Multifunctional sports hall with MobilityHub

The construction of a new multifunctional sports hall is the key building construction project under the responsibility of the City of Aachen within the Sportpark Soers. Aachen is thus strengthening its profile for top-class sport in various ball sports (basketball, handball, volleyball, etc.) and at the same time pursuing the declared goal of creating this hall complex as a sports infrastructure for everyone. For this sub-project of the Sportpark Soers, it is necessary to set the guidelines for the sports usage program and the size of the multifunctional sports hall as a basis for the next planning steps.

The construction of a new multifunctional sports hall is the key building construction project under the responsibility of the City of Aachen within the Sportpark Soers. Aachen is thus strengthening its profile for top-class sport in various ball sports (basketball, handball, volleyball, etc.) and at the same time pursuing the declared goal of creating this hall complex as a sports infrastructure for everyone. For this sub-project of the Soers sports park, it is necessary to set the guidelines for the sports-related usage program and the size of the multifunctional sports hall as a basis for the next planning steps.

To this end, the City of Aachen, together with the office Karres en Brands (Hilversum, Netherlands), deepened the planning study of the multifunctional sports hall including the MobilityHub in spring | summer 2024. The main aim of this in-depth study was to examine three variants for a multifunctional sports hall - standard (S), standard plus (S+), maximum variant (L) - at the master plan level in terms of urban planning and, in particular, to quantify and illustrate the open space potential in its immediate urban environment. The smaller the building footprint of the multifunctional sports hall and MobilityHub, the more opportunities there are for new, freely accessible outdoor exercise and sports infrastructure.

The focus of the in-depth study was on the scenario and area analysis and expressly not on the elaborated open space planning. This applies to the final positioning of the open spaces as well as to the specific sporting profile of the potential areas for non-organized sport shown. Both aspects will only be fleshed out in the next planning phase.

Standard variant (S)

With a new multifunctional sports hall in line with the "standard" scenario, the sports infrastructure in Aachen will be sustainably strengthened. In future, a sports hall would be permanently available for top-level sport in the city and city region of Aachen for major national and possibly international sporting events, including championships. In the area of grassroots sport, the "Standard" scenario explicitly meets the need for additional multiple sports halls for the multiple training and competition activities of the clubs identified in the sports development planning.
The "Standard" variant comprises a gross floor area of 7,500 m2 . With a building footprint of the entire property (multifunctional sports hall + MobilityHub) of 8,100 m2 , it opens up potential open space of 17,650 m2 . Of this, up to 6,400 m2 could be profiled for non-organized sports. In a compact layout, it is conceivable that several courts for beach volleyball, streetball or padel could be created. All types of small-scale sports facilities (fitness, calesthenics, bouldering, etc.) are also possible. The "standard" variant does not envisage any sports use on the roofs of the multifunctional sports hall or the MobilityHub.

Maximum variant (L)

In the maximum version, the new multifunctional sports hall already lives up to its role as a defining building on the site of the former police headquarters and a flagship for the Soers sports park thanks to its size and power. Despite its location in the "second row", it will also make the sports park visible from Krefelder Strasse. From a sporting perspective, the possibilities of a four-court sports hall are rated particularly highly in view of the need for 3.4 additional multi-court halls calculated for Aachen as part of the current sports development planning. The functional modules "training and further education in sport" and "health and prevention" also offer the potential to further develop the multifunctional sports hall beyond pure sporting activity as a place of innovation.
The maximum variant comprises a gross floor area of 10,600 m². With a building footprint of the entire property (multifunctional sports hall + MobilityHub) of 12,200 m2 , this leaves an open space potential of 13,600 m2 . This is too small to be profiled for non-organized sports. Instead, there is the possibility of activating larger parts of the roof of the multifunctional sports hall - including the size of a small playing field - for sports use.

Standard plus variant (S+)

Strengthening running and jumping skills supports numerous sports. By adding the functional module "running and jumping", suitable training opportunities can be created in the multifunctional sports hall for this cross-sectional task and especially for athletics. By offering an indoor training facility suitable for competitions, Aachen would create a unique selling point for the city and the Aachen city region. By integrating the functional module "climbing", it is possible to supplement the sports infrastructure for climbing and bouldering - a sport that is in consistently high demand among the Aachen population in all age groups and levels of difficulty. A "sports office" will provide premises for the operation and management of the new sports infrastructure directly in the multifunctional sports hall, i.e. the place where the highest everyday frequency in the Soers sports park is expected in future.