aix, France.

Arena du Pays d’Aix

The arena is situated on a freeway intersection in the south-west of Aix-en-Provence. The façade is made up of metallic ellipses stacked like layered contours.

Arena du Pays d’Aix
Arena du Pays d’Aix

At first sight, the arena has no front or back – since every side of the façade is treated equally.

Only the differently arranged ellipses indicate the front of the arena. The large form embraces an events hall for 6,000 to 8,000 spectators plus a smaller training hall.

Arena du Pays d’Aix
Arena du Pays d’Aix
Arena du Pays d’Aix

The arena reacts to the site through geometrical modifications: the ellipses, hovering above another, arranged with a much stronger shift towards the forecourt than to the other sides, thus forming a large canopy to welcome the visitors of the arena.

The undersides of the protruding ellipses are illuminated to manifest the building as a whole. In the evening the lights on the undersides additionally help to move the focus of the arena towards the forecourt.

Arena du Pays d’Aix


Arena du Pays d’Aix

Arena du Pays d’Aix
Arena du Pays d’Aix
Arena du Pays d’Aix

Christophe Gulizzi  Architecte
T +33 4 12042984
Christophe Gulizzi Architecte
41 Av. Victor Hugo, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France