Urban space. WIN4 Sports Centre by EM2N

Description of project by EM2N

The WIN4 Sports Centre in Winterthur is located beside the existing Deutweg ice arena. Catering for both mass and top-level sport, this new project is intended to have an impact far beyond the city of Winterthur. On this account a kind of architecture was aimed for that translates these national and international ambitions into a memorable architectural lan- guage. Three distinctively different building volumes form an ensemble and define a shared outdoor space.

The first phase consists of a new building for a ball sports arena with an adjoining campus building. In the second phase the Sports Wing 2 is to follow along with other sports-related functions. The three buildings are connected by a central covered foyer area. The strategy of using three independent buildings allows a clear urban statement to be made already during the first stage. With the erection of Sports Wing 2 in the second phase the central circulation space will be clearly defined in spatial terms. A smaller, multi-function training hall augments the ensemble and a six-part gym hall is intended to complement the sports cluster in the future.

The large ball sports arena, which swivels outwards to the south, is the new home for the handball players from Pfadi Winterthur, the Uni hockey association and other Winterthur sports associations. The heart of the arena is a central pitch, surrounded by raised specta- tor stands that provide space for up to 2000 spectators. All the necessary ancillary spaces such as changing rooms, press rooms etc. are accommodated at entrance level. Staircases positioned at the sides bring visitors up to the first-floor level. There, from the generously dimensioned surrounding circulation terrace, they can access the stands, numerous re- freshment areas, the VIP enclosure, and the sanitary facilities. An underground garage in the basement of the ball sports arena offers 125 parking spaces.

The neighbouring five-storey campus building houses a variety of sport functions, all of which are reached from a centrally placed staircase. Sports medicine, fitness with inte- grated wellness facility and a sports school with classrooms augment the functions of the sports cluster. The multi-functional training hall is a ‘decorated shed’ that relates visually to the buildings of the first phase in the north, while at the same time taking account of the existing district centre to the south.

The outdoor spaces around the new sports centre consist of an arrivals area with an urban character, a landscaped district park, and the large lawns of the sports pitches. With its public pathways the new sports park has an additional value for the neighbouring resi- dential districts as a place to spend leisure time.