- Area: 15730 m²
- Year: 2011
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Photographs:Marcel van der Burg
Text description provided by the architects. The Laan van Spartaan facilities cluster in West Amsterdam includes a NOC*NSF standard sports accommodation, commercial and social facilities, and 84 spacious leased apartments. The various functions have been combined, intertwined and superimposed into a compact assembly featuring a friendly, green central area.
Located on the corner of the Jan van Galenstraat and the Rinus Michelslaan, the facilities cluster forms part of the varied programme of the new Amsterdam district that will share its name. The sports accommodation comprises two large halls. One is a NOC*NSF-certified green competition centre measuring 28 by 48 metres that can be split into 3 smaller venues, the other is a purple sports hall measuring 16 × 28 metres. During the day the sports facilities are in use by the adjoining Regional Community College, while the evening hours are filled by a number of different groups, including the Amsterdam Badminton Club. The main venue is suitable for national and international competition use, with acoustics optimised by perforated panelling to prevent flutter echo, and a green colour scheme providing the best possible background contrast for badminton shuttlecocks. Along the length of the first floor there is a grandstand providing seating for 200 and connecting directly to a restaurant and terrace. To avoid inconveniencing local residents, outside noise levels have been minimised by locating the competition venue and the sport facilities at the centre of the complex, carefully separated from the surrounding buildings. This has created space on the building’s exterior for a transparent plinth containing the commercial and social functions. The entrance to the sports facilities has also been kept transparent, and the double-height lobby with its bamboo window frames and slatted wooden ceiling provides a warm and inviting welcome. The sports facilities are designed to be suitable for CO2-neutral operation.
Above the sports facility, 84 leased apartments are located. To shield them against the noise of traffic from the nearby A10 motorway, the apartments are focused on the Rinus Michelslaan, which is the main entry route into the area. Due to noise regulations the facade along the Jan van Galenstraat cannot include any opening sections. The facade has been set back, creating a low-noise loggia for each apartment that can be transformed into a balcony by sliding open a large glass door. The loggias are finished with timber slats covering damping material to provide additional noise suppression. In their layouts too, the apartments turn their bak towards the A10. Elongated masonry features accentuate this orientation and create a visually dynamic appearance.
Inside the apartments the atmosphere is friendly and informal. The access galleries are furnished with meandering wooden planters and screens, and the central area features green elements with integrated seating and lighting. The roof of the sports facility projects over the area and is covered by steel netting with plants climbing over it.
