Las Vegas Ballpark

by | 16 Apr 2024 | Design, Sports Grounds, Stadiums

Las Vegas Ballpark

Vegas, Baby

 

 

BIG & HNTB

Las Vegas is the place where there are few limits to fantasy. That’s why the Las Vegas Ballpark fits right in.

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The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee

The famed Las Vegas Strip will soon be the home of the new Las Vegas Ball­park for the Oakland A’s by archi­tec­ture firms Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and HNTB. Once complete, the project will be the new home of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athle­tics, and echo the vibrancy of the ‘Enter­tain­ment Capi­tal of the World,’ exuding an outdoor feel with pano­r­amic views of the city’s skyline.

The 33,000-capacity covered ball­park will sit on nine acres on Las Vegas Boule­vard between Tropi­cana Avenue and Reno Avenue. The expected opening date is spring 2028.

 The new Las Vegas Ballpark’s roof is accen­tuated by five over­lap­ping shells resembling base­ball penn­ants, paying homage to the sport. For players, these arched “penn­ants” will atte­nuate direct sunlight glare while welco­ming indi­rect natural light through nort­hern oriented clerestory windows. The domed ball­park is also desi­gned to feature the world’s largest cable net glass wall. The structure’s exte­rior metal clad­ding shim­mers in the natural daylight and reflects the surroun­ding Las Vegas lights at night.

The design repres­ents a capti­vating ball­park concept, seam­lessly blen­ding inno­va­tion and tech­no­logy with an enhanced fan expe­ri­ence. It is conceived in response to the unique culture and climate of the city. Five pennant arches enclose the ball­park — shading from the Nevada sun while opening to the soft daylight from the north. A giant window frames a maje­stic view of the life of The Strip and the iconic New York New York hotel skyline. All direct sunlight is blocked, while all the soft daylight is allowed to wash the field in natural light.

The resul­tant archi­tec­ture is like a sphe­rical arma­dillo — shaped by the local climate — while opening and invi­ting the life of The Strip to enter and explore. In the city of spec­tacle, the A’s ‘arma­dillo’ is desi­gned for passive shad­ing and natural light — the archi­tec­tural response to the Nevada climate gene­ra­ting a new kind of verna­cular icon in Vegas.

An elevated outdoor plaza connects to the bridges over Las Vegas and Tropi­cana Boule­vards, direc­ting fans to the ballpark’s main concourse, where a large glass atrium pulls the city into the venue. This entrance sequence will imme­dia­tely orient fans in the ball­park, allo­wing views of the entire field and seating bowl upon entry while opti­mi­zing wayfin­ding and circu­la­tion.

Secon­dary north and south entrances are marked by “boun­cing” arches to increase visitor acces­si­bi­lity and promote a connec­tion to the outdoors. Once inside, fans are met with bright, open atria, which will also serve as multi­pur­pose exhi­bi­tion spaces to show­case inter­na­tional and local artists.

The ball­park will be a climate-controlled, state-of-the-art faci­lity that will house a variety of events and guest expe­ri­ences. By opening up the roof struc­ture, the archi­tects aim to capture the energy of the iconic Las Vegas Strip and create a unique synergy between its events and the surroun­ding city. The new Las Vegas Ball­park  will push the boun­da­ries for enjoying base­ball and contri­bute to a more inter­ac­tive and spec­ta­cular urban expe­ri­ence in Las Vegas.

 Las Vegas is where the imagi­na­tion runs free, charac­te­rized by bespoke, one-of-a-kind expe­ri­ences. The A’s new ball­park will be filled with unique settings for the social inter­play between, sport, spec­tacle and entertain­ment.

The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee

Project data

Architects

BIG 
Bjarke Ingels, Daniel Sundlin, Leon Rost,  Aran Coakley, Frankie Sharpe, Jan Klaska, Ricardo Palma,  Ahmad Tabbakh, Alan Maedo, Bernardo Schuh­ma­cher, Catrina Nelson, Don Chen, Douglass Alli­good, Ema Baka­lova, Hongye Wu, Hudson Parris, Jeff Tao, Margaret Tyrpa, Matthew Lau, Paul Heberle, Pooya Aleda­vood, Sunghwan Um, Thomas McMur­trie, Yuza­buro Tanaka

HNTB 
Lanson Nichols, Brad Albers, Emily Louchart, Jeff Goode, Stephanie Schnei­de­reit, Bryan Rincon, Phil Perkins, Donovan Brook, Jack Swezy, Jimena Dorador, Robbie Powell

Client

Okland Athle­tics

Opening

2028

Address

Las Vegas Ball­park
USA — NV 89109

Visualisation

Negativ

Text

BIG

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Skatepark in a Box

by | 27 Mar 2024 | Installations & Events, Outdoor, Sports Grounds

Skatepark in a Box

Fits everywhere

Maier Land­schafts­ar­chi­tekten & KuKuK Box

“Skatepark in a Box” can be set up almost anywhere in the world – even in crisis areas.

The contai­ners are the decisive stage of deve­lo­p­ment, because on the one hand they expand the range of oppor­tu­ni­ties, and on the other hand they create secure storage faci­li­ties.

“Skate­park in a Box” is a new concept, flexible and sustainable at the same time, for the further deve­lo­p­ment of mobile skate­parks all over the world.

As its name suggests, the project consists of a skate­park and a box. The skate­park is tail­ored to the on-site condi­tions by the Cologne land­scape archi­tect and skate­park specia­list Ralf Maier. The box is made from an over­seas ship­ping container, which the Stutt­gart company KuKuk Box trans­forms into a versa­tile sports and leisure faci­lity.

The contai­ners are the decisive stage of deve­lo­p­ment, because on the one hand they expand the range of oppor­tu­ni­ties, and on the other hand they create secure storage faci­li­ties (espe­ci­ally for the sports equip­ment).

This means that “Skate­park in a Box” can be set up almost anywhere in the world: in large inner-city squares, in the coun­try­side, in niches and alcoves — but also in crisis areas, where oppor­tu­ni­ties like this are perhaps even more important than anywhere else.

The sponsor of this concept, and of many skate faci­li­ties world­wide, is the skate-aid foun­da­tion.

Designer

maier land­schafts­ar­chi­tektur

Container

KuKuk Box

Supporter

skate-aid

The concept works just as well as a temporary installation for events as it does for the permanent enrichment of sports and leisure activities.

The converted contai­ners are the crucial constant at “Skate­park in a Box” because the storage faci­li­ties in parti­cular guarantee that they can be used safely and secu­rely around the world. As well as a skate­park, the sports and exer­cise offer can also include a BMX trail, for example.

The contai­ners provide space for all the neces­sary equip­ment. The mobile ramps are stored in a space-saving way, the bikes and scoo­ters are anchored to holders, the boards are neatly stacked on rails and the protec­tive equip­ment, like the helmets and the knee and elbow pads, are sorted by size into boxes under the counter.

There is even a toolbox and a first-aid kit on board.

 

A folding bench and coat hooks make it easy to move the container, or to turn it into a lounge with seating and recrea­tional faci­li­ties, a meeting place for real experts to talk shop and exch­ange expe­ri­ences.

The only thing missing is the camp­fire.

“Skate­park in a Box” is extre­mely flexible. The concept is just as suitable as a tempo­rary instal­la­tion for events or during reno­va­tion work as it is as a perma­nent addi­tion to sports and leisure faci­li­ties.

As the contai­ners are deli­vered prefa­bri­cated by lorry to their desti­na­tion and require no further design or foun­da­tions, assembly and possible dismant­ling are also very easy to imple­ment.

“Skatepark in a Box” promotes not only athletic development, but also individual and social development.

 

The combi­na­tion of sports faci­li­ties and contai­ners has great poten­tial, espe­ci­ally for social projects. As soon as the faci­li­ties have been set up, a programme with free skate­boar­ding work­shops, inclu­ding provi­ding sports equip­ment, can be started on site.

The skate-aid foun­da­tion has a lot of expe­ri­ence in trai­ning local coaches who run the skate parks inde­pendently and super­vise skaters.

 

In this way, “Skate­park in a Box” promotes not only athletic deve­lo­p­ment, but also indi­vi­dual and social deve­lo­p­ment – for children and young people as well as for coaches.

“Skate­park in a Box” has already been set up at several loca­tions, inclu­ding Cologne-Ehren­feld, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Wester­wald, Berlin and in a refugee camp in Pirlita/Balti (Moldova).

There are two vari­ants of the KuKuk box:

One variant can be trans­ported by truck, while the other is also suitable for ship­ping — for example, for use in crisis regions.

During the FSB 2023 there will be plenty of opportunities to experience and try out the “Skatepark in a Box” concept.

During the FSB 2023 there will be plenty of oppor­tu­ni­ties to expe­ri­ence and try out the “Skate­park in a Box” concept – for example in the outdoor area of Hall 9. In addi­tion, Ralf Maier will present his projects through lectures and an exhi­bi­tion.

KuKuk Box has been buil­ding artis­ti­cally desi­gned, inno­va­tive and style-defi­ning play and outdoor spaces throug­hout the world for over 15 years. KuKuk’s expe­ri­enced team is made up of artists, archi­tects, carpen­ters, joiners, metal­wor­kers and educa­tors – and will also be on site during the FSB.

Photos

skate-aid / KuKuk Box

Text

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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skate-aid was founded in 2009 by skate­board pioneer Titus Ditt­mann to realise social skate­park projects for disad­van­taged children and young people world­wide.

Maier Landschaftsarchitektur/ Beton­land­schaften in Cologne have specia­lised in the world­wide deve­lo­p­ment, desig­ning and cons­truc­tion of skate and bike parks for many years.

KuKuk Box is the inventor of mobile public play­ground faci­li­ties. The inno­va­tive play, sports and lounge concepts are based on stan­dar­dised freight contai­ners.

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Barrancabermeja

by | 19 Jan 2024 | Outdoor, Sports Grounds

A roof for Barrancabermeja´s Parks

Architecture ist action

El Equipo Mazz­anti

A roof over a sports area can do a lot. This one is located in Barrancabermeja, a town with 191,000 inhabitants in the north of Colombia. It’s not just about protection from the weather, but also about social interaction.

“Architecture is action” say the architects.

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Barrancabermeja

In Barranca­ber­meja, a muni­ci­pa­lity on the banks of the river Magda­lena, in Colombia’s depart­ment of Santander, stands this open pavi­lion contai­ning recrea­tional and sports faci­li­ties. The 7,000-square-meter public center is protected by a modular struc­ture raised on slender columns, faci­li­ta­ting future enlar­ge­ments.

The system of elon­gated rhombi has openings to filter in sunlight and incor­po­rate venti­la­tors, sprink­lers, and sound and lighting devices.

Prototype

This projects aim is to create an open space that gives true rele­vance to the role of the commu­nity in the cons­truc­tion of a city.

A modular system is composed from an elon­gated rhombus type piece that multi­plies and unites in a base module or a comple­men­tary module, making an adap­table and progres­si­vely growing and trans­forming struc­ture. A vast gene­ra­tive ceiling emerges from a series of connected and raised pieces that allow exis­ting and unique reali­ties of its loca­tion to infil­trate within its inte­riors.

A sequence of physical percep­tions based on natural factors such as humi­dity, heat, cold or lumi­no­sity accom­pa­nied by controlled elements like light filtra­tion, fans and asper­sers, or sound and water imple­men­ta­tions, create a spon­ta­neous atmo­sphere that make people sensible to their own bodies rela­ti­onship with nature.

Structure

The struc­ture acts as a tool for promo­ting any sort of acti­vi­ties ranging from spor­tive, ludic, economic, academic and cultural, to social, taking advan­tage of its open kind that suggests inter­ac­tions between people and with nature.

The design is defined by the trees’ and bushes’ shape, which deter­mine if the struc­ture bends, expands or wraps around them.

Photos

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Project data

Architect

El Equipo Mazz­anti
Calle 69 No. 10 – 06 
Bogotá
Kolum­bien

Client

Muni­cipio de Barranca­ber­meja

Opening

2016

Team

Gian­carlo Mazz­anti, Carlos Medellín, Humberto Mora, Simón Escabi, Juan Carlos Zapata, Luz Rocío Lamprea, Juan Carlos Zapata, Laura Pachón, Lorena Mendoza, Manuela Dangond, Andrés Melo,  Juan Esteban Parra, Julian Quiroz, Pablo Maal

Trag­werk: Nicolás Parra

Photos

Alejandro Arango — Pequeño Robot
Dirección de foto­grafía: Mariana Bravo

Text

El Equipo Mazz­anti

Plans & Visualisations

El Equipo Mazzanti

Die Archi­tekten von El Equipo Mazz­anti sehen das so: „Archi­tektur ist Action. Wir indu­zieren Hand­lungen, Gescheh­nisse und Bezie­hungen, aus denen wir Formen, Muster und offene mate­ri­elle Orga­ni­sa­tionen entwi­ckeln, die wiederum sozialen Zielen folgen. Damit wollen wir neue Verhal­tens­weisen und neue Dyna­miken auslösen, die Menschen ermu­tigen, auf eine Art und Weise zu handeln, die sie sich niemals vorstellen konnten.“

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Rwanda Cricket Stadium

by | 13 Dec 2023 | Sports Grounds, Stadiums

Gahanga Cricket Stadium

Cricket and wedding

Light Earth Designs

This multi-award-winning project is more than just a cricket stadium — you can also get married here.

The Gahanga Cricket Stadium is primarily the work of the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, which raised the sum of 1.1 million euros required for its construction.

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The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee

Cricket was barely played in Rwanda before the 1994 geno­cide. Now there are 7,000 players nati­on­wide, and the sport is playing a lead role in the healing process.

The inau­gu­ra­tion of Rwanda Cricket Stadium marks the end of a remar­kable six-year under­ta­king by the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foun­da­tion who have raised the £1 million required to build the spec­ta­cular new home of Rwandan cricket

The Rwanda Cricket Stadium is desi­gned for long-term sustaina­bi­lity. The entire site is being cons­tructed to ensure signi­fi­cant carbon savings and sustainable water usage, it will incor­po­rate envi­ron­men­tally sensi­tive design, provide jobs for the local commu­nity, and ensure a revenue stream that will allow for the upkeep of the faci­lity and further invest­ment in the game.

The cons­truc­tion process used predo­mi­nantly local labour, inves­ting in the local commu­nity.

The cons­truc­tion process was mainly carried out using local labour.

The stadium is prima­rily thanks to the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foun­da­tion, which raised the sum of 1.1 million euros required for the cons­truc­tion.

Architects

Light Earth Designs
Pioneer House, Chivers Way
Histon, Cambridge
Cambridge­shire
UK-CB24 9NL

Bauherr

Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foun­da­tion

The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee

This breathtaking venue now also serves as a stage for weddings, birthday parties, social events, company outings, shows and concerts.

The archi­tec­ture and engi­nee­ring awards winning venue ist more than just a cricket stadium. 

This breath­ta­king place serve as an event venue for diffe­rent events inclu­ding wedding, birthday parties, social games, corpo­rate away day, show or concert and other events. It also has Bar, Restau­rant and Coffee shop.

The new pavi­lion, which also serves as a restau­rant is a fanta­stic feat of engi­nee­ring, built using 66,000 hand­made tiles in layers without using concrete. The arched pavi­lion design repres­ents the fall of a boun­cing ball and spec­tator seating will be carved out of the earth to mimic the terraced farms on the steep Kigali Hills that provide a spec­ta­cular back­drop.

The buil­ding grows out of the cut soil banking that was formed as the pitch was levelled — thus beco­ming part of the land­scape. The banking creates a wonderful natural amphi­theatre with great views to the pitch and wetland valley beyond.

Whilst the language of the buil­ding speaks about progres­sion and dyna­mism through extreme struc­tural effi­ci­ency, the mate­rials speak of the natural, the hand made and the human. It a buil­ding made by Rwandans using Rwandan mate­rials.

The tiles are produced on site from local soil by low skilled and skilled locals – hydrau­li­cally pressed with a small addi­tion of cement and do not require firing. They are laid in layers onto a tempo­rary timber skeleton — again using a combi­na­tion of low and higher skilled local labour and span up to 16m.

Geogrid is added to give some seismic protec­tion, deve­loped by rese­arch in archi­tec­ture and engi­nee­ring at Cambridge Univer­sity. The shells are water­pro­ofed then topped with local broken granite (found ever­y­where across the country), blen­ding into the natural palate while the granite adds weight and stabi­lity.

The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee
The Couch by MVRDVPhoto: ©Daria Scagliola & Stijn Brakkee

Simple, effi­cient and thin concrete tables are inserted into the vaults, provi­ding space for the more enclosed func­tions the service areas, the chan­ging rooms, an office and a restau­rant. These tables are topped with natural Rwandan agro-waste­fired tiles made of commonly found wetland clay.

The open mezza­nines — a bar and a club­house — enjoy wonderful raised clear pano­r­amic views over the Oval and wetland valley beyond

Bricks are used to define edges and spaces — often laid in perfo­rate bond – allo­wing the breeze and light to filter through. These bricks are sourced from enter­prises set up by Swiss NGO SKAT Consul­ting, and are also low carbon agro-waste-fired bricks using high effi­ci­ency kilns, further redu­cing energy and carbon.

Waste stone from Rwandan granite floor and work­tops are used for floo­ring.

The plywood rectan­gles used to press the tiles are reused as coun­ter­tops while timber and plywood from the vault guide­work is made into joinery and doors, ensu­ring that a maximum of waste mate­rial goes into primary produc­tion. Local slate is confi­gured to allow rain water to permeate and infil­trate the soil.

Retai­ning walls are either local granite boulders or are hollow to encou­rage plan­ting.

Address

Gahanga Cricket Stadium
Unnamed Road
Rwanda

Opening

2017

The imperfections are celebrated — they are human and beautiful — and when combined with the layering of natural textures the building becomes imbues and celebrates this wonderful place.

The buil­ding grows out of the cut soil banking that was formed as the pitch was levelled — thus beco­ming part of the land­scape. The banking creates a wonderful natural amphi­theatre with great views to the pitch and wetland valley beyond.

Whilst the language of the buil­ding speaks about progres­sion and dyna­mism through extreme struc­tural effi­ci­ency, the mate­rials speak of the natural, the hand made and the human. It a buil­ding made by Rwandans using Rwandan mate­rials.

The imper­fec­tions are cele­brated — they are human and beau­tiful — and when combined with the laye­ring of natural textures the buil­ding becomes imbues and cele­brates this wonderful place.

Images

Light Earth Designs
Michael Ramage, Jona­than Gregson

Text

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Außenmühle sports ground

by | 17 Apr 2023 | Slider, Slider, Sports Grounds

Außenmühle sports ground in Hamburg

With its fingers on the pulse

Kilian + Kollegen Land­schafts­ar­chi­tekten

School sports, popular sports, individual offers – and all this in a harmonious atmosphere and a safe environment? That can work…

The Außenmühle sports ground will not only be available to the surrounding schools and for recreational sports, but will also take today’s changed sporting behaviour into account.

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Situa­tion

Kilian + co. land­scape archi­tects were commis­sioned by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to plan and imple­ment the reno­va­tion and recon­s­truc­tion of the Außen­mühle sports field in the Hamburg-Harburg district. The aim of the project is to offer the surroun­ding schools a better oppor­tu­nity to prac­tice physical educa­tion, and, at the same time, to open up the faci­lity for recrea­tional and popular sports. The use of the sports faci­lity by clubs should also continue to take place.

Another essen­tial design goal is the provi­sion of sports and other offers which take the changed sporting beha­viour of the target groups into account.

Goals

Previously, all there was on the Außen­mühle sports field was a large playing field and an oval-shaped track with a tennis surface . Due to the state of disre­pair of the drai­nage, the ground was constantly under water and was not playable. So the city of Hamburg decided to provide the large playing field with new drai­nage and to convert it into an arti­fi­cial grass pitch.

At the same time, the oval track, whose design is also outdated, will be replaced by a stan­dards-compliant 400-metre circular track. Both these and the segments are made from plastic.

 

In addi­tion, the range of athle­tics sports offers is being expanded. But above all, addi­tional exer­cise oppor­tu­ni­ties are being created for all gene­ra­tions.

Another plan­ning goal is to improve the access situa­tion: new entrances are being created and the exis­ting ones are being upgraded.

Architect

Kilian + Kollegen Land­schafts­ar­chi­tekten
Büro für Frei­raum- und Sport­stät­ten­pla­nung
Thea­ter­wall 24
D — 26122 Olden­burg

Client

Freie und Hanse­stadt Hamburg

The new Außenmühle sports ground takes our changed sporting behaviour into account. This is most evident in the curve segments.

The new Außen­mühle sports ground takes very conscious account of our changed sporting beha­viour and of the chan­ging demands on today’s sports grounds. This is most evident in the two curve segments, because here athle­tics instal­la­tions using the tradi­tional cons­truc­tion method are being deli­bera­tely left out.

Instead, a small playing field measu­ring 22m x 44m, which can be used for basket­ball, hand­ball and foot­ball, will be created in the nort­hern plastic segment. The small playing field is high­lighted by a light blue shade. Addi­tional white lines and two floor markings in the edge area allow for a crea­tive and varied game.

Addi­tional exer­cise faci­li­ties are planned in the southern segment, inclu­ding a calis­the­nics system and parkour. The calis­the­nics system consists of diffe­rent bars in diffe­rent heights and posi­tions, which can be used for func­tional trai­ning with one’s own body weight.

The parkour faci­lity has various concrete elements for runs and trai­ning sessions. Both faci­li­ties are desi­gned so that they can be combined. In addi­tion, there are four tram­po­lines lined up for diffe­rent jumps.

The segment is covered with a bulk-coated plastic surface and visually divided by two diffe­rent shades of blue. The red sprint track stands out. In areas where fall protec­tion is required, the subs­truc­ture is desi­gned accor­dingly.

In order to ensure parallel use, ball catch fences with a height of 4m are installed between the segments and the playing field.

Address

Außen­mühle sports ground
Vinzen­zweg 20
D — 21077 Hamburg

Opening

2023

The large playing field will be converted into an artificial grass pitch.

Arti­fi­cial grass pitch

The large playing field will be converted into an arti­fi­cial grass pitch.

The cons­truc­tion of the arti­fi­cial grass pitch is based on the requi­re­ments of the rele­vant DIN stan­dards and on the current buil­ding foun­da­tion report. Follo­wing the prin­ci­ples of sustaina­bi­lity, the exis­ting buil­ding mate­rials of the old base layers are being preserved and supple­mented. 

 

This is followed by the produc­tion of the tarpaulin, the crea­tion of a new drai­nage system and the instal­la­tion of a sand-filled arti­fi­cial turf cove­ring on an elastic base layer.

A sand-filled plastic lawn is chosen as the playing field cove­ring, which is circum­fe­ren­ti­ally bordered with a mould groove on the longi­tu­dinal sides and edging panels on the end sides.

 

The marking of the foot­ball field is done with 12 cm-wide white lines. Two playing fields are marked for youth foot­ball. The lines are incor­po­rated into the arti­fi­cial grass to create a lasting sports faci­lity.

Two stan­dard foot­ball goals and four youth goals are planned for the foot­ball field.

Athle­tics faci­li­ties

The exis­ting oval-shaped tennis track will be converted into a plastic arena based on Type C, with two circular tracks and four 100 m sprint tracks. The markings of the faci­lity comply with inter­na­tional stan­dards.

The long-jump pit is located in the exten­sion of the sprint tracks. The race­ways are alter­na­tely coloured in two diffe­rent shades of blue.

The Außenmühle sports ground will be opened in late summer 2023. We’re looking forward to it!

Access

To improve access to the sports faci­lity, the exis­ting entrance will be upgraded and two new entrances will be desi­gned on the Außen­müh­len­damm. Access will be via a stair­case or barrier-free via the running track running diago­nally along the embank­ment.

In order to secure the paths within the sports faci­lity, the areas around the running track will be paved.

Beach area

The large sandy area north of the sprint tracks towards the north acts not only as a long jump pit, but also for beach sports. Seating faci­li­ties are being created on the adja­cent lawns.

Children’s games

Oppo­site the beach area, another sandy area is created with low playing elements such as wooden bollards and balan­cing beams. A clim­bing and balan­cing course inte­grates the exis­ting embank­ment and offers an exci­ting playing expe­ri­ence.

Opening

To protect the faci­lity from vanda­lism, it remains comple­tely fenced. The entrances are secured by gates of various widths.

The costs for the reno­va­tion and conver­sion of the Außen­mühle sports ground amount to a good three million euros.

The faci­lity will be opened in the summer of 2023. We’re looking forward to it!

Photos

Kilian + Kollegen Land­schafts­ar­chi­tekten Oliver Berkhausen

Text

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Nanhua Glimmer Park

by | 4 Feb 2023 | Outdoor, Sports Grounds

Nanhua Glimmer Park

Quite foggy

Atelier Let’s & JR Archi­tects

Nanhua Glimmer Park celebrates the regional natural features and translates them into geometric forms of landscape design. Quite extraordinary.

Nanhua Glimmer Park is the result of the transformation of a school campus into a landscape park with numerous sporting activities — and with fog.

Nanhua Glimmer Park is the result of the trans­for­ma­tion of a disused school site into a land­scaped park with nume­rous sports faci­li­ties — and with fog. The site is located at the foot of Mount Taimu in Ping­tung County, Taiwan.

The archi­tects from Atelier Let’s and JR Archi­tects have preserved the original character of the site and added new social and ecolo­gical func­tions.

Nanhua Mica Park now serves as a meeting place for all gene­ra­tions, a centre of agri-cultural inno­va­tion, a proto­type drai­nage system — and a sports faci­lity.

The design objective was to create a public space for everyone. This

The design objec­tive was to create a public space for ever­yone. This meant remo­ving the old school wall, desig­ning barrier-free paths and elimi­na­ting height diffe­rences.

The conti­nuous curvature of the concrete retai­ning walls aims to recall the patterns of the pineapple fields and the folds of the moun­tain ridges.

The chosen plant diver­sity on campus offers an ecolo­gical educa­tional expe­ri­ence to the public — inclu­ding edible plants on green hills and aquatic plants in the eco-pond.

Nanhua Glimmer Park celebrates the regional natural features and translates them into geometric forms of landscape design.

Another focus of this project is the deve­lo­p­ment of an “inte­grated” irri­ga­tion system. In coope­ra­tion with local suppliers, a concept was created that serves two purposes: It provides the plants with suffi­cient water, and it creates the spec­ta­cular fog scenario inspired by the moun­tain mists. The system for crea­ting the mist is inte­grated into the lighting system.

This misty glow reflects the night fog over the back of Mount Taimu as it drifts across the maho­gany forest, pineapple fields and ridges.

Nanhua Glimmer Park cele­brates the regional natural features and trans­forms them into geome­tric forms of land­scape design — in a very outstan­ding way.

Project data

Architect

Atelier Let’s
JR Archi­tects

Ku, Ta-Chi; Huang, Cho-Jen; Yang, Haw-Jiun; Ming-Chih Tai; Chan, Ti-Yen; Yang, Tzu-Yin; Lu, Min Hui; Cheng, Chung Ming; Sun, Chieh; Chen, Hao-Yu

Client

Ping­tung County Govern­ment

Physical address

No. 1, Shi 1st Rd.
Gaoshu Town­ship
Ping­tung County 906001
Taiwan

Opening

2021

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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Photograph

Yuchen Chao Photo­graphy

Video

© JT VFX Studio

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The Ring Umag

by | 4 Feb 2023 | Schools and playgrounds, Sports Centres, Sports Grounds

The Ring Umag

Come as you are

Nenad Marić

A sports centre with an enormous atmosphere.

The project consisted of the reconstruction of the existing, neglected, playground area next to the elementary school in Umag.

This year, in Umag, the project for the sports field next to the Elemen­tary School of „Marija i Lina“ was completed in Umag, which turned the previously abban­doned and unused school sport field into a gathe­ring place for citi­zens, athletes and children.

The play­ground was desi­gned by archi­tect Nenad Marić, and the investor was the Muni­ci­pa­lity of Umag. The project consisted of the recon­s­truc­tion of the exis­ting, negle­cted, play­ground area next to the elemen­tary school in Umag.

The project task included the recon­s­truc­tion of the play­ground space and the trans­for­ma­tion of the surroun­ding envi­ron­ment.
Google Maps

The new “schoolyard” now belongs to the pupils in the mornings, but is open to the general public during non-school hours.

The context is defined by a wide regional road with round­abouts, a school’s sports hall and a spacious green area, while the exis­ting condi­tion of the play­ground consisted of three basic elements: field — sports field area, track — surroun­ding the field and embank­ment — around the track.

The school play­ground is a space intended for children, school­children, but also a space that did not have its users in the hours when classes are not taking place.

Apart from the fact that the demand for a desi­gned outdoor sports faci­li­ties is growing every day (which was espe­ci­ally evident during the period of rest­ric­tions related to the pandemic), we were guided by the idea that space affects people’s habits and that well-desi­gned space can gene­rate new acti­vi­ties of socia­li­zing and meeting.

With the idea of ​​involving citizens, a school playground was designed that should be open and adapted to everyone.

The design of the space was approa­ched with the aim of elimi­na­ting visual and spatial barriers to the context, school and gree­nery, and with the inten­tion of opening play­grounds to the city, while paying atten­tion to stan­dards, methods and prin­ci­ples of desig­ning sports faci­li­ties.

By placing circular elements, with contents for rest and socia­li­zing, all three elements (path, field and embank­ment) are connected. In the circular elements, sports stands, benches for socia­li­zing and elements for athletes’ rest are formed.

So, in addi­tion to the “orange circles” connec­ting the play­ground with the context and repre­sen­ting new entrances to the play­ground across the embank­ment, the circles also become places which open views towards the play­ground and all sports faci­li­ties.

In this way, the play­ground opens and connects with the city and becomes a place for socia­li­zing and gathe­ring of citi­zens, athletes and children.

Nenad Marić has turned a neglected schoolyard into an extremely colourful and communicative sports centre.

The program consists of two basket­ball courts, one hand­ball and one futsal court, outdoor gym, long-distance jumping area, table tennis space and volley­ball courts. Follo­wing the criteria of sports plan­ning and program-defined contents, sport fields are laid in a north-south direc­tion, in order to ensure equal condi­tions for ever­yone to play sports.

Hori­zontal graphics, carpet struc­tures, are also used as an element of defi­ning the space, crea­ting a system of inter­spaces for indi­vi­dual sports.

In addi­tion to gene­ra­ting a pulsa­ting public space and sports revi­ta­liza­tion of the wider city center, the project also creates all the prere­qui­sites for profes­sional and recrea­tional sports.

Project data

Architect

Marić Arhi­tek­tura i Urba­nizam
Šeta­lište Vladi­mira Gortana 38
HR — 52470 Umag

Client

Commu­nity of Umag

Physical address

Marija i Lina
Školska ul. 14, 52470
HR — Umag

Opening

2022

Author

Nenad Marić

Photograph

Marić Arhi­tek­tura i Urba­nizam

Video

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Ayla Golf Academy & Clubhouse

by | 3 Feb 2023 | Sports Grounds, Sports Grounds

Ayla Golf Academy & Clubhouse

Like the dunes and the sand

Oppen­heim Archi­tec­ture

This fascinating architectural form perfectly captures the elemental, living beauty of the hilly desert landscape.

The architects were obviously inspired by the dune landscapes and mountains of the surrounding desert as well as the architectural heritage of the Bedouins.

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Ayla Golf Academy & Club­house is the new centre of Ayla Golf Club. Desi­gned by the legen­dary Greg Norman, Ayla Golf Club boasts an 18-hole cham­pi­on­ship course and a nine-hole floodlit academy course. The new buil­ding was desi­gned by Oppen­heim Archi­tec­ture.

Ayla Golf Academy & Club­house takes inspi­ra­tion from the natural dune­s­capes and moun­tains of the surroun­ding desert as well as the archi­tec­tural heri­tage of the ancient Bedouin.

The inno­va­tive and organic design of the buil­ding forms the iconic core of the Ayla Oasis mixed-use resort deve­lo­p­ment.

Architect

Oppen­heim Archi­tec­ture
Miami & Basel

Chad Oppen­heim, Beat Huesler
Alek­sandra Melion, Anthony Cera­soli, Tom Mckeogh, Ana Guedes Lebre, Rasem Kamal

Client

Ayla Oasis Deve­lo­p­ment Company

The curved concrete shell replaces conventional walls and ceilings — everything melts into the sand like the dunes.

The distinct archi­tec­tural form of the Ayla Golf Academy & Club­house estab­lishes a unique connec­tion with nature by captu­ring the elemental, vibrant beauty of the rolling desert land­scape.

A massive concrete shell drapes over the program areas, enve­lo­ping the inte­rior and exte­rior walls of each volume. The curved shot­crete shell blends with the sand like dunes instead of having conven­tional walls and ceilings. Openings grant views towards the spec­ta­cular Aqaba Moun­tains in the back­ground.

Corten steel perfo­rated screen filters the light, similar to the tradi­tional Arabic ‘’Mashra­biya’. Jorda­nian patterns inspired the trian­gular pattern of openings while the tones of the surroun­ding moun­tains are echoed in the colors of the shot­crete and the metals.

Address

Ayla Golf Club
Al Farouq Street
Al Nakheel Area
JOR – 77110 Aqaba

Opening

2018

A local artist helped design the building by applying a traditional pigmentation technique to the interior surfaces.

The cons­truc­tion of the project is the result of a know­ledge exch­ange program between the Euro­pean office of Oppen­heim Archi­tec­ture and local work­force.

Shot­crete pouring tech­ni­ques were taught to workers in the first phases so that they could take owner­ship of the cons­truc­tion and obtain specia­lized skills.

A local artist also helped shape the buil­ding by applying a tradi­tional pigmen­ta­tion tech­nique to the inte­rior surfaces, gran­ting a raw, unadorned look that stays true to its context and inspi­ra­tion.

Photos

Rory Gardiner

Text

Oppen­heim Archi­tec­ture

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Modau Circuit

by | 28 Nov 2022 | Outdoor, Sports Grounds

The “Modau Circuit” in Darmstadt

In the name of moving

playfit

The “Bewegte Modaupromenade” initiative has set itself the goal of revitalising Darmstadt-Eberstadt. The Modau Circuit is the most important project.

The course includes eleven stations, which are very well integrated with each other and correspond to scientifically proven training procedures.

The “Modau Circuit” was opened in autumn 2020. The move­ment course is a result of the “Bewegte Modau­pro­me­nade” initia­tive, which has set itself the goal of revi­ta­li­sing a 2.6 km-long green strip in the heart of Darm­stadt-Eber­stadt.

The course includes eleven stations, which are very well inte­grated with each other and corre­spond to scien­ti­fi­cally proven trai­ning proce­dures.

Boards with instruc­tions explain the exer­cises and ensure that the equip­ment is used correctly – regard­less of age, size or level of athletic ability. The move­ment course was desi­gned to be inclu­sive, so that people with disa­bi­li­ties can also use the devices.

The devices come from playfit.

Google Maps

The centre of the movement is the Modau Circuit – and it’s aimed at all age groups. The course was built in just one month.

Behind the Modau Circuit and the “Bewegte Modau­pro­me­nade” initia­tive are committed and persis­tent citi­zens of Eber­stadt, who not only laun­ched the entire project, but also raised half the required funds.

The project was imple­mented by Darm­stätter Sport­stätten GmbH. The cost of the project was 90,000 euros.

Eber­stadt is a picturesque, village-like district in the very south of Darm­stadt. The Modau­pro­me­nade runs through the town centre from Blumen­straße in the north to the Kao company in the south.

The “Bewegte Modau­pro­me­nade” initia­tive is aimed at conti­nuously deve­lo­ping this area and crea­ting places for inter­ge­ne­ra­tional inter­ac­tion, move­ment and socia­li­sa­tion in the fresh air.

For children and young people, the master plan envi­sages the crea­tion or reno­va­tion and expan­sion of play­grounds and foot­ball fields. For the deve­lo­p­ment of vege­ta­tion and wild­life, flowe­ring strips on the shore, landing rocks for birds and an arti­fi­ci­ally created island (Modauinsel) are planned; for sustaina­bi­lity, the plan includes a wind gene­rator, display panels, solar panels and a biogas plant.

The centre of move­ment is the Modau Circuit in the back hall – and it’s aimed at all age groups. The course was built in just one month.

The Modau Circuit was opened in October 2020, i.e. at the height of the Covid pandemic. Since this kind of system makes it easy to stay soci­ally distanced, the course was a great success from the very begin­ning.

The course also repres­ents an enormous added value for clubs. For example, TG 07 Eber­stadt, a versa­tile club in the field of move­ment and ball sports, regu­larly orga­nises courses and intro­duc­tory guides by speci­ally trained coaches.

The devices from playfit offer a gentle and holistic training program in the open air. And: This is where socialisation and togetherness are created — and this is entirely in the spirit of the movement.

The Modau Circuit consists of eleven stations: balan­cing track, ellip­tical trainer, recum­bent exer­cise bike, rowing machine, upper body trainer-pulling, upper body trainer-pushing, back trainer, shoulder trainer, abdo­minal trainer, arm pull-push-up trainer and a calis­the­nics system.

Playfit’s devices ensure a balanced mix of balance exer­cises, endu­rance and strength trai­ning, for virtually all the muscle groups of the human body.

Calis­the­nics, for example, is about exer­cises with your own weight. Regard­less of whether the goal is strength buil­ding or incre­asing indi­vi­dual fitness: calis­the­nics promotes mobi­lity, body control and the fun of move­ment.

The calis­the­nics workout can be performed at any age, weight class and perfor­mance level. And calis­the­nics offers abso­lute freedom in indi­vi­dual trai­ning. This is espe­ci­ally appe­aling to young people, so the calis­the­nics station has become a social meeting place.

The playfit fitness equip­ment is made of stain­less steel and offers prac­ti­cally unli­mited possi­bi­li­ties of use. It is easy and simple to use and can also be used in ever­yday or office clot­hing without any problems.

The devices offer a gentle and holi­stic trai­ning program in the open air. Circu­la­tion, mobi­lity and coor­di­na­tion can be trained and streng­thened in an amazingly simple and playful way in the Modau Circuit.

And: This is where socia­li­sa­tion and toge­ther­ness come from — and this is enti­rely in the spirit of the move­ment.

We did this.

Project data

Parcours

playfit GmbH
Brau­er­knecht­graben 53
D — 20459 Hamburg

Client

Darm­städter Sport­stätten GmbH

Physical address

Modau­pro­me­nade / Hinter­grund­halle
Im Hirten­grund 14
D — 64297 Darm­stadt

Opening

2020

Photograph

Odin Lott

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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McArenas Esslingen

by | 29 Sep 2022 | Sports Grounds, Sports Halls

The McArena open-air halls at the Sportpark Weil

Football and everything else

McArena

Open-air halls have a bright future — especially when they are as versatile as the McArenas Esslingen.

The two open-air halls are barrier-free and can be used in a variety of ways.

In the spring of 2022, two adja­cent open-air halls were opened in Esslingen am Neckar: one for foot­ball, the other for ever­y­thing else. They expand upon the Sport­park Weil’s already impres­sive offe­ring: foot­ball, fencing, tennis, bowling, dancing, health-focused or reha­bi­li­ta­tive sport, indoor and outdoor volley­ball – this is all possible here.

The two open-air halls are barrier-free and can be used in a variety of ways. They were built by McArena.

Users of the halls include the neigh­bou­ring clubs and schools, but also private groups, who can secure a time slot online. The state and the federal govern­ments supported the cons­truc­tion of the Esslingen McArenas by provi­ding 712,000 euros. This corre­sponds to 90 percent of the char­geable costs.

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There is an increasing need for smaller, multifunctional facilities which can be accessed quickly and without membership.

The ongoing boom in open-air halls is a logical conse­quence of the way our sports beha­viour has changed.

The sport we want to do is beco­ming more and more nuanced and indi­vi­dual. Classic core sports venues need to evolve, and are doing so. There is an incre­asing need for smaller, multi­func­tional faci­li­ties which can be accessed quickly and also used without needing to be tied to the club or have member­ship.

Today’s open-air halls, like the Esslingen McArenas, are roofed, versa­tile sports fields that can be illu­mi­nated and which are tech­ni­cally very well equipped. However, their biggest advan­tage is that they allow us do sports outdoors all year round and to be protected by the roof from the wind and weather when doing so.

The two halls in Esslingen are the first to have solar panels installed and gree­nery planted on their roofs. The two halls are also extre­mely econo­mical: they do not require heating, are illu­mi­nated by LEDs, and are operated via a buil­ding auto­ma­tion system. Elec­tri­city is only consumed here when it is actually used.

The two open-air halls were designed from the outset to be barrier-free and were expressly conceived of for inclusive sports

The two open-air halls were desi­gned from the outset to be barrier-free and were expressly conceived of for inclu­sive sports. They are also used accor­dingly.

This is made possible by the 1.35-m-wide door openings on all sides and the place­ment of all opera­ting elements at hip height, or the use of wire­less opera­tion.

The two clubs FC Esslingen and SV 1845 Esslingen use the halls. In addi­tion, the surroun­ding schools, resi­dents, busi­nesses and social insti­tu­tions use the all-weather sports areas of the two open-air halls.

However, the digital opera­ting concept also enables private groups and commer­cial provi­ders to secure online time slots for the McArena.

Open-air halls have a bright future — especially when they are as versatile as the McArenas Esslingen.

The modern arti­fi­cial grass pitches are the centre­piece of the McArenas. They are ideal for most ball sports and exer­cise programmes. The circu­la­ting belts and ball nets make the game much faster and more intense. Above all, this elimi­nates the annoying task of having to fetch the ball.

The cons­truc­tion of the open-air halls consists of solid steel beams, while the roof cove­ring is made from trape­zo­idal metal sheets with anti-conden­sa­tion fleece. The roof surfaces of the two halls are each half covered with a photo­vol­taic system and exten­sive gree­nery.

The two halls have yet more extras to offer. These include LED lighting inte­grated into the roof, a digital display panel (which can be controlled via a button in the goal cross­bars), and a system for measu­ring the shoo­ting speed. The music system can be controlled via any smart­phone.

The concept and features of the Esslingen McArenas have also convinced poli­ti­cians. The state and federal govern­ments have ther­e­fore provided 712,000 euros of funding for this project. This corre­sponds to 90 percent of the char­geable costs.

Open-air halls are simply the future.

Project data

Open-air hall

McArena GmbH
Karl-Ferdi­nand-Braun-Straße 3
D — 71522 Back­nang

Operator

1845 Esslingen
FC Esslingen

Physical address

Sport­park Weil
Weil­straße 199
D — 73733 Esslingen am Neckar

Opening

2022

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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McArena GmbH

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Laykold

by | 28 Sep 2022 | Sports Grounds

Laykold

Time for a change

Melos

Sand courts need to be maintained and irrigated in summer, and in winter they cannot be used at all. Laykold is a worthwhile alternative.

Sand pitches need to be maintained and irrigated in summer, and in winter they cannot be used at all. The alternative is called Laykold (by Melos).

Whether it’s court clea­ring or the removal of moss — sand courts are beau­tiful and certainly offer some advan­tages, but in any case they are a lot of work. Not to mention the water sprink­ling in the summer, which is not very resource-effi­cient and thus not very envi­ron­men­tally friendly.

In response to this, Melos GmbH supplies the acrylic-based “Laykold” hard court coating systems, as parti­cu­larly durable and low-main­ten­ance floo­ring systems. Laykold systems are suitable for tennis courts but also for multi­func­tional courts on which volley­ball, basket­ball or foot­ball can be played.

The courts with Laykold coating systems can be played on all year round in outdoor area – an important topic for clubs, espe­ci­ally if no indoor tennis court is available for the winter season.

In contrast to clay courts, they do not have to be made winter­proof.
Melos

The Laykold acrylic system is an all-weather hard court coating that is both hard-wearing and durable. It can be easily adapted to meet individual desires.

Laykold systems have a multi-layer struc­ture: the base, consis­ting of water-imper­meable concrete or asphalt*, an elastic layer (Masters 5, Masters 8 and Masters Gel), a level­ling layer, a textured top layer and a sealing layer (optional).

The textured surface layer is available in 17 UV-resistant colours and can thus be opti­mally adapted to indi­vi­dual circum­s­tances, e.g. club colours.

This struc­ture offers several advan­tages: For one thing, the mate­rials provide a force reduc­tion of up to 23 percent, which is a big plus for the joints in parti­cular. In addi­tion, the ball boun­cing beha­viour remains constant, as the even surface of the top layer ensures that balls can no longer misfire. The seam­less and joint­less instal­la­tion of the system supports this advan­tage.

A speci­ally made rubber cushion can be inte­grated into the system to improve the cushio­ning effect and, in turn, the comfort of play.

Laykold looks back on a long tradition: since the 1920s, this surface has been installed at more than 100,000 sports facilities throughout the world.

The wide choice of colours allows you to add a crea­tive splash to your asphalt or concrete surfaces whether old or new.

Thanks to the minimal main­ten­ance requi­re­ments and low instal­la­tion costs, you can reinvi­go­rate exis­ting concrete and asphalt surfaces, and extend the life of exis­ting courts. The main appli­ca­tion areas are tennis courts and multi-sports surfaces (for basket­ball, volley­ball, foot­ball). Laykold is also a popular solu­tion for roller sports or schools.

Laykold looks back on a long tradi­tion: since the 1920s, this surface has been installed at more than 100,000 sports faci­li­ties throug­hout the world.

During the tennis boom of the 1960s and 70s, Laykold became estab­lished as one of the few mate­rials suitable for hard court surfaces.

Thanks to the versa­ti­lity that it offers today, Laykold has become the global market leader for outdoor tennis courts.

Laykold supplies, among others, the surface for the US Open in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Project data

Supplier

Laykold by Melos
Melos GmbH
Bismarck­strasse 4–10
D‑49324 Melle

Photograph

Melos GmbH

Author

Melos GmbH
(Adver­to­rial)

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Athletics running tracks

by | 17 Sep 2022 | Advertorials, Advertorials, Sports Grounds, Stadiums, Vorlagen

Athletic running tracks for every occasion

Fits everywhere

Conica

Some interesting facts and figures about synthetic running tracks, tartan tracks and temporary athletics running tracks.

MOST of the ATHLETICS FACILITIES FOR MAJOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS ARE BUILT IN STADIUMS, but SOMETIMES OUTSIDE AS WELL.

Athle­tics faci­li­ties offer suitable running tracks and sports surfaces for all the various disci­plines of athle­tics. The core of each faci­lity is the athle­tics running track. It encir­cles the pitch area in the stadium. In addi­tion, there are indi­vi­dual faci­li­ties in the stadium for the other disci­plines  – such as jumping, thro­wing and shot put.

Some­times track and field faci­li­ties are built for major inter­na­tional compe­ti­tions outside stadiums, for example in Zurich.

You can read all this and much more.

Is the athletics track really 400 m long?

It is always said that the track is 400 meters long. This is correct, but it only applies to the inside lane of the track. All other lanes are longer. The outer lane is 40 to 50 meters longer than the inner lane. On lane two, the diffe­rence is almost eight meters. With a lane width of 122 cm, the lanes differ by 2 x Pi x 122 cm = 7.67 meters.

Ther­e­fore, at compe­ti­tions, the athletes’ starting blocks are placed at diffe­rent loca­tions so that all runners have exactly 400 meters of track ahead of them.

However, it is not that accu­rate when it comes to  who starts where in every compe­ti­tion. In the 10,000-meter run, the runners gather for the start freely distri­buted on all eight lanes. After the start, they then try to quickly reach the inner lane and stay there if possible, because this results in valuable meters gained and ther­e­fore time.

Why do people actually run to the left?

It is believed that the origin of this goes back more than 200 years. In England, the first horse races were not held in stadiums, but on country roads. Because of the left-hand traffic in England, it was safer to let the horses run to the left so that they would not collide with onco­ming traffic. 

When there were finally proper horse racing tracks just for sport, people kept with the habit. These tracks were also used by runners in the begin­ning. Because of this,  running on the left became the norm. This later on became accepted world­wide.

Athletics facilities: Type A, B and C

The cons­truc­tion of outdoor athle­tics faci­li­ties is regu­lated in DIN 18035–1:2003–02, Part 1 “Sports grounds; outdoor faci­li­ties for games and athle­tics, plan­ning and dimen­sions”. Among other things, the DIN stan­dard distin­gu­ishes between running track types A, B and C. Depen­ding on how the faci­lity is used, it still requires an addi­tional World Athle­tics Class 1 or Class 2 certi­fi­cate.

For national and inter­na­tional athle­tics compe­ti­tions, a type A compe­ti­tion faci­lity is required. For regional and other major sporting events, type B is suffi­cient. For all other faci­li­ties that are not intended for high-perfor­mance sports (for example, for school level sports), type C is suffi­cient.

To host national and inter­na­tional track and field events, a Type A faci­lity requires World Athle­tics Class 2 certi­fi­ca­tion. This faci­lity has eight indi­vi­dual running tracks. Its length is at least 176.91 m, and its width is at least 93.08 m. The pitch in the center of the stadium must have an area of 109 x 73 m to meet the foot­ball field  stan­dard size of 105 m × 68 m.

In addi­tion, Type A has indi­vi­dual running tracks for sprin­ting, hurdles and stee­ple­chase, faci­li­ties for high jump and pole vault, long jump and triple jump, discus and hammer throw, javelin throw and shot put.

In the past, the tracks were made of red ashes (or clay). The first athle­tics tracks made of synthetic mate­rial only came later. These are tradi­tio­nally also called tartan tracks. The first synthetic running track was installed in 1968 in the Letzi­grund stadium in Zurich. Conica is one of the pioneers when it comes to synthetic tracks and has equipped plenty of renowned stadiums around the world.

Weltklasse Zurich
Special running tracks for special events

Some­times you need special running tracks and formats for special events – like for “Welt­klasse Zürich”, the last global athle­tics high­light of the 2022 season.

Welt­klasse Zürich was also the finale of the Wanda Diamond League, the most important global athle­tics event after the World Cham­pi­on­ships in Eugene and the Euro­pean Cham­pi­on­ships in Munich. Athletes achieved the follo­wing: 4 annual world best times, 6 meeting records, 1 Diamond League record, 16 season bests and 9 personal bests. 

The finals took place both in the Letzi­grund Stadium and on the Sech­se­läu­ten­platz, where in just two days, Swiss track specia­list Conica had built a high jump and a pole vault module along with its record-brea­king world’s longest mobile running track measu­ring 560m.

Conica also installed modules for the jumping compe­ti­tions.

The particularly big challenge on Sechseläutenplatz was that the track had to be removed smoothly and without residue right after the event. 

Six of the 32 compe­ti­tions (women’s and men’s 5,000m final, women’s pole vault and men’s high jump, women’s and men’s shot put) were moved from the stadium to down­town Zurich.

The parti­cu­larly big chall­enge on Sech­se­läu­ten­platz was that Conica’s usual process tech­nique – casting/pouring in place the running track surface – could not be used because the track had to be removed smoothly and without residue right after the event. 

For this reason, Conica used a spray-coated running track pre-produced on mats, which were then rolled out and fixed onto the Sech­se­läu­ten­platz pave­ment.  For the tight turns, speci­ally made inclined curve ramps  based on indoor faci­li­ties were produced, which offered the athletes optimal condi­tions for the best compe­ti­tion expe­ri­ence in the middle of the city.

Conica has been deve­lo­ping and manu­fac­tu­ring inno­va­tive seam­less floo­ring solu­tions based on poly­ure­thane and epoxy resins for sports, games, leisure as well as other areas for over 40 years. Conica is one of the world’s market leaders and inno­va­tion drivers in this field.

Project data

Athletics running tracks

Conica AG
Indus­trie­strasse 26
CH — 8207 Schaff­hausen

Photograph

Conica AG

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
More Sports Media
(Adver­to­rial)

Locations

Welt­klasse Zürich
Sech­se­läu­ten­platz
CH — 8001 Zürich

Stadion Letzi­grund
Bade­n­er­strasse 500
CH — 8048 Zürich

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