Sports Centre Sargans

In Sargans, a Swiss town located near the border with Liechtenstein, a new sports centre replaces a triple gymnasium that was no longer state of the art. Because the marshy site cannot bear large loads and the existing pile foundations were to be reused, a lightweight wood structure was the ideal response to the design problem. The client, the canton of St. Gallen, wanted a sustainable building that employs local building materials and would only require a short construction phase; these stipulations only served to underscore the suitability of wood. Not only the building exterior, but also the interior, are characterised to a great extent by the use of this material.

Phasing

Competition | 2008
Planning | 2008–2012
Realisation | 2012–2013

Client

Hochbauamt Kanton St. Gallen

Architecture 

HILDEBRAND
Ruprecht Architekten

Planning

Construction Management | Ghisleni Partner AG
Structural Engineering | WaltGalmarini
Facade and Detail Planning | Pirmin Jung, Ing. für Holzbau
Timber Construction Company | Blumer Lehmann
Concept Planning HVAC Engineering | Waldhauser Haustechnik
Energy Concept | Durable Planung und Beratung GmbH

Key Data

Procedure | Open Competition
Award | 1st Prize, Prix Lignum Recognition 2012, North American Wood Design Award 2015, Silver Medal International Olympic Committee / International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities 2015, German Design Award 2016
Surface | 4’860 m² GFA
Budget BKP 1–9 | 20.3 M CHF

Photography

Roman Keller
Joshua Lohrer