Dietger Wissounig Architekten

Sports Hall St. Martin . Villach

Dietger Wissounig Architekten . photos: © Jasmin Schuller . © Paul Ott . + archdaily

The old circular sports hall in St. Martiner Street has been replaced by a new hall which is used by the adjoining secondary school as well as various sports clubs and is suitable for international ball game tournaments.

The elongated structure is positioned approximately parallel to the street which establishes a high public presence, protects the outdoor sports ground located behind it and ensures that the existing parking spaces on the northwest side remain available. At the front of the building is the main entrance with a small forecourt. A row of trees and additional parking spaces serve as buffer zone to the busy St. Martiner Street. The three-storey building has been lowered four metres below street level in order to create a direct underground access to the school on the one hand and on the other hand, to give the extensive hall with a total height of 11.8 metres a form which agrees with urban development.
The buildings appearance is characterised by a copper façade made of folded perforated metal plates covering the hall like a semi-transparent veil. The copper sheets are staggered by one folded element at each storey which structures the front horizontally. The façade is interrupted by glass fronts on the upper floor at the northeast side and on the ground floor at the southeast side. The former ensures an even and glare-free incidence of daylight in addition to the numerous skylights, while the latter provides a view into the sports hall from the schoolyard.
A maintenance walkway also covered with copper sheet protectively overhangs the main entrance and the glass front. The foyer, which has a direct line of sight to the sports hall, houses a buffet, sanitary facilities, the caretaker’s room and access to the stands accommodating 220 people. Stairs and a lift lead to the changing rooms on the basement floor with direct access to the hall. The gymnastics room is located above the foyer offering a view of the sports hall and the outdoors.
In contrast to the coppery façade on a black background, the inside is dominated by light colours: the floor and walls of the gym are oak-paneled, while all other surfaces, even the floors are cream white. This creates a friendly atmosphere in which the sports equipment and lighting system on the underside of the ceilings remain in the background. The entire ventilation technology is integrated into the walls – the supply air is let in without any draught or noise via the northeast wall of the sports hall through perforations in the high-impact wall. The spent air is exhausted through ducts in the southwest wall.
In terms of construction, the basement floor and three sides of the building consist of reinforced concrete, the southeast wall is built as wooden frame construction and the roof is made of prefabricated insulated wooden elements.
The entire complex has a gross volume of more than 24,000 m³. It provides barrier-free access and is equipped with an orientation system for visually impaired users. Geothermal preheating of supply air, a heat recovery ventilation system and a corresponding insulation ensure high energy efficiency resulting in an annual heating demand of 16.9 kWh/m².

Architects: Dietger Wissounig Architekten
Design Team: Dietger Wissounig, Patrick Steiner, Thomas Wadl
Landscape: Dietger Wissounig Architekten