Sportcentrum Europapark

Sports Center Europapark is the place to be for students practicing sports in Groningen. Located at the Helperpark with its sloping terraces that already offer plenty of possibilities to exercise, Europapark complements its surroundings by adding sport facilities. Besides the ‘regular’ facilities, the energy-neutral building houses additional facilities for education, such as classrooms and exam rooms, and a restaurant.

The sports center exudes sport: Sport is present and clearly visible in all parts of the building. Outdoor sports activities take place on the outside terraces and most training rooms are located around and visible from the entrance square. To avoid hinder from direct daylight the sports and gymnastics halls are not situated along the facades. However, also these spaces are connected with the surroundings through strategic sightlines. 

Inside, all spaces are light and without unnecessary details. It is all about functionality, the reflection of daylight, and views on the park and surrounding green. By choosing the right orientation and daylight for all different types of use, every room has its own character. The combination of spaces that produce noise (sport) and spaces that require quietness (education) was a major design challenge. The result is a smart lay-out of all required spaces which also benefits the exploitation of the building. To offer Groningen a future-proof and sustainable building, a possible expansion of the building has already been integrated in the design.

Europapark has been built in an area where earthquake resistant construction is required. This led to a number of specific constructions, such as extra reinforcement in the floors and foundations, extra strong steel stability frames and a dilation between the surrounding slope and the building.