This article was originally published on Domus 1070, July-August 2022.

Opened in October 2021, Le Terrain is an interior with a public vocation and great visual impact, designed by Office Abrami Rojas, in Paris, in the 12th arrondissement. The client is Viacti, a non-profit engaged in making physical activity accessible to people with limited motor coordination. 

The small place catches the eye from the outside with its blue epoxy resin flooring. The colour was inspired by the association’s logo and extends onto the wall by the street. The challenge was to resolve all the functions on a surface area of only 59 square metres: “We tried many floor plans, especially to make the bathroom compact, with the aim of leaving as much space as possible for physical activity.”

After subtracting 5 square metres for the bathroom and customised furniture, what remain are the floor and the wall in 18-millimetre-thick plywood, which is equipped with four sets of birch wall bars. These elements are effectively treated as a playground, as also suggested by its name.

The studio forged alliances with different technical sponsors for the supply of materials, meaning that the total available budget was more than doubled. “We were guided by the social value of the design,” say the two partners. “We focused on materials so the space could express the association’s identity also through the architectural qualities of the details, resolving the limited budget with originality.”