The complex

This new and attractive accommodation is designed as a training facility and venue. It offers students the possibility to sport and relax. The complex is located on the University Campus Woudestein and mark its east entrance.

The sport functions – amongst others 3 sport halls, 2 gyms, a fitness, bar/restaurant and additional facilities – that the building needs to accommodate, and the high capacity of users require a smart and economical distribution of spaces and clever connections: both functional and visual.

Related functions are clustered in order to enable separate use. This provides convenience for the users and operator. The various functions are accessed from the inner street, which functions as the backbone of the building and forms the entrance of the building from both north and the south side.

Design

The design is a consequence of combining smart distribution of spaces – designed as closed, function­al boxes- within the building envelope. The half transparent facade fills all plot, creating a simple, ephemeral shape, corresponding with orthogonal composition of solids present on the campus. Spaces between the closed boxes and building facades exteriorize the interiors and embed the object in its special surroundings.

The complex shape of stacked and connected inner boxes, vis­ible through the opaque and partly transparent skin, creates a sculptural effect with differences between light and dark spaces, shadows, and desaturated textures. This poetic, fragile façade appears different depending on viewpoint, time of the day and night, lighting and season, turn­ing a simple sport building into dynamic, living object which shares it’s living rhythm with its users.

The new student sports complex is characterized by the inner street which connects the two building volumes. For the realization of the complex two plots have been joined which in the masterplan were originally separated by a street.  In order to respect this original intention, the building is designed as two separate volumes which are on the one hand separated by the inner street while on the other hand held together by the dynamic façade of the building.

The ‘street’ offers a clear route and accessible orientation. The ‘street’ does not only have a logistic function, but is also an important meeting place, where the social aspect plays an important role in the motivation for people to do sports. Here you can meet with your friends, have a drink, and have a nice view over the different sport activities.