Sporthalle Wangen, also known as Kreissporthalle Wangen, in Wangen im Allgäu, a town in the District of Ravensburg, Germany, is a new three-court sports hall. Designed by Stuttgart-based Steimle Architekten, the building is conceived as both a community hub and an “urban hinge”. The main function of the new sports hall, though not immediately apparent, is to serve as a connector between a diverse mix of buildings and public spaces: a vocational school centre, the old town hall, a grammar school, and a fairground. By opening on three sides through the spacious foyer and integrated cafeteria, the building establishes both visual and functional links across its surroundings.
Framing new public spaces
The sports hall’s position generates a sequence of open spaces with different qualities that flow seamlessly into one another. To the north, a public square fronts the main entrance, while to the west a grove of mature plane trees frames the approach — together, they create an inviting arrival for students. The spatial framework of the plane tree grove extends into the new square, forming a pedestrian space that visually links the area with the old town to the east. On this side, the placement of the sports hall also helps define the fairground, while to the south a newly designed square provides a generous setting for events. Six large gates connect the hall to this southern square, allowing indoor activities to extend outdoors.
A calm and rational form
The compact two-storey volume of the three-court sports hall is guided by the rational aesthetics of neighbouring buildings in terms of design language, materiality, and simplicity. Defined by a restrained, calm architectural order, the hall integrates into the existing context while establishing itself as a new address in the centre of Wangen. The facade follows a principle of alternating openness and solidity: the exterior walls around the courts are closed in front of the baffle walls, topped with a continuous band of skylights, while the entrance facade inverts the scheme with a glazed foyer at ground level and a timber louvre facade above. The east and west facades adopt this logic with a central division.
Interiors for sport and community
The foyer, accessed at grade from the campus square, is a multifunctional, open, and light-filled zone. In addition to guiding movement through the building, the foyer’s integrated cafeteria provides catering for students, staff, and external guests, establishing the hall as an important social hub. Between the three-court hall to the south and the foyer to the north lies a zone housing ancillary spaces, including the kitchen, changing rooms, equipment storage, control room, technical areas, and stair access to the upper floor. On this level, two generous gymnastics rooms provide additional space for sports, each oriented towards the north-west and north-east corners of the building. The hall also has a side entrance to the east, allowing direct access to the upper-level changing rooms.
Hybrid structure, timber expression
The building is realised in a hybrid construction with a solid core for stiffening and a timber load-bearing structure. The rhythm of the construction grid is legible in the facade. Timber frame elements with vertical, alternating tapered louvres define the evenly spaced compartments between the load-bearing timber supports, giving the facade its distinctive rhythm. Rooms requiring daylight, such as the gymnastics spaces, are illuminated through this louvred facade while maintaining privacy.
Building with ecology in mind
The sports hall was designed in line with the District of Ravensburg’s sustainability guidelines and developed with the support of the Vorarlberg Energy Institute, an independent organisation specialising in climate-friendly building and energy consulting. Its hybrid timber structure, use of local materials, and avoidance of pollutants reduce the environmental footprint, while a green roof and the preservation of landscape features enhance biodiversity.
