Valmorel water sports and leisure centre, les Avanchers-Valmorel, Savoie, 2009

To extend the existing public square in front of the cable car and to free the view of the landscape from the pedestrian passage, we set the building into the mountain, as close as possible to nature and blending with it, by freeing an identifiable public esplanade on the square that looks onto the panoramic view and onto the strips of hardscaping and greenery around the outside of the swimming pool hall. This public esplanade is a strong feature that clearly identifies the project. To highlight Valmorel's extraordinary landscape, we chose to set the swimming pool into the mountain in the middle of nature, to open the swimming pool hall onto the surrounding landscape and to extend it by wide south-facing strips of hardscaping and greenery, flush with the surface of the relief. This creates a complete 360° panoramic view from the inside, like a large painting, enhanced by the elliptical shape of the swimming pool hall. The swimming pool hall space is also lit by rooflights placed on the esplanade which open large cones of light in the ceiling of the swimming pool hall. The painted blue colour on the inside of the cones diffuses coloured light that contributes to the magic of the interior space.