Sports hall ‘De Rietlanden’ | Slangen+Koenis Architects

The new sports hall ‘De Rietlanden’ will, together with its existing neighbouring sport facilities, form a new important in- and outdoor sports centre in Lelystad. The existing situation already had two sports halls, though separated by a bike stand from the local secondary school. This unusual separation made it very hard to combine the different sport and social activities. Also the site has a very grey and pale colour pallet with an unwelcoming atmosphere, especially after school hours. The starting point of the design therefore was to not only create a friendly volume that combines the two existing buildings into one centre, but also to create a fresh and bright impulse for the drab and grey surroundings. By moving the entrance to the other side of the building we created a centre that is more accessible from a spacious and more inviting entrance square that welcomes the visitors. Since both of the neighbouring buildings had to remain, the new sports hall had to fit into the relatively narrow empty spot, where the bike stand used to be. To accentuate the placement of the new structure, we created very colourful facades at the two sides that intersect the existing buildings, accentuating the contrast between old and new. The two front facades are very crisp and light with white colours in varying materials. The new entrance faces towards the outdoor sport fields through large glass windows, as well as the covered terrace on the upper floor, that can function as a grandstand. In order to create an optimal sports and teaching environment, windows allows light and views into the sports hall. But they can also be closed if it is convenient for the activities. To create extra relief and agility to the entrance square the shutters can be adjusted to the needs of the users, causing the building to open or close towards the square. The floor plan clearly shows how the new structure is implemented on the site and in between the other buildings. There’s a hallway connecting the sports halls on ground level and the 6 changing rooms. These spaces are optimized to leave maximum space for the optimal layout. On the upper floor a spectator zone is situated along the length of the field with a restaurant. The restaurant is an important connection between the old and the new building on grandstand level.