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In the small medieval village of Aguilar de Codés in Spain’s Basque country, Verne Arquitectura and Alejandro Maortua collaborated on a multipurpose sports facility that integrates with the weave of the urban fabric. The architects were tasked with the design of a fronton, or pelota court, that could double as a space for festivals and other community events. Centrally located, on a sloping site with southward views of the Pyrenean foothills, the court, enclosed in prefabricated concrete panels, is placed on the north half of the site, with a plaza to the south. An exposed laminated-wood truss forms the roof structure. The exterior, and the walls surrounding the plaza, are made of Floresta sandstone ashlar. A slatted screen of weathering steel lines the courtyard. This palette echoes the surrounding context of stone and terra-cotta-capped buildings.

Photo © Pablo García Esparza, click to enlarge.