Multisports hall – La Petite Raon, France

60 km from Strasbourg, the Vosges mountain range looks out over the Alsace plains. In the course of the past generation the textile industry has left the villages of the upper valleys.

All that was left of the old waterworks were the ruins of a turbine and the outsized lot on the zoning ordinance. In an effort to revalorise the one-street village typical of the Vosges, this spot was chosen for the new community centre in favour of others, because unlike the similar locations large enough to hold the program, this one was situated in the heart of town. The municipality held strong to the ambition that its modest funds would not necessitate compromises on the quality of the renewal project. Every effort at economy was made in the design of the simple volume, undersupported tie-rod trusses, primary steel structure and secondary wood structure, which all benefited from the regional artisans’ close attention to detail. A system of window mullions was developed that could be built by the local prefabricated carpentry factory, the sole remaining industry in the area. In the spirit of the vernacular architecture, the community centre assumes its multi-functionality without appearing low-tech or bland. It forms a discrete promontory that has forged a new connection between the river and village life.