The project benefits from direct proximity to the pedestrian mall landscaped in 2014 that links a workers’ hostel, a primary school complex, the town hall and the tramway.

In the heart of Orgemont, the plot of 3,557 m² was a green space with a play area. The architects had to consider the development of a new public garden (with a street workout area and a new play area) and to incorporate the landscaping component of the future park.

With its concrete envelope, the architecture, which is comparable to an origami form, opens very little towards the outside. For safety and security reasons, spaces have been devised that open onto secluded gardens in the middle of the dojo. Like Japanese gardens, they are planted with Mugo pine or maple trees.

Architectural concept

The architecture offers a balance between the mineral finish of the buildings’ concrete façades and the plants and gardens of the open spaces. The two Japanese gardens introduce nature and serenity into the spaces. Their appearance and colours vary with the seasons. The Zen Garden, or Karesensu, welcomes visitors in the southwest (on the corner of Rue de Strasbourg). The Garden of Contemplation, or Kanshoniwa (the planted central patio of the project), separates the two martial arts practice rooms.

Operation

Organised on a square plan, the balanced layout of the four sections of the programme is arranged around the patio. The south wing consists of the reception area, the supervision/management offices, a fitness room and the small areas (like the cleaning and maintenance room) necessary for the operation of the building. The east and west wings contain the martial arts rooms and their respective locker rooms. The north wing is reserved for building services (boiler room and air handling unit) that operate independently and in direct connection with the outside.

The walkthrough translates as a progression to the martial arts rooms, places that are traditionally reserved for meditation within a dojo.

Structurally, the spaces are delimited by grey precast concrete walls (with a stained finish) supporting a glued-laminated timber frame (which is exposed on the patio) that echoes traditional Japanese architecture. The zinc roof (carefully designed as a fifth façade) offers head­room of between three and five metres, depending on the spaces and their uses: low for small spaces and generous in sports rooms.

For the signage, the circulation areas have been punctuated with phrases and keywords using the vocabulary of an architectural walkthrough. They make the path towards the various spaces more playful, thanks to pictograms with minimalist design and Japanese words (together with their French translations).

In the district of Orgemont, the facility with its entrance identified by the elevation of the envelope which reinterprets the traditional Japanese temple, has become a landmark.