Sports complex Het Baken Zeewolde
- Size
- approx. 6.000 m2 GFA
- Commission
- Design & build
- Duration
- 2020 - 2022
- Budget
- approx. €10.000.000,-
Zeewolde is a young municipality that has its origins in the creation of the Flevopolders. The municipality is situated in a natural environment and is intersected by 3 green axes of which the leisure centre, the sports park along which Het Baken Sports Complex is situated, is one.
The municipality’s young, dynamic and green character were the starting points for the design of the new sports complex, which will consist of a competition pool, instruction pool, sports hall and restaurant area. The building will function as a home for the various user groups and indoor athletes. It will be a pleasant place that invites people to play sports and come together and where a lively and open sports and meeting place will be created by clever placement of the various functions.
The existing access to the building plot is on the southwest side and access to the building is directed towards this. In order to create the largest possible entrance plaza, the building volume has been placed as far back on the plot as possible. Taking into account the existing sports hall, which can only be demolished after the new sports hall has been built.
The swimming pool has been rotated in such a way that it is parallel to the Horsterweg. This creates an interesting volume with differently oriented facades and varying heights. The resulting shape is accentuated by making the low roof as low as possible and fitting it with plants. A nice contrast with the high volumes.
The low roof edge gives a human scale to the sports complex and at the same time creates an entrance canopy that provides a pleasant transition zone from square to entrance area in the building.
It is not for nothing that the complex is called The Beacon! It had to be recognisable as a public building that can really be seen. We opted for an outspoken gesture in form, material and colour.
The building has a transparent plinth with a closed building volume above it. The plinth consists of dense sections of fibre-reinforced concrete slabs with transparent sections at the swimming pools, sports hall and entrance. In this way an optimal interaction is achieved between the athletes and the environment and vice versa.
The reference for this structural facade is the wickerwork of willow.
The facades of the upper floors give structure and character to the building. The reference for this structural facade is the wickerwork of willow. The wooden twigs of the willow, a typical Dutch tree, used to be used to weave large mats. These so-called sink pieces were used as a basis for flood defences and were frequently used in the construction of the Flevopolder.
These sink pieces have been translated into braided aluminium composite slabs in a palette of various shades of red. This creates a three-dimensional facade with lots of dynamics and shading. It makes the building a real beacon for its surroundings.
Natural, light and timeless materials form the basis for the finishing of the interior. By using the construction as an image-defining element, we minimise the necessary finishing layers and still create a warm atmosphere by use of wooden beams.
Accented colours such as mustard yellow, dark red-purple and green are used to give the building an individual and contemporary character without an excess of colour making the building look outdated quickly.
We make it our greatest ambition to realise sustainable buildings, but for Het Baken Sports Complex we went even further. Here the formulated principles such as “all-electric with an EPC value of 0.0” are just the starting point and we set the bar extra high in terms of sustainability!
