Neutal hall for sport and culture

Location Neutal, Austria

Operator Neutal municipality

Architects SOLID architecture ZT GmbH AT – 1100 Vienna www.solidarchitecture.at

Author SOLID architecture ZT

Photos Kurt Kuball

Official opening March 2020

FOOTBALL GOAL BECOMES A STAGE

NEUTAL HALL FOR SPORT AND CULTURE

The hall for sport and culture in the municipality of Neutal resulted from a process in which the mayor and the municipal administration consulted with the population to define actual demand, requirements and wishes for the new community building. On the basis of these precisely defined parameters, a compact, functional and iconic building has been developed that satisfies all of these requirements as well as responding to local conditions.

On a 23 x 37 m footprint, the playing and multi-purpose area based on a standard sports hall forms the centrepiece of the building. The concourse area positioned along one side serves as an audience space for small sports events, served by all the necessary ancillary areas such as food & drink and sanitary facilities, but also with direct access from the main entrance and forecourt.

The separating barrier can be removed, thus creating a spacious area of 17 x 27 m for conferences and conventions. A curtain partition can be used to divide this area into two smaller, independent units.

At one end of the playing area is a 9 x 5 m stage space. Through a simple conversion, the end wall can be opened towards the hall to create a spacious location for stage events for up to 300 visitors. Dividing the hall with the curtain partition provides a more intimate atmosphere for smaller events.

Other necessary ancillary rooms are located on two levels at the ends of the hall, and here, too, the dual use of the areas has been pursued as far as possible. The visitors’ cloakroom also serves as a changing room for sports

clubs, and the artists’ dressing room doubles as a storage area for the hall seating.

Effective daylight illumination The spacious skylight strips with shades each rest on two glulam beams at 45 degrees to each other, which, in addition to their structural function, also form large parts of the ceiling underside and, with their untreated wooden surfaces, make a significant contribution to the room’s pleasant atmosphere. The shed-like wall elements of the building envelope derived from this load-bearing structure have a positive effect on the room acoustics and form a coherent, distinctive design scheme both internally and externally. All additional wall cladding required for the impact wall and acoustics is also made of wood.

Prefabrication proves beneficial Because of the tight time schedule and sustainability requirements, timber construction was adopted as far as possible. The shed-like façade consists of prefabricated timber frame walls, which were delivered together with the glulam roof beams and the separating floors and installed on site within three weeks. The components in contact with the ground, such as the base slab and the annex partly built into the slope and containing the food & drink counter and sanitary rooms have been constructed with solid materials. This allocation of materials has also been retained in the interior, where the partition walls in the solid structure are constructed with plasterboard, not least because of the large scale of sanitary installation, whereas the partition walls in the hall are made entirely of solid wood.