Stadium in Toulon
East of Toulon’s historic centre, the new Léo Lagrange Stadium is a foil to the city’s dense fabric. The site, between Mont Faron and the Mediterranean Sea, not only provides the sports and recreational park a unique panoramic view, but is also becoming an attractor and meeting place for the city’s residents. The complex, which was moved to this site in 2003 and has now been comprehensively renovated, comprises four fields for regional soccer and rugby matches, five multi-purpose fields for school sports, and two international track-and-field stadia. These amenities are all served by a single elongated building, which, because it is positioned in the middle of the site, bifurcates the grounds. Akin to a ship’s landing stage, the footbridge rises up, independent of the ground plane, to the top of the building massing, connecting the two viewers’ stands, with about 1000 and 1500 seats, respectively. The bridge appears to float above the single-storey plinth, which accommodates changing rooms, office and administration, storage rooms and two smaller sports and gymnastics halls. In a dynamic gesture, the vast membrane roof arches over the footbridge and the stands. Moreover, it calls attention to Toulon’s historic link to the sea. Three main arches of tubular steel profiles, two of which run parallel and one oblique member, span 120 to 150 m. Elliptical-shaped secondary trusses run between them.
