Olot Athletics Track by RCR Arquitectes

FECHA

06.01.2025

The Olot athletics track is a project designed by the 2017 Pritzker Prize winners, RCR Arquitectes, who also lead the Sentir el Lugar workshop in the MArch Advanced program in architecture, design, and business administration. Built between 1999 and 2001, it exemplifies the harmonious integration of sports and nature. Situated at the edge of the city and a natural park alongside a river, its location was carefully chosen to preserve the environment. The architects avoided cutting down a cluster of slow-growing oak trees, instead positioning the track in a clearing previously used as farmland. This decision allows the track and the forest to establish relationships of proximity and distance, with the stands designed as natural terraces blending seamlessly with the slopes of the landscape.

The track’s functional design not only meets the needs of athletes but also enhances the connection between the urban space and the surrounding nature. One of its most striking features is the large entrance gate, consisting of a suspended roof between two orthogonal walls that acts as a visual and physical filter. This entryway guides users to the track while creating a smooth transition between different spaces. A glass enclosure accompanies this structure, reflecting the surrounding forest and providing visual continuity that reinforces the feeling of immersion in the landscape. This design, characterized by its simplicity and sensitivity, transforms the track into a space where functionality intertwines with respect for nature, establishing it as a benchmark for sustainable and emotionally connected architecture.

The Olot athletics track transcends its role as a sports facility to become a masterpiece celebrating the harmonious dialogue between human activity and the natural environment. RCR Arquitectes have ensured that the forest is not merely a backdrop but a key player in the design, reflected in the use of materials and forms that honor and enhance the surrounding landscape. The stands, carefully integrated as natural terraces, appear to emerge from the ground, reinforcing the visual and emotional connection with the forest, while the interplay of light and shadows created by the architectural elements underscores their bond with the environment. This project not only respects nature but elevates it, using architecture as a tool to narrate the intrinsic relationship between humans and the landscape. Through meticulously designed details, such as the visual continuity offered by reflective materials and the spatial arrangement encouraging contemplation, the project conveys a deep sensitivity to its location. This integration does not compromise the practical functions of the space, which fully meets athletic and cultural needs, but rather enriches them, creating an environment that inspires and educates about the importance of preserving and coexisting with nature. The Olot track is a paradigmatic example of how architecture can transcend its initial purpose to become a symbol of sustainability and environmental respect. It is a work that invites reflection on the potential of design to build a bridge between humanity and nature, reminding us that true innovation lies in finding solutions that are not only functional and aesthetic but also ethical and deeply connected to their context.

MARCH VALENCIA | ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

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