District Sports Hall in Wangen by Steimle Architects

There is actually no shortage of sports facilities in the centre of Wangen, located in the Allgäu region. Nevertheless, the district of Ravensburg decided to expand its facilities with the new sports hall. The triple sports hall, which has two additional large gymnastics rooms on the upper floor, officially opened in October 2024. Designed by Steimle Architekten, the almost square, two-storey building occupies a pivotal position in the town. It is surrounded by large, mostly freestanding buildings, including a vocational training centre, the former town hall, and a secondary school. All of these buildings are surrounded by green spaces. The Argen River, the site of the 2024 Baden-Württemberg State Garden Show, is not far to the south.

Slender wooden trusses span the three-court sports hall. Only the stiffening core is made of concrete. © Brigida González

With this space freed up from neighbouring buildings, Steimle Architekten designed a strictly geometrically structured building that thrives on the interplay of closed and open facade surfaces. Unlike many other sports halls, the building has no basement and rises to its full height above ground level. The triple-court hall to the south is enclosed in the area of the rebound walls and has glazed upper halves. It can be opened up to the community's festival grounds to the south via six large gates.

The foyer with the cafeteria opens up to the north with full-height glazing. The wooden structure is also visible here thanks to its green paint. © Brigida González

In contrast, the north-facing facade features large glass surfaces designed to draw visitors to the foyer and ground-floor cafeteria. The facades of the gymnastics rooms on the upper floor are clad with translucent wooden frame elements. These elements protect against prying eyes, while still allowing light to pass through. They are composed of vertical, tapered slats that are alternately inclined inwards and outwards. Exterior pilaster strips running the height of the building divide the structure between them. Like the supporting structure inside and parts of the furnishings, they are green and made of wood. The only part of the building that is made of concrete is the transverse, reinforcing core of the hall containing the changing rooms, technical and ancillary rooms, kitchen and two stairwells.