LAD manipulates rays of light in olgiata sporting club

LAD manipulates rays of light in olgiata sporting club
photo © cornelia suhan
all images courtesy of LAD

‘the olgiata sporting club’ by LAD is located inside the woods of a garden city at the border of rome, italy. the building is made up of three different pavilions connected to one another. from the center, visitors can access administrative functions by going through the main entrance that leads to a staircase. from here, circulation provides them with the option of continuing to the locker rooms on the lower level or heading to programs that occupy opposite sides of the complex. the south contains gyms and multipurpose rooms, while the north houses swimming pools and spin bikes. outdoor spaces are accommodated by football fields, tennis courts and a beach-volley court. produced by holzbau in italy, a series of boomerang-shaped, glulam beams unifies the design as they are consistently placed throughout the sporting club. used above the swimming pool, gym, and other large interior spaces, the system hangs from a zinc-titanium roof that has the ability to adjust rays of sunlight to the needs of the inhabitants playing in areas below.

the pool from the exterior with the roof sloping down towards the ground
photo © cornelia suhan

the sporting club at night
photo © cornelia suhan

an external corridor provides circulation along the facade of the design
photo © cornelia suhan

the entire roof utilizes zinc-titanium produced by rheinzink
photo © cornelia suhan

glulam beams help support the structure
photo © cornelia suhan

louvers are used throughout the design to control light for the interior spaces
photo © cornelia suhan

a close-up of the swimming pool pavilion
photo © cornelia suhan

interior of the pool pavilion
photo © francesco napolitano

spin bikes line the space of the pool
photo © francesco napolitano

louvers above are organized perpendicularly to the swimming lanes
photo © francesco napolitano

interior view of an multipurpose space
photo © francesco napolitano

project info:

architect: francesco napolitano
interior design: simone lanaro
type: sports center – new buildings
location: via conti, rome, italy
program: 7.5 m² indoor gyms + 80000 m² outdoor
design date: 2007
completion date: 2010
civil engineers: teico
wooden structures: holzbau spa
roof: rheinzink
client: olgiata verde s.r.l.
design team: michelangelo sabuzi giuliani, maria carla lini, marcello amalfitano

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