Arena do Morro

A community sports centre for a Brazilian town

This gymnasium was created from an existing sports facility situated in Mãe Luiza, a favela in Natal, north-east Brazil. It now contains a sports field with tiered seating for 420 people, multipurpose rooms for dance and education, a terrace with ocean views, as well as changing rooms and public restrooms. The building’s standout feature is its generous roof, which is constructed to allow light and air in but keep water out, giving a new civic place visible from afar. The two ends of the elongated pitched roof open up towards the neighbourhood and invite people in.