The new sports centre, La Taule, designed by the architectural firm Microclimat, embodies the vision of a former Olympic athlete and participates in the revitalization of Waterloo, in the Eastern Townships.

A meeting place
In order to create a sports centre that invites people to excel, Microclimat imagined a large open
space on two levels that allows all the services and facilities for body-builders, gymnasts and
fitness enthusiasts to be united under one roof. The combination of red cedar, cherry wood and
steel helps create a warm and inviting space that lends itself to the members’ sense of
belonging.
 
Attention to detail
Every element of the project was conceived for those who use the centre: from the mezzanine’s
structure that supports the horizontal bars, to the wide stairway that can also be used for
training, and the roof where the gymnasts’ rings are attached, allowing athletes to hang 25 feet
in the air.
 
The compact form of the new building reduces the size of the foundations and of the outside
walls, freeing up a large part of the property and creating an outdoor training zone. In summer,
large sliding glass doors can link the indoor and outdoor activities.

Local pride

When La Taule was inaugurated in the spring of 2015, one could sense the pride of local residents and future users of the centre. Everyone was pleased to note that local entrepreneurs had chosen to invest in their area to bring this project to life, and that they had also contributed to the quality of this durable and elegant building, which plays an active role in developing this part of Waterloo.

As well as being the winner of the Grands Prix du Design 2015 competition in the fitness centre category, La Taule was also named as finalist for the 2015 architectural excellence prize by the Ordre des architectes du Québec for the commercial and office building category.

Origins

La Taule sports centre takes its name from an abandoned former prison that was transformed into a fitness centre in 2010. In 2014, the founder purchased a property in a developing sector of Waterloo in order to build a centre better suited to the activities of the centre’s clientele: both elite and amateur athletes.

Architecture Microclimat

Founded in 2013, Microclimat is a budding firm whose work ethos is grounded in the principle that architecture and the environment in which it evolves, are perpetually feeding one another. 

In order to achieve durable and contextually adapted architectural solutions, Microclimat seeks to bring under the same roof the knowledge of an array of the contributors that participate in the realization of a project. Our expertise in construction enables us to bring a project, from its embryonic stage to delivery by ensuring continuity and cohesion and by facilitating the exchanges between each collaborator throughout the process. 

Architect: Architecture Microclimat

Photographer: Adrien Williams

Structural engineer: Geniex

Square footage: 4200 SF