Category: Testimonials

For the past 9 months, players at Caen’s Malherbe stadium have been enjoying an indoor training facility featuring a 2,500 m² wood frame structure with a tensile fabric roof. Interview with Cyriaque Mauduit, sports facility manager at the City of Caen’s municipal sports directorate.

 

How did the project begin?

Following the World Equestrian Games in 2014, the Ornano facility was Caen’s main sporting event venue. So we had to renovate the synthetic turf area used by the Malherbe stadium in Caen. We took advantage of the work underway, which was part of the project to bring the facility into line with the standards, to cover this 40 x 50 m area. This was a request from the club so that their teams (professionals and young people from the training centre and the amateur football academy) could train the whole year round in any weather conditions.

 

Could you tell us about the facility?

From the beginning we didn’t want a fully closed facility that was too massive. In addition, we wanted to go with a wood roof frame so that the facility would blend in seamlessly with its surroundings. We chose SMC2’s concept because of its lightweight but strong tensile fabric roof, which responded to our expectations in terms of good looks and comfort. The structure features a ceiling height of 8 m and beams with a 46 m span. We chose to close off the sides using perforated openwork fabric that lets through the light while acting as a wind-break. Like this, we now have an indoor facility while maintaining conditions that are almost the same as outdoors. The structure features peripheral lighting (250 lux), and the rainwater drainage system runs through the posts.

 

What feedback have you had so far?

The facility was completed in early June 2016 after 4 months of construction work. It’s meeting our expectations and those of our users perfectly, because we’re getting positive feedback, particularly from its use this winter. By the way, we’ve also decided to cover two tennis courts in the near future.

SMC2 has built several Préosports in Corsica over the past few years. Education buildings department head for Corsica’s local government Guy Graziani tells us how important these sports facilities are.

 

Why did you decide to build this type of sports facility?
Corsica’s local government is responsible for educational facilities and has a long-standing experience in building and maintaining secondary education buildings. So it’s our job to provide the pupils of these institutions with the facilities they need to take part in physical education and sports in the right conditions, no matter where the schools are located. Because an inventory had shown up a number of shortfalls, a decision was made to implement a regional plan to develop sports infrastructure in educational institutions.
The ones located in rural areas were equipped with open air sports facilities that couldn’t be used in rainy weather. So we decided to build covered, but not closed, sports facilities in four secondary schools (Luri, Moltifao, Lévie and Sainte Marie de Sicche) each with a headcount of about one hundred pupils. A canopy is also a huge advantage in summer. The first Préosport was delivered 8 years ago, and the second 5 years ago.

 

Could you tell us about these sports facilities?
They feature a wood framework – an important point for us – with tensile fabric architecture. Measuring 44 by 22 metres, they provide the right space for team sports like handball, basketball, volleyball and badminton. We opted for a resin sports surface. In addition, we built changing rooms nearby to make things easier for the pupils. We have had excellent feedback from the principles of these schools about these structures, which are often the only sports facilities they have.
Also, some of them have made agreements with their municipalities to make these sports facilities available outside of school hours.

 

And what’s it like to operate them?
We are very satisfied because, in addition to making a major investment, one of our objectives was to avoid difficult operating and maintenance constraints for these small institutions. This goal has been attained because running costs are low: no heating, basic lighting, etc. In terms of maintenance, the surfaces simply require cleaning because of the nearby trees. As for the rest, we’ve had no problems with the fabric canopy or the wood framework. It’s the schools themselves that carry out periodic checking. Plus, a key technical person from our department can be called in to check for any problems, but there’s been no need so far.

Tremplin Sport Formation is a private training organisation hosting a wide range of workshops and courses for companies and athletes. It owns several sports facilities including a Préosport since December 2014, and a gymnasium featuring a dual membrane facade recently completed by SMC2. Franck Volpi, who directs the organisation, tells us more about these two sports facilities.

 

Why did you choose to build a Préosport in 2014?
Our organisation holds training workshops for about a hundred sports leagues in addition to the Young Talents basketball team. We were looking for a versatile building to help relieve the burden of use on our other facilities. We liked the concept of a roofed outdoor facility because it allows user to play while protected from rain and sun. The Préosport is in high demand in summer and throughout the year. It’s used mainly for basketball but also for roller hockey, bicycle training and athletics. It’s an ideal structure for the leisure and training activities we host here.

 

So this year you decided to add a new gymnasium to your facilities?
To further the development of the organisation, our existing indoor facilities needed several additions: a gymnasium, a large sports hall, a climbing hall, two dance halls and a power training room. We decided to build a second gymnasium with a floor area of 720 m2 and a height of 6.50 m. It comprised of a hall area with some storage space, a coat rack and shoe lockers. We already are well equipped with change rooms so these were not included. We use the hall for departmental and national level basketball. This summer we are set to host three national teams and an U16 international tournament. In addition, it’s a great general-purpose hall that we can use for our dance activities, group games and physical training exercises.

 

What are the technical features of this gymnasium?
The gymnasium features a glulam frame with translucent dual membrane roof & wall cladding. This was important for us because our winters are cold here and we wanted comfortable conditions, especially for the Young Talents basketball team, which practices every day. In addition, we opted for light green roof corners, which give the building a really stunning look. The acoustics are excellent too, both for playing basketball and for the dance classes. Lastly, we opted for 350 lux LED lighting, which provides the right level of light for training. We are really satisfied with the results, and everything went really smoothly, from the design stage all the way through to completion. Right now, we’re thinking about building another hall in the near future.

n à la réalisation. D’ailleurs, nous sommes en cours de réflexion pour réaliser une autre salle dans un futur proche…

“We wanted a concept that was both robust and good-looking”

 

A few months ago, SMC2 delivered the metal-textile roofing over four tennis courts at Porte des Lilas in Paris. Hugues Cavallin, chairman of the Paris Tennis League talks about the project.

 

Why did you decide to roof these four courts?
The Paris Tennis League had four covered courts and five outdoor courts, four of which are located on a terrace just above the covered courts. However, we were still short of covered facilities so we decided to roof the four courts on the terrace. The whole project was designed with the building’s architect since his architectural statement is quite a strong one.

 

Was the project a major step ahead for the club?
Yes, definitely. It empowered us to continue to develop our excellent facility which now boasts nine covered courts, a clubhouse and several change rooms. In all, some 3,000 players use the club, which operates at an occupancy rate of 95%. It’s a facility that has really found its ideal positioning. We host the Paris championships, numerous youth events and several Parisian clubs that make use of the facilities during available time slots.

 

Why did you choose a textile roof by SMC2 to cover these courts?
After several discussions with the architect, we consulted several people. The brief was to implement a concept that was both robust and good-looking, and one that the buildings would be able to support, since they are on a terraced area. We also wanted certified courts that would meet the French Tennis Federation’s requirements. Se we looked at the various possibilities and opted for SMC2’s system, mainly because it met all these criteria. In addition, the company already has an impressive project portfolio.

 

What feedback have you had so far?
The initial feedback is excellent. The work is delivering full satisfaction, both from the sporting and architectural standpoints. In fact, because the new structure was being added to the existing one, it was vital that it fitted in seamlessly. Both the architect and us were extremely demanding on this point and the result is a great success.

This concept is more innovative, modern, cheaper to maintain and comes at a lower cost than conventional solutions

 

After 11 months of construction work, the town of Trets (13) has a new gymnasium at its La Gardi sports complex. The facility features a textile roof by SMC2. Mayor Jean-Claude Feraud talks about the choices made for this brand-new facility.

 

Could you tell us about the new gymnasium?
The gymnasium has a conventional multisport hall for traditional team sports like basketball, handball, volleyball and badminton. In addition, the hall features an artificial climbing wall. Local sports clubs are the main users, both for training and playing official matches. The schoolchildren don’t really use it since the school is a bit far from the site and they already have a gymnasium nearby.

 

Why did you choose a textile roof by SMC2?
We were taken to see this process used at other facilities by the people who recommended it to us. We came to the conclusion that it was more innovative, modern, faster to install, easier to maintain and cheaper than a conventional solution. In addition, the outside temperature doesn’t have to be 20°C before you can start playing. SMC2 guaranteed that the temperature would not go down below 12°C, even if it was cold outside, and they were right! The result is highly satisfactory, especially since once they’re tried it, it’s no problem for users. From the maintenance standpoint, there are also a lot of advantages for us because there are none of those leakage problems you get with a roof deck.

 

From the user’s point of view, what are the advantages of textile?
Firstly, from the design standpoint, it is very good-looking. But more importantly, this system provides outstanding brightness. The lighting is much more natural and when the weather’s good, you could be outside. This really is a huge asset because lighting is a very important factor for sportspeople, since less than perfect light conditions can hinder performance. After a few months of use, feedback from users is positive. This confirms our choice of a special concept that we were betting on for success. But there wasn’t really much danger of it not working for us, since the solution has been tried and tested in many towns and cities across France. By the way, a lot of local government officials visit our gymnasium to see the result for themselves. As for me, I plan to build an additional hall next to this one using the same system.

[TESTIMONIAL] SAMUEL GAUTIER, ARCHITECT, ATELIER EPICEA

“The metal and fabric roof solution has very interesting light, thermal and acoustic properties.”

 

The new Saint-Denis sports centre on Réunion island is the first sporting facility with a completely wooden structure and a metal and fabric roof. The product designed by SMC2 was selected for the construction. We take a look back at the project with Samuel Gautier, manager of Atelier [ÉPICéA] architecture agency.

 

Can you describe the sports centre to us?
It is part of an urban landscape that can be easily seen from Saint Denis’ Boulevard Sud, situated between a ravine and a rainwater canal. You could say it is on a “peninsular” with strict geographical constraints associated with 100-year flooding. For example, people get to the centre over a bridge. The main building with its “opaque” roof (Ondulit sheet metal and plant complex) has the changing rooms, club house and patio. The second building with the metal and fabric façades and roof has the sports facilities with a multi-sports hall for handball, basketball, volleyball and also badminton. But the hall is mostly used for handball with local club matches held there.

 

Why did you choose a fabric roof?
The primary objective was to recommend a naturally ventilated and lit sports hall using a bioclimatic design. On Réunion island, this is the first sports facility with a completely wooden structure, cross-ventilation and roofing system with a double-curved fabric envelope. This roof is very interesting because it generates the ideal light for indoor games (diffused). When sports halls and gyms use artificial lights, players are distracted when the ball is in the air. We designed two large façades in micro-perforated fabric with openwork walls. The overall impression is that you are playing outside, as if under a canopy. This was an important element for us. And, this solution has very interesting thermal and acoustic properties. This sports centre is a facility that provides structure to the town (Anru programme) and the roof means the building will be like a lantern once the sun has set.

 

How is it designed in light of Réunion’s climate constraints (high winds, cyclones, etc.)?
These elements were carefully considered. We worked on this problematic for the façade and the roof. SMC2 has a rare patented system which has extended warranties for French overseas territories affected by these climate constraints. Furthermore, the company provided all the necessary elements required by the authorisation office for the different standards. SMC2 also reassured the contracting authority that even if the fabric is pierced by debris during a fierce storm, the procedure for repair is very easy and costs little.

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Contracting authority: Saint Denis Town Hall, Réunion Island
Architects: Atelier [EPICéA] / APA / 2APMR
Structural Design Office: A3 Structures
Fluid Design Office: INSET
Finance: CiEA
Acoustics: AIEE

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« We appreciated this flexible canvas cover, which fits the shape of the structure very well and is very aesthetic. »

 

The Vicat company, an international cement group, has two buildings for storing limestone and marl raw materials. While SMC2 only supplied the textile covering for the first building, it managed the entire construction of the second. Eric Galloy, who was in charge of the project for Vicat, looks back at these two projects.

 

How did you hear about SMC2?
In 2007, we needed a building to store marl from one of our quarries. As far as the type of framework structure was concerned, we were not satisfied with what was being proposed to us. For example, the solution of multi-faceted metal panels seemed rather heavy to us. A carpenter presented us with a half-ellipse structure with a flexible canvas cover that fit the shape of the structure very well and was very aesthetic. We needed to find a company that would make and install the Ferrari soft cover. On the advice of Ferrari, we chose SMC2, a company that knows these products well.

 

And so you called on SMC2 again for the second building?
Yes, we recently needed a new building to store limestone from another quarry. We decided to have the same configuration and the same building in terms of height, diameter and appearance as we had been very satisfied with the first building for 6 years. For this new storage building, the company SMC2 carried out the study of the framework and took care of the entire project. The study was a little long because of the complexity of the structure and the professionalism of Apave, which monitored the stability studies, but the company showed a real willingness to go the distance. Afterwards, the site went very well. It took 4 months from the construction of the framework to the installation of the canvas.

 

Are you satisfied with the result?
Yes, I am, especially since it is a rather complex structure made up of some sixty arches resting on an outer circle 94.50 m in diameter and converging on a central ring 29 m high covering a floor area of 7,000 m2. Furthermore, as far as the construction is concerned, we are very confident in the framework built by the SMC2 company, which has been validated by the technical control body in accordance with the current standards, which are more restrictive than 10 years ago.

For several years, the Syndicat Interdépartemental des Parcs des Sports (SIPS) 75-93 (Paris – Seine-Saint-Denis) has had four PREOSPORT® and is a truly satisfied customer. Didier Gheux, director-general, explains some of the reasons why.

 

When and why did you decide to install PREOSPORT® outdoor gyms?

SIPS 75-93, a public body funded by the Conseil Général of Seine-Saint-Denis and the City of Paris, has two parks: a 30-hectare park in la Courneuve, and a 12-hectare park in Bobigny. Both have several pieces of sports equipment (large playing fields, tennis courts, etc.). However, there was some conflict between clubs, which have allocated time slots, and the young people living nearby, who wanted to practice whenever they liked. Plus we couldn’t build several gyms while we still needed covered sports equipment for schoolchildren.
Consequently, in 2009, we decided to install two PREOSPORT® in La Courneuve. Then, following their success, a third was constructed in 2013 and then another in the same year on the Bobigny site.

 

What are the benefits of a PREOSPORT® for you?

Firstly, the fact that it’s a closed structure which retains a link with the outside world. Young people don’t like to be enclosed, but they do still need shelter so they can play even if the weather is bad. So it’s the perfect compromise. Also, this kind of structure means that different kinds of users can take part in various sports. The PREOSPORT® is mainly used for basketball and football, particularly 5- or 7-a-side, which is interesting as it’s the most common game and it doesn’t take up half of a large playing field. However, we are also thinking about using it for other sports, such as 3v3 basketball or even outdoor bodybuilding. I even think that it would be possible to use a PREOSPORT® to cover other equipment, like a beach volleyball field, which would allow people to practice so-called ‘outdoor’ sports all year round.

 

So a lot of people are using the PREOSPORT®?

They certainly are: proportionately, it’s the most used piece of sports equipment at both sites. It’s used by a lot of people, by young people from the neighbourhood, schools and clubs. Between March and October there are always lots of people every day, and during the summer, from 9am to 11pm. So it also has an important social aspect, but also a non-negligible economic aspect. In short, a PREOSPORT® is a lot less expensive than a gym. Plus not as many people go to gyms in the winter. So they are intermediate structures which fit perfectly, and which are a very attractive investment.21

A second gym was installed in Coignières a few months ago. Marion Évrard, Municipal Councillor in charge of Sport, explains to us why they chose SMC2’s temperate gym.

Why did you want to build a second gym?

Our first gym is over 30 years old and it has become too small to meet the needs of a town of 4,500 inhabitants. In particular it is used by the primary schools, the secondary school and various sports associations and there weren’t enough time slots available. We therefore decided to build a second multi-sport hall.

Can you describe this new facility to us?

Firstly, we couldn’t have the two structures touching each other, as the first gym has large windows all down one side. We therefore opted to build it next door, adding a small corridor between the two and a closed lobby. The sports facility has a standard multi-sport hall where you can play basketball, volleyball, handball or badminton. For this area, we decided to adopt the concept designed by SMC2. We also had changing rooms and a storage room built.

Why did you choose the SMC2 concept?

We had heard of this alternative to a traditional gym, in particular this system using stretched fabric. After visiting a facility built by a competitor and one by SMC2, we were delighted by the concept of the latter which was technically very advanced. In particular the translucent membrane which provides excellent lighting. Obviously, the rapid construction time was also an important argument. It only took us one year to successfully finish the project. Moreover, the cost was less than a standard project, which was not to be ignored. We are really very happy with this building. I would add that we have already shown it to two local authorities who wanted more information and they also found the concept very interesting.

See photos of the Coignières gym here

On Saturday 19 January 2013, Jean Gachassin, President of the French Tennis Federation, inaugurated Istres’ René Davini sports complex, which features four indoor tennis courts designed and built by SMC2.

Istres’ 3,000 m² René Davini sports complex features four indoor clay tennis courts, several squash courts and a club house. SMC2 and the architect, Mr Rill, were chosen to design and construct the indoor tennis courts.

This sports complex has two unique features. The first one is the use of synthetic clay. This surface consists of bound ceramic aggregates with a brick dust top coat. The court does not need watering, does not generate dust, which facilitates the maintenance of this confined area. In addition, the courts are covered with a translucent fabric membrane roof, providing optimal brightness during the day with no need for additional lighting.

The presence of all elected officials concerned, along with Jean Gachassin, attests to the importance of the completion of this unique structure in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-D’azur region. In his inaugural address, René Raimondi, president of the Ouest Provence conurbation syndicate, the main source of funding for the project, extolled the merits of SMC2’s infrastructure: “This is a high-quality infrastructure, a magnificent complex which will now allow Istres to nurture future talent.”

Jean-Pierre Martinez, vice-President of Istres Sport Tennis, highlighted “how lucky his club is to have such high-quality facilities”.

Jean Gachassin, for his part, said he “often inaugurates tennis clubs and complexes, and this is one of the most beautiful I have seen since I was elected. The members are lucky to have these beautiful and practical facilities; it’s a rarity!”

 

Watch a video of Jean Gachassin’s complete interview here:

http://www.maritima.info/actualites/vie-des-communes/istres/4025/le-complexe-sportif-rene-davini-inaugure.html