Reflective aluminium panels cover the rounded shell of this school sports hall near Prague, helping to disguise its scale.
The sports hall, designed by local architecture office Sporadical, adjoins a recently modernised and extended primary school in the town of Dolní B?e?any, to the south of the Czech capital.

In addition to providing a space for the school's physical education classes, the hall can be used by the public for sports and as a cultural venue.
Situated on the edge of the town, in an area that is currently undergoing redevelopment, the sports hall's position and orientation on the site are designed to ensure it feels connected to both the town and the school.

According to the architect, the building's ellipsoid form gives it a distinctive contemporary presence that is neutral enough to complement the evolving urban context, while also disguising the overall mass of the building. "The dome draws the scale closer to humans, the metallic surface mirrors the surroundings, while the borders of the sky and of the roof remain blurred," said the architect.
"The building camouflages its real dimensions and looks smaller than it is in reality."

The aluminium shingles applied to the building's exterior create a smooth and seamless surface that produces gentle reflections.
This cladding is affixed to curving walls made from load-bearing reinforced concrete. A latticed steel frame, featuring arching trusses that span up to 44 metres, encloses the ...