Freiham Sports Park

Location Munich, Germany

Client /operator City of Munich Department of Education and Sports – Real Estate Management

Architect Georg Scheel Wetzel Architekten GmbH Berlin, Germany www.georgscheelwetzel.com

Landscape architect Lützow 7 C. Müller J. Wehberg Garten- & Landschaftsarchitekten

Author Georg Scheel Wetzel Architekten GmbH

Photos Stefan Müller

Official opening August 2020

SPORTS CENTRE IN MUNICH, GERMANY

With its 25,000 future inhabitants, the district of Freiham in western Munich represents the largest urban development project in the city’s recent history. The sports park complements the educational campus in the district’s centre and was commissioned as result of an architectural competition in 2014. Situated just off the edge of the city, the Georg Scheel Wetzel Architects design defines the interface between the urban space and the countryside and serves as a public promenade along this junction.

Freiham Sports Park is the first facility in Munich to enable people regardless of their (dis-)ability to partake in team activities for both amateur sports and clubs alike. The centre has two triple-court sports halls with spectator stands, multi-purpose rooms, a swimming pool, clubhouse and restaurant as well as various outdoor sports fields.

During daytime, it is used by the adjacent schools for physical education indoors and outdoors as well as for swimming lessons. After school and on the weekends, it is used by a broad number of local sports clubs offering activities for all ages such as ball games, athletics, martial arts, dancing, water sports, wheelchair hockey, blind football and many more. All of these disciplines conduct regular training as well as official tournaments with spectators.

With the declared aim of appealing to the broadest possible range of the public, part of the design process involved the development of appropriate tools for sports facilities in close exchange with users, experts and consultants. The result of this is an adaptation of the programme

JURY VERDICT

Freiham Sports Park has been designed to create an accessible venue for people with a disability where they can participate in sport alongside their able-bodied counterparts. The jury was impressed that the standards deployed far exceed the requirements of the national building code, offering access to all floors, extra-wide doors for sports wheelchairs and plentiful accessible toilets. Other important considerations were acoustics that enable visually impaired athletes to play football; mini-mising glare; doors that are easy to open; and storage for wheelchairs when transferring to a sports wheelchair. The programme considers the needs of people with a disability and of elderly people wishing to participate at the highest level. It is a worthy recipient of the IPC IAKS Distinction for Accessibility.

BODENSEESTRASSE BAUFELD OPTIONAL

U-1703

to the needs of the elderly, to people restricted in their mobility and those hard of hearing or visually impaired, with only a minor increase in space. This today serves as model for future municipal projects.

Smooth transition from the urban space to the open countryside

The overall connection between the various buildings is established with a shared materiality: both the façade as well as the outdoor paving are made of a light-coloured, slightly charred brick which is reminiscent of the local soils. With the aid of technical modulations in the masonry, the buildings’ volumes are further accentuated. A compact volume-to-surface ratio and the use of sustainable building materials contribute to a highly sustainable architecture. To improve climate resilience and precipitation retention, the majority of the roofs have been extensively planted while other parts carry solar collectors for the generation of alternative energy.