Eight at a stroke

Two levels, eight courts

Many sports halls can be divided into three, four, five or even six segments. The first eight-court sports hall in Europe opened in Monheim in spring 2025.

The purpose of the eight-court sports hall in Monheim an Rhein is to offer more flexi­bi­lity to both neigh­bou­ring schools and the local sports groups in terms of school, trai­ning and compe­ti­tion use. The sports hall offers two levels each with four courts, which can be combined based on specific needs. This means the eight hall segments can be used indi­vi­du­ally or as two large four-court halls. A mobile stand can be connected.

The NÜSSLI Group acted as a full-service contractor and part­nered with asp Archi­tekten, Schlaich Berger­mann Partner, Herzner & Schröder and Corall Inge­nieure.

Design

The decisive design element of the eight-court sports hall in Monheim am Rhein is the divi­sion of the sports area into two levels. Four courts can be found on the ground floor with four on the upper floor. The courts can be combined flexibly and, in the case of tour­na­ments for example, used as two four-court halls or one eight-court hall as required.

The hall offers a total area of 4,400 m² for sports. Plus a further 3,000 m² for chan­ging areas, tech­no­logy, deve­lo­p­ment and a gymnastics area. The lower hall has an exten­dable teles­copic stand with 500 seats which means the buil­ding is suitable for sports events hosting the general public.

Equipment

In order to have as little impact on school opera­tions as possible, the work had to be carried out as quickly as possible. It would have taken too long to build this large buil­ding using conven­tional cons­truc­tion methods. The city of Monheim am Rhein awarded the cons­truc­tion of the hall to NÜSSLI because their combi­na­tion of quick cons­truc­tion, prefa­bri­cated parts and high-quality mate­rials promised sustainable quality – and because their know-how of tempo­rary cons­truc­tion promised fast and compe­tent imple­men­ta­tion.

The use of pre-fabri­cated concrete and wood elements was advan­ta­geous. This not only allowed a weather-inde­pen­dent and quick instal­la­tion but also the precise timing of cons­truc­tion processes. The cons­truc­tion site required a frac­tion of the usual personnel costs, as many compon­ents only had to be assem­bled on site.

The façade design is clear and impres­sive. The “original” sports hall was clad with light grey perfo­rated steel plate to promote a balance between trans­pa­rency and unity. The four-level adjoi­ning buil­ding with foyer, chan­ging rooms, tech­no­logy and social spaces has a larch wood façade and blends beau­tifully into the surroun­dings. In addi­tion, the support struc­ture consists enti­rely of wooden elements, which not only offers design advan­tages but also considers sustaina­bi­lity.

Daily use

One might ask whether the first eight-court sports hall in Europe for a city such as Monheim am Rhein is a little over­sized. The response to this ques­tion is: No, it isn’t, because the use of the capa­city of the hall speaks volumes. 84% will be used for school sports; the hall will be used by Monheim sports clubs in the evenings and at the weekends.

This is extre­mely effec­tive. The layout and orga­ni­sa­tion of the sports hall makes a wide range of uses possible — from ball sports to appa­ratus gymnastics and fitness and gym sessions.

And this for future decades.