The building is “understandable” for every visitor because of the modular design and even maintains its desired flexibility for the future. The shape of the available lot has been used in a sensible way in order to create a building with an interesting linear effect and an optimal displaying function towards the entrance area. The building also evokes a carefully balanced field of tension with the core of the dike that borders the lot. The way in which the profiles of the front have been set up and the game "open-close" gives the building the required subtlety to link up with the adjacent parcels. We consciously chose to integrate durability measures that are strongly interwoven with the building, the main supporting construction, the inner design and even the furniture. Durability is not treated as a series of gadgets; instead, it gives shape to the building and creates its character.
The concept of the building is highlighted on the head of the building by stretching out the water garden up to the front, which creates an indirect reference to the traffic routes. The scale of the front area obviously needs the development of a design that connects to the human scale. For this purpose, the outdoor area has been made scale able by distinguishing various parking rooms thanks to a hedge structure. These “rooms” support the green nature of the parking facilities.
Wherever possible, we opted for permeable paving in a consistent color range with a clear separation of the roadway and the parking spaces. The ongoing traffic has been separated from the parking lots for safety reasons and there is a so-called “kiss and ride” zone in front of the building. This allows busses and cars to drop of visitors close to the building outside of the traffic flow.
There is an event entrance way and a supply zone that can be closed off for the (top-level) sports hall and the gym halls at the back of the building.
The main goal is to design a building that functions in an optimal way and stimulates sporty interaction. All functions in the building are visually connected with each other, the
corridors give a clear overview of the building, the simple structure of the building allows
visitors to find their way through the building thanks to self-orientation. All supporting spaces c.q. auxiliary functions are located in the front building zone as one connecting string with all users’ functions such as the swimming pool, sports hall, gym halls, squash hall, drinking and dining establishments and fitness club linked to it. Meeting people and social interaction is stimulated and rooms can be used together in all sorts of configurations. The inner design supports the building concept: the wood accents in the supporting construction, the roofs, the floors, the walls and the lower fronts are a warm and visually predominant feature. We designed a building that is both accessible and inviting for a very wide group. The interaction between the building and the environment is created by a diverse range of design techniques such as wall openings,
sections with the dike, terraces and inner patios. Front facade tectonics, supported by the used materials, break the rational volume down into modules with a “friendly sized” scale.