mecanoo: fontys sports college

fontys sports college, eindhoven by mecanoo all images courtesy mecanoo

this week was the official start of construction of the fontys sports college, eindhoven designed by mecanoo. the international sports institute in which the city of eindhoven and fontys have collaborated will be completed in august 2012 in genneper parks, one of the largest dutch athletics terrains.the 16,500 m2 sports complex will include five gymnasiums, a 15-meter high climbing tower, classrooms and parking garage. the sports school brings together three studies which are currently located in sittard and tilburg.

the intelligence of this building is that most of the sports accommodations are located on the first floor. this creates not a closed off sports box, but a completely transparent ground floor which is in relationship with the environment. it is a social sports facility design that contributes to the vibrancy of genneper parks. the compactness of the building’s layout provides the advantage of room left for a stage to the building – in the form of a plinth – inviting athletic and social encounters in the outdoors. a brick roof sculpture, in which many of the sports amenities are located, is on the transparent ground floor. 

the literal highpoint of the building is the climbing wall which is situated at the corner of the building and acts like a beacon. a huge glass window offers a distant view of the climbers. the sports complex’s logistics are sophisticated and provide the maximum of opportunities for cross disciplinary interaction between sports and education. it is possible to see into the sports halls from the corridors, study areas, the restaurant and the entrance halls. simultaneously, sport and education are logistically separated. the teaching functions can be sealed off so that only the sports halls are accessible, for example at sporting events or sports association gatherings. also in the evening, the building is lively, contributing to the security of genneper parks.

project info:

program: sports complex of 16,500 m2 with 5 sports halls, 1 with 400 seats, a 15 meter high climbing wall, a restaurant, a library and educational facilities as a multi-media centre and a sports lab, and a parking garage with 200 parking spaces client: gemeente eindhoven, fontys hogescholen design: 2009 -2010 realization: 2010 -2012