The Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sports asked the agency to restore the gymnasium designed by Le Corbusier and built by Japanese architects in 1980, covering the outdoor stands and incorporating a multi-purpose programme: offices, meeting rooms and covered sports pitches as part of a complex capable of accommodating up to 5,000 people. The geometry of the building, guided by the Golden Ratio and rediscovered plans, allows the work of Le Corbusier to be respected.
This gymnasium, located in East Baghdad, is part of a sprawling Olympic city designed by Iraq in the 1950s. Le Corbusier was selected to create this sports complex. 'He was heavily involved in the project and signed off on around 500 sketches' Mina Marefat, Architectural Historian The great man was given the go-ahead for construction project on the eve of the military coup that brought down the Iraqi monarchy, and he was greatly disappointed by the project's abrupt demise.
It was Saddam Hussein, a great lover of architecture, who revived the project in 1980; it was completed 2 years later, 15 years after the death of its designer, by a team of French engineers and a Japanese construction company. In 2013, the new Iraqi government was looking to overhaul and refurbish the gymnasium.
Our agency was tasked with the restoration project alongside our partners A.-C. Perrot & F. Richard and (Adil Alkenzawi), SARL UR. In honour of Le Corbusier's work, the geometry of the design is guided by the Golden Ratio and by respect for the rediscovered plans. In addition to the restoration, we were also commissioned to build a large extension: a covering for the outdoor stands, new reception areas for sporting and cultural events, restaurants and offices. The complex as a whole is able to accommodate 5,000 people.