Swimming hall for sports and leisure, Douai

In Douai an ecological new city district named ”Raquet” is developing. The swimming center is positioned on the interface between the landscape of a park and the urban sphere. The difference between the urban neighbourhood to the north and east and the park to the south and west asks for an architectural response that unifies those contrary elements. The roof, being the ”fifth façade”, forms a cascade, grown with plants and symbolising the ecological ambitions for the quarter. The exterior spaces too flow in terraced layers from the outside into the swimming hall.