Place to be

A new sports hall changes an entire village: the Baumä­cker­halle Bihla­fingen is a place that combines exer­cise, commu­nity and modern wooden archi­tec­ture.

On a sloping site between the school and kinder­garten, the timber cons­truc­tion makes clever use of the topo­graphy and at the same time opens up to natural outdoor areas.

It is more than just a place for sport.

The Baumä­cker­halle Bihla­fingen is a modern sports and event hall southwest of Ulm that combines school, sports and social uses under one roof. The design by Birk Heil­meyer and Frenzel Archi­tekten, winner of the 2018 compe­ti­tion, responds sensi­tively to the topo­gra­phical situa­tion of the site and combines sustainable cons­truc­tion with great flexi­bi­lity.

The Baumä­cker­halle is prima­rily used for school and club sports, but is basi­cally desi­gned as a multi­func­tional infra­struc­ture. In addi­tion to regular sports lessons, local clubs use the hall for trai­ning and courses. The buil­ding also provides space for commu­nity events, meetings and cele­bra­tions. This means that most of the resi­dents of Bihla­fingen, a suburb of the town of Laup­heim (popu­la­tion just under 23,000), have a personal connec­tion to the hall.

The hall was opened in summer 2025 after an eventful cons­truc­tion period between coro­na­virus and water damage and has been a central meeting point in the town ever since.

Slope

The Baumä­cker­halle stands on a narrow, steeply sloping plot. The compact struc­ture with a gently sloping gable roof makes targeted use of the gradient by inte­gra­ting parts of the room program into the slope. The buil­ding height thus remains mode­rate and the hall blends harmo­niously into the village surroun­dings.

The func­tional orga­niza­tion makes use of this hillside loca­tion between the kinder­garten, school and sports areas with two entrances on two levels. The nort­hern entrance provides access to the upper floor with the chan­ging areas for athletes. A stair­case leads to the foyer on the hillside floor, which also serves as a central lounge and event area. An inte­grated kitchen enables events to be catered for both indoors and outdoors.

Green

While the buil­ding pres­ents itself to the north as a restrained, low struc­ture, it opens up to the land­scape to the south with floor-to-ceiling glazing. The gene­rous glass façade opens up the hall space to the adja­cent lawn and the green area. This creates a close connec­tion between the indoor and outdoor spaces, and the sports and leisure uses can be flexibly expanded.

The open spaces are deli­bera­tely land­scaped. Permeable surfaces, meadow areas and shrub and tree plan­ting support the ecolo­gical design. A grassed swale uses the natural slope of the terrain for rain­water manage­ment and also serves as a multi­func­tional event area.

The mate­rial concept in the inte­rior follows the struc­tural logic. Light-colored wooden surfaces made of three-layer panels empha­size the supporting struc­ture and create a warm spatial effect.

The exte­rior façade consists of verti­cally arranged, gray glazed spruce slats in timber frame cons­truc­tion. Large areas of glazing ensure an even supply of daylight and views of the land­scape. In addi­tion, ribbon windows provide natural venti­la­tion.

The Baumä­cker­halle serves as a venue for events for the entire village commu­nity of Bihla­fingen, inclu­ding the sports club that was founded when the hall was built.

With its multi­func­tional orien­ta­tion, the hall streng­thens social life in the village and creates a central meeting point for diffe­rent gene­ra­tions. Sport, leisure and commu­nity are brought toge­ther here – and that’s exactly what sports faci­li­ties are for.

Birk Heil­meyer and Frenzel Archi­tects
Adler­straße 31
D – 70199 Stutt­gart

Arantxa Piñate, Jochen Günzler, Mykola Holo­vi­znin, Chiara Iaia,
Hanna Münzen­maier

City of Laup­heim, large district town
Office for Buil­ding Tech­no­logy and Envi­ron­ment

André Schick, Carola Sperka, Rita Stetter

SV Bihla­fingen e.V.

Opening

2025

Baumä­cker­halle
Pfarrer-Fuchs-Weg,
D – 88471 Laup­heim

Zooey Braun, Stutt­gart