Borussia Dortmund: Expansion of the BVB training ground

"Sports office" and multifunctional building complete the site

Piece by piece to success: Since 2005, Dortmunder Stadtwerke AG (DSW21) has been successively building Borussia Dortmund’s training ground on the site of the former Napier Barracks in Dortmund’s Brackel district. In addition to seven large and two small pitches, the youth and amateur center (2005), the professional center (2010), the hall for the Footbonauten (2011), the youth residence (today: junior performance center; 2014) and the depot building of the Bundesliga soccer club were built in several construction phases. The grandstand at the amateur pitch was added in 2016. A further construction phase in 2020 saw the expansion of the training ground with the “Sports Office”, a multifunctional gatehouse and the expansion of the existing parking facilities. This is how the BVB training ground in Dortmund Brackel was continuously expanded.

“Sports office”: very close to the sporting action

With the new “sports office” in the extension of the youth training center, the existing parking lot has been consolidated by the spatial completion of the edge on the west side and further strengthened in its urban quality. A spacious room for press conferences, the scouting and youth departments as well as offices for BVB’s management with a view of the training pitches are located here. The exterior design of the office echoes the urban, urban façade design with the brick material and the three-storey structure of the youth training center. On the first floor, the administration building forms the public entrance by means of the glass façade. The fourth storey is set back as a staggered storey and is thus strongly recessed. The building is structured in such a way that the rear area can be extended in the long term.

Multifunctional building as the first port of call

As the new end point of Adi-Preißler-Allee, the gatehouse and multifunctional building directly on Aki-Schmidt-Platz is now the first port of call for all visitors to the training ground. This takes account of the increased safety requirements. More than its name suggests, this building component is intended as an effective and symbolic gesture of welcome in terms of urban planning. The Borussia Dortmund logo, visible from afar, welcomes the fans. The uses of the interior, such as the gatekeeper and lounge area, press workroom and toilet facilities for fans, are not visible from the outside due to the solid anthracite-colored façade. From the gatekeeper’s office, both the access road for professionals to the south and the access road for amateurs and young athletes to the north are clearly visible. The roof of the building is partly designed as a press platform and serves as a camera platform during public training sessions.

To the south of Adi-Preißler-Allee and Aki-Schmidt-Platz, the association has had the existing parking area continued with the same high quality of open space planning. It mainly serves as a parking area for the employees of the new “sports office” and naturally integrates the planned publicly accessible football pitch. An energy center has also been built in the north of the site, which supplies the training ground with its own sustainable heat generation.

Together with the buildings from the previous construction phases, the new buildings form a harmonious whole on the training grounds.