Sports Hall

Sports Hall in Ingolstadt, Germany by Fink + Jocher, 2002

Munich architect Fink + Jocher created a luminous box from a typically solid and banal building type, the gymnasium. Their Sport Hall in Ingolstadt, Germany, used by both a neighboring high school and a local sports club, uses insulated glass with openings gives the rectangular building an eye-catching presence.

The simple plan places the open-space gymnasium to the north and the secondary facilities to the south, the former a long-span timber structure and the latter reinforced concrete construction. In the gymnasium space, slats near the ground protect the double-layered glass while allowing light to filter through both from the outside-in and inside-out. Furthermore, metal panels relate to tilting openings that allow the space to be naturally ventilated, protecting against excessive heating.

What looks like channel glass, the translucent skin is the most appealing feature of the design and hopefully it has the durability to hold up to its inevitable abuse from basketballs and other objects. The effect inside is just as dramatic as the effect outside, the room's siting and skin working together to ensure no distracting direct sunlight, a major problem in some gymnasiums.

Translucent, glowing skins are not new, but they have definitely grown in popularity since Herzog & de Meuron experimented with the application of that type of skin to industrial structures. Since, simple boxes can become more endearing, their interiors no longer separate and distant. Instead the space is veiled, giving a hint at what lies beneath without going for full transparency, out of function, privacy, or other concerns.