Architectural studio Birk Heilmeyer and Frenzel Architekten has been in charge of the project of a new two-court sports hall for the Ruit State Sports School in Ostfildern, Esslingen, Germany. To the southeast of the building appears a strip of dense forest bordering, so that the new building is framed by the urban fabric and the natural landscape.

The project completes the complex made up of two existing sports pavilions to the northwest of the site. To emphasize the entrance area, the architects designed a gap in the volume that is derived from the context and its simple relationship with the wooden structures.
Sports Hall in the Grove designed by the architecture studio Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten, it is a pavilion whose materiality, texture and color blends with the wooded background of the place from the outside. In addition, on the façade next to the forest, seats are incorporated in niches where athletes can rest, breathe and regenerate in nature.

The building is programmed into three different areas, lobbies, locker rooms and pavilion. A connection is created through a fully glazed urban footwear corridor that gives access to the changing rooms, the pavilion and the adjacent buildings.

The project is built using a wooden structure, without secondary beams, which allows natural light to enter through the different glass bands. Wood is not only used in the structure, the walls are covered with it to generate a contrast derived from the light colors of the wood and the linoleum used for the floor.


Sports Hall in the Grove by Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten. Photograph by Zooey Braun.
 

Project description by Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten

Two-court sports hall for the Ruit State Sports School in Ostfildern.

Based on the design of Birk Heilmeyer and Frenzel Architekten the two-court sports hall for the Württemberg Sports Association on the premises of the Ruit State Sports School in Ostfildern has been completed in July 2023. The straightforward timber construction building is located in the middle of a grove and blends effortlessly into its surroundings.

This year, Ruit State Sports School celebrates its 75th anniversary. With a variety of sports halls, grass pitches, seminar rooms and overnight accommodation, the educational facility offers ideal conditions for courses and training camps for a wide range of sports. Currently, the reorganization of the site is in full swing, including demolition, new construction, and conversions. The new two-court hall complements the building complex of two existing sports and football halls to the northwest of the site. A dense forest fringe borders the site to the west and south, so that the new building is framed by urban fabric and natural lands- cape.


Sports Hall in the Grove by Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten. Photograph by Zooey Braun.

The building‘s location aligns with the existing trees and the pattern of the other buildings. By moving closer to the existing buildings, it was possible to preserve the old trees. The staggered building development creates smooth transitions. The access to the new hall is in the east along the grove, which means that visitors are greeted by a charming green back- drop. A recess in the building volume highlights the main entrance.

The building’s form has been derived from the context and the straightforward realisation as a timber construction. From the outside, the vertically structured lesene façade reflects the adopted geometric order. Texture, material, and colour naturally blend into the backdrop of the grove. The new sports hall interacts with the site and adds value: athletes find seating accommodations in alcoves along the façade facing the grove, a retreat to breathe and re- generate or to meet and talk in the shade of the old trees.


Sports Hall in the Grove by Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten. Photograph by Zooey Braun.

The single-storey building is divided into three areas of activity, reflected on the outside of the building volume. The hall, that rises to the centre, is enclosed on one side by the lower reception area with changing rooms and on the other side by the adjacent equipment rooms. With direct access to the hall, the foyer perpetuates the nature of the outdoor space inside. The fully glazed street shoe aisle provides access to the changing rooms and the sports hall. At the end of the corridor, a new canopy provides a connection to adjoining buildings on the campus and offers a shelter against the elements.

Due to the tendering and award procedure chosen by the client, the project could be deve- loped from the first scheme (competition, 1st rank) to the detailed design in cooperation between the designers and the contractors. An economical, resource-efficient approach was taken to the timber construction: slender supports and beams made of glulam form the primary structure of the hall with a span of 1.25 metres. This approach eliminates the need for secondary beams or a substructure in the façade. This filigree structure characterises the spatial atmosphere.


Sports Hall in the Grove by Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten. Photograph by Zooey Braun.

Natural light enters through glazed ribbons on the two longitudinal sides, framed by louvre windows in every fifth bay. Plain materials were chosen for the finishings of the sports hall: Fibreboards for the wall cladding, wooden board formwork as an impact resistance wall and dark linoleum as sports flooring, which contrasts with the light wood surfaces. The seconda- ry rooms are kept in uniform colours and complement the warm atmosphere of the interior. Technical equipment components, such as overhead heating and lighting panels, are positi- oned between the glulam beams.

The interior of the hall can be divided asymmetrically by a curtain, stationary installations also allow for boxing in the new sports hall of the Ruit State Sports School.

This small sports hall in the grove quietly embraces the many advantages of timber const- ruction.

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Project team
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Stephan Birk, Liza Heilmeyer, Martin Frenzel, Felix Fritz, Laura Amon (Projektleitung), Jochen Günzler, Arantxa Piñate, Shanice Merz.

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Collaborators
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Project management.- nps Bauprojektmanagement GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany.
Structural planning.- müllerblaustein Ingenieure GmbH, Blaustein, Germany.
HVAC&S.- Ingenieurbüro Scherraus, Ulm, Germany.
Electrical planning.- Ingenieurbüro Puscher, Schelklingen, Germany.
Building physics.- müllerblaustein Ingenieure GmbH, Blaustein, Germany.
Fire protection.- umt Umweltingenieure GmbH, Ulm, Germany.
Landscape architecture.- von K GmbH Garten- und Landschaftsarchitektur, Ostfildern, Germany.
Timber construction.- müllerblaustein HolzBauWerke GmbH, Blaustein, Germany.
Concrete structure.- Härle Hoch- & Tiefbau GmbH, Maselheim, Germany.

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Client
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Württembergischer Landessportverband (WLSB) e.V. vertreten durch Markus Graßmann.

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Contractor
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müllerblaustein HolzBauWerke GmbH, Blaustein, Germany.

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Area
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GFA.- 1,495 sqm.
GV.- 11,070 cm.

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Dates
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Winter 2022.

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Location
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Ostfildern, Esslingen, Germany.

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Manufacturers
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Windows / Solar protection.- R.u.R. Schmid GmbH, Unlingen, Germany.
Roof sealing.- Müller Dach + Solar, Weinstadt-Endersbach, Germany.
Internal doors.- Single Innenausbau GmbH, Frickenhausen, Germany.
Plumber.- Dangel Metall GmbH, Lenningen, Germany.
Impact wall.- Si Sport GmbH, Gummersbach, Germany.
Partition curtain.- SwS GmbH & Co. KG, Lindlar, Germany.
Sport equipment.- G. Benz Turngerätefabrik GmbH+Co, Winnenden, Germany.
Tile work.- Fliesen Lang GmbH & Co. KG, Kirchheim-Teck-Nabern, Germany.
Painting work.- Maler Maier GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany.
Signage.- siegel konzeption I gestaltung, Stuttgart, Germany.
Heating & Ventilation.- Schäfer Anlagentechnik GmbH, Westerheim, Germany.
Plumbing.- Kremmlit-Bauelemente GmbH, Dusslingen, Germany.
Electrical works.- Elektro Sever GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany.
Outdoor facilities.- Gala-Bauer Maier, Köngen, Germany.
Solar protection.- Warema Renkhoff SE Raffstoren.
Timber facade.- Vorvergrauung, Adler Lignovit Platin, Silverwood Silver.
Floor covering.- Forbo, Marmoleum, Sport 83707.
Wooden ceiling.- BER Naturspan Holzspan-Akustikplatte, naturbelassen.
Wall tiles.- Ce.Si Aloe 10x10.

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Photography
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Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten is an architecture studio founded by Liza Heilmeyer and Stephan Birk in 2005 shortly after graduating, since then their practice has grown steadily. Since 2012 they have been associated with Martin Frenzel. In 2019, Felix Fritz was appointed additional CEO.

Stephan Birk Prof. Dipl.- Ing. Architekt BDA, was born 1975 in Stuttgart. He completed his architectural studies at the University of Stuttgart, where he graduated in 2003. Upon his graduation, Stephan joined Foster+Partners in London. Subsequently, in 2005, he founded his practice together with Liza Heilmeyer in Stuttgart. Their work has been acknowledged with several awards, among them the prestigious Deubau-Preis for Young Architects, the Emerging Architects Award Weissenhof Architecture Gallery, the North Rhine-Westfalia Award for Young Artists, and Europe 40 under 40 - Europe's emerging young architects and designers. Since 2012 the practice has operated together with Martin Frenzel.

In addition to his work as an architect, Stephan Birk has been engaged in teaching and research since 2007. Until 2011 he worked as a research assistant, and from 2012 - 2015 as deputy professor at the Institute for Building Construction and Design at the University of Stuttgart. He was appointed as a full professor at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern in 2015. Until 2021 he has led the Department of Building Construction and Design and jointly established the research area T-Lab Timber Architecture and Wood Materials together with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Graf. In 2021 Stephan Birk took over the chair of Architecture and Timber Construction at the Technical University of Munich. He is part of the research group TUM.wood.

Liza Heilmeyer Dipl.- Ing. Architektin BDA, was born 1975 in Freiburg. Before her architectural studies and graduation at the University of Stuttgart, she completed a one-year study program at Art School Stuttgart. Upon her graduation in 2003, Liza joined Foster+Partners in London. Subsequently, in 2005, she founded her practice together with Stephan Birk in Stuttgart. Their work has been acknowledged with several awards, among them the prestigious Deubau-Preis for Young Architects, the Emerging Architects Award Weissenhof Architecture Gallery, the North Rhine-Westfalia Award for Young Artists, and Europe 40 under 40 - Europe's emerging young architects and designers.

From 2008-10 Liza was an academic researcher at the department ibk2 (Building Technology, Construction and Design, Chair 2). In 2009 she was appointed to the Association of German Architects (BDA). In the years 2010 and 2012, Liza was a member of the convention of the Federal Foundation of Baukultur. Since 2012 the practice has operated together with Martin Frenzel. In October 2020 Liza Heilmeyer was elected as the new state chairman of the BDA Baden-Württemberg.

Martin Frenzel Dipl.- Ing. Architekt, was born 1971 in Heidenheim. He studied architecture and graduated from the University of Kaiserslautern in 2000. From 1997-2005 he worked as a freelancer for Mahler Günster Fuchs Architekten in Stuttgart. During 2001-2003 he shared his experience as an academic researcher for the department Städtebau (Urban Design Institute) of the University of Stuttgart. In 2004 he began to work as a self-employed architect. The cooperation with Stephan Birk und Liza Heilmeyer started in 2008 and since 2012 the practice has operated under the name Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten. In 2017 he was appointed to the Association of German Architects (BDA)

Felix Fritz Dipl.- Ing. Architekt, was born in 1982 in Reutlingen, he studied architecture at the University of Stuttgart, where he graduated in 2010. During his studies, he worked at several architectural practices in Stuttgart, Freiburg as well as in Shanghai. Since 2010 he has been employed at Birk Heilmeyer und Frenzel Architekten, where he has been an associate as of 2017. In 2019 Felix Fritz was appointed to the management board.
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