Let there be light!

Striking

The Eric Frenzel sports hall in Geyer (Saxony) is a striking buil­ding that impresses with its clarity, mate­rial aware­ness and func­tional precision. The trans­lu­cent façade made of profiled glass is parti­cu­larly striking, lending the buil­ding light­ness, charisma and iden­tity.

The new cons­truc­tion of the two-field sports hall on the site of the former train station expands the exis­ting primary school site in terms of func­tion and design. The new buil­ding comple­ments the eastern wing of the exis­ting U‑shaped buil­ding and, toge­ther with it, frames an intro­verted schoo­lyard that func­tions as the new center of the ensemble. The hall is open not only to pupils, but also to regional sports clubs and external user groups, thus making an important contri­bu­tion to the inte­gra­tion of the educa­tional site into the urban context.

Clear

The internal orga­niza­tion is clear, compact and func­tional. The new sports hall is directly connected to the school buil­ding via a two-storey struc­ture. The central element is the open, light-flooded foyer, which acts as a distri­bu­tion zone and mediates the tran­si­tion between the school, hall and spec­tator area. The grand­stand with 40 seats, the sepa­rate entrances for the sneaker and boot areas and the hall itself are directly acces­sible from here.

A parti­ally glazed wall gives the room an open, commu­ni­ca­tive atmo­sphere. Chan­ging rooms, sani­tary faci­li­ties and equip­ment rooms are compactly arranged along the long side of the hall – short distances and clear processes mean easy orien­ta­tion and simple usabi­lity.

Light

The exten­sive glazing brings diffuse daylight into the inte­rior of the hall and creates a bright, uniform atmo­sphere. In the evening, the hall is trans­formed into a lumi­nous sculp­ture in the urban space – an archi­tec­tural signal that makes sport, commu­nity and open­ness visible. The glass not only fulfills design requi­re­ments, but also func­tional ones: Thermal insu­la­tion, sound­pro­ofing and low main­ten­ance are an inte­gral part of the concept. In combi­na­tion with plaster and exposed concrete surfaces, an exci­ting inter­play of trans­pa­rency, robust­ness and struc­ture is created.

Durable

The cons­truc­tion follows the prin­ciple of effi­ci­ency and mate­rial justice. Rein­forced concrete columns and wide-span glulam beams form the load-bearing struc­ture and enable a column-free playing surface. The roof consists of perfo­rated trape­zo­idal profiles, which also contri­bute to the acou­stic opti­miza­tion of the inte­rior.

The all-round profiled glass façade ensures a glare-free supply of daylight and under­lines the energy quality of the concept. With its opti­mized A/V ratio, the hall has a compact, resource-saving and durable design – a contem­po­rary example of sustainable sports archi­tec­ture in many respects.