The Bundesliga soccer club Borussia Dortmund, DSW21 (Dortmunder Stadtwerke AG) and the architectural firm SHA Scheffler Helbich Architekten have enjoyed a successful collaboration since 2005. During this time, the Dortmund architecture firm has realized several structural extensions on the site and helped shape its appearance. For example, the training ground has been successively extended by several buildings and training pitches. Over the years, the youth and amateur center (2005), the professional center (2010), the hall for the Footbonauten (2011) and the youth performance center (2014) were built on a partial area of 18 hectares of the former Napier Barracks on behalf of DSW21. Further soccer pitches were added in 2018. With the new sports office, a multifunctional building and the expansion of the existing parking facilities in 2020, the extensive complex now forms a harmonious whole.

The sports office is an extension of the youth training center to the west of the site and continues its three-story design. The building was supplemented by a recessed stepped storey. The construction work has defined the edge on the west side and, together with the existing parking lot, completed the space. An inviting glass façade forms the entrance to the office. Inside, a gross floor area of around 3,000 m² offers plenty of space. A spacious room is available for press conferences, and the scouting and youth development departments are also based here. Many of the offices are arranged with a view of the training pitches. At the rear, the building is designed in such a way that it can be extended if necessary.

The approximately 400 m² multifunctional building is positioned as the first point of contact for visitors to the training ground at the end of Adi-Preißler-Allee, directly on Aki-Schmidt-Platz. The Borussia Dortmund logo, which is visible from afar, welcomes fans on the solid anthracite-colored façade. An area has been set aside for property protection, from which both the access road for the professionals to the south and the access road for the amateurs and junior players to the north are clearly visible. The roof of the building is partly designed as a press platform and serves as a camera platform during public training sessions, and there is also a press workroom. The building also houses the studio for BVB TV productions and toilet facilities for fans. To the south of the Aki-Schmidt-Platz, the existing parking area has been generously extended. The publicly accessible football pitch is also integrated as a matter of course. Opposite, in the northern area of the site, an energy center has also been built in cooperation with DSW21, which supplies the training ground with its own sustainably generated heat.

www.sha.de

Photos:

Christian Eblenkamp
www.christian-eblenkamp.de

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 01|22)