Sportforum Phoenix in Dortmund Hörde

Competition for BVB

Borussia Dortmund’s new sports forum at Phoenix West presents itself to visitors as a floating, symbolic roof under which all uses are synergistically united.

In terms of urban development, the site at the westernmost point of Phoenix West forms a special prelude, which the building reflects through its use and striking appearance. The city skyline from the B54 as the southern approach to Dortmund with the Florianturm, Westfalenhalle and Signal-Iduna-Park will in future be complemented by the projecting roof of the Sportforum in Dortmund Hörde, illuminated in yellow in the evening.

The most important functional goal of the design is absolute accessibility and level access to the building for all spectators. To this end, the sports floor will be dug into the existing terrain and the surplus earth on the site will be used to evenly model the future terrain. The result is an open sports landscape inside and outside the building that meets the public demand for multifunctionality, flexibility and integration of popular and disabled sports in a special way.

The sporting core of the facility is formed by the extremely compact changing area between the halls in the basement, from which the

athletes have the shortest route to their training and competition facilities (handball, table tennis and fitness hall as well as the leisure and warm-up sports fields in the outdoor area).

At the same time, spectators on the public entrance and grandstand level move from the spacious forecourt under the floating roof and enjoy the view of the sports fields and the expanse of the Ardey Mountains.

The roof itself rests as a multiple folded surface sculpture on three cubes, in which the serving functions of the public visitor level are concealed. The sculptural soffit follows the statically optimized cross-sections of the supporting structure and combines these particularly economically with the sports functional requirements of the clear hall heights.

The soffit made of yellow glazed wood-based panels is illuminated from below and gives the room its unique warm character.