Inselparkhalle, Hamburg

The character of the public space at the site provided an ideal starting point for the design of the sports complex. The architectural concept focused on creating a new building envelope for the existing interior space with the required roof and support structure.

With a four-part façade system, our design for the sports center gives all four sides equal standing. Each side adopts a distinct function in the context of its specific position and its intended use. The fully-glazed entry façade with the framed vertical gardens blurs the boundary between interior and exterior, making the space as open as possible. The façade on the opposite frontage is clad in simple wood planks an iconographic allusion to a theme of the 2013 International Architecture Exhibition in Hamburg: “The World of Ports”. The façade of the swimming pool section is made of polycarbonate panels. The panels store energy for the building as solar air heat collectors, they can be fully retracted to turn the indoor pool into an open-air pool during the summer. As the fifth façade, the roof provides an “energy garden” with photovoltaic panels arranged in geometric shapes.

Although each façade has a different character and a different impact, together they form a visually coherent collection of materials and colors. Each façade creates the perception of a sports facility, but does so differently depending on the viewing angle.