More space, more ambience.
Zwarts & Jansma Architects in collaboration with Merkx + Girod designed the expansion and modernization of the Sportspalace Ahoy.
As defined in the tender: The Sportspalace Ahoy was originally built as an indoor cycling and skating rink around 1970. The existing building has approximately 25,000 m2 of gross floor area. Over the past 35 years the building has been used for a variety of purposes and is known as one of the leading multipurpose indoor arenas in Europe. Building Owner OBR seizes the opportunity of the necessary renovations to the Arena to rebuild the accommodation accordingly: so Ahoy will remain one of the best venues of its kind in Europe for the coming 40 years.
The production characteristics of the building will be upgraded to meet the requirements of international popartists.
The roof will be renewed so it offers a higher clearance and the rafters can sustain a greater load.
The visitors capacity will be increased and the interior experience of the builing will receive special attention.
The building plan is designed to be efficient and compact, to ensure the use of as much volume of the building as possible. And expansion is only forseen where strictly necessary: in total appr. 3500 square meters gross floor space. The concrete construction in combination with the existing stands will remain intact. The design team has not only expressed the demands and requirements into a suitable design, but, during the entire building process, will pay much attention to options for implementation to ensure a partial ongoing use and exploitation.
nominated for the Stadium Business Awards 2011
Client: OBR Rotterdam
