A tensile fabric envelope for the new sports complex at Moulin Neuf

At the Moulin Neuf sports grounds in Mimizan, on France’s Atlantic coast, a new sports complex has taken its place among the pines and the outdoor fields, bringing together a gymnasium, a dojo and a covered play area. SMC2 delivered what gives the building its face: the roof and façades in tensile membrane, installed over a timber frame.

The gymnasium and the covered area each span 147 by 83 feet. The roof is made up of a series of fabric modules built as anticlastic double-curvature panels: it is this geometry that tensions the membrane in both directions and gives it its resistance to wind and snow. It also draws the wave that runs the full length of the building. Roof and façades use the same high-strength white fabric, tensioned on aluminum profiles.

Daylight is what makes the difference in use. The translucent membrane spreads even light across the whole sports area, with no dark corners and no glare. Uninsulated and mechanically ventilated, the gymnasium stays comfortable in every season under the region’s oceanic climate.

With this project, SMC2 demonstrates its expertise in custom tensile envelopes. In Mimizan, it gives schools and clubs a bright, low-energy facility whose undulating roof marks the new face of the sports grounds.