a+r Architekten

Description

The Sporthalle+ project consists of two new halls as part of the 2018 State Horticultural Show in Lahr, Baden in Germany. With its two uses, the multi-purpose hall and sports hall divide the building structure due to a staggered layout. This creates two protected outdoor areas: the entrance courtyard and the «Vereinshof» (club courtyard). The entrance courtyard as the main access leads from the car park into the event hall and is oriented towards Lahr’s town centre. Conversely, the club courtyard is oriented towards the «Bürgerpark» (citizens’ park). It is assigned to the multi-purpose hall and club and can also be used for outdoor events. Both courtyards provide access to the shared central foyer. The halls with the foyer and its ancillary uses are experienced as an ensemble that is connected by a plinth, which also defines the courtyards spatially. The volumes of the two halls rise above this plinth. With its timber strips of different heights, the plinth zone symbolises Lahr’s geological faults on the edge of the Black Forest. The timber cladding of the hall structures with varying degrees of light transmittance symbolises a kind of «abstract forest» made of square timber slats.