Sports Center Sargans Sargans, SG
In Sargans, a Swiss town located near the border with Liechtenstein, a new sports centre replaces a triple gymnasium that was no longer state of the art. Because the marshy site cannot bear large loads and the existing pile foundations were to be reused, a lightweight wood structure was the ideal response to the design problem. The client, the canton of St. Gallen, wanted a sustainable building that employs local building materials and would only require a short construction phase; these stipulations only served to underscore the suitability of wood. Not only the building exterior, but also the interior, are characterised to a great extent by the use of this material.