Sportcampus Zuiderpark

Sportcampus Zuiderpark is much more than a centre of excellence for sport and movement. Located at the heart of the historic Zuiderpark, the €50m sports campus is an innovative collaboration of alliances between education, sport, sport science and the community, for both the Municipality of The Hague and its private partners: the Haagse Hogeschool and ROC Mondriaan.

The overriding aim is to emphasize the importance of sport and exercise through learning and engagement, for the amateur as well as the elite athlete, using sport as the inspiration to deliver a healthier society. The sports campus includes a gymnastics hall, beach sports hall, spectator arena and a multi-purpose sports hall, as well as a variety of sports science and education spaces.

Summary:
Innovative sports campus

Location:
The Hague, Netherlands

Size:
33,000m²

Budget:
£45,000,000

Client:
Municipality of The Hague

Construction:
March 2015 - June 2017

Opening:
June 2017

A space of wellbeing that promotes exercise not just in function but also through the dynamism of the architecture, with its iconic metallic ribbon.

Judging Panel
Civic Trust Awards 2019

Motion and Activity

Our design solution is an interpretation of the brief to embody within the campus the principles of ‘motion and activity’. This is expressed externally in the fluid movement of the elevational treatment. At ground level, the curved form of the plan is expressed by a simple plinth constructed from textured precast concrete panels.

The upper part of the elevation is expressed as a metallic ‘ribbon’ that narrows and twists to reveal glazing on the elevation. Constructed from brightly polished stainless steel, the dynamic ribbon changes colour with different lighting conditions and cloud patterns as well as reflecting the animation of its natural setting.

Sportcampus Zuiderpark The Hague Plan With Connections L
Sportcampus Zuiderpark The Hague Ribbon Concept Sp

As the Zuiderpark is listed as a ‘national monument’, the building has been designed to preserve the unique character of its historic surroundings. The curved nature of the building creates the perception that the building’s edges are retreating into the distance, minimising its visual scale. The largest interior volumes—primarily the areas for sport— have been situated to the rear of the building allowing for the height to be reduced significantly at the front, where the majority of the education spaces are located.

The high sided rear elevation has been positioned to respond directly to the urban city context whilst the front elevation responds at a human scale to the public parkland. Here, an animated entrance courtyard acts as an extension to the park, creating a physical link between the campus and the main approach routes.

Sport as Inspiration

The combination of sports, education and research can create exciting talents, and maybe here we can develop an amateur sportsman into a top sporting athlete.

Rabin Baldewsingh
Councillor, The Hague

Awards

  • IOC IPC IAKS Architecture Prizes 2019
    IOC IAKS Gold Award
  • Civic Trust Awards 2019
    International Civic Trust Award
  • World Architecture Festival 2018
    World's Best Sports Building - Highly Commended
  • German Design Awards 2018
    Architecture Winner
  • Construsoft BIM Awards 2016
    Sports and Recreation Award