gak trainings centre in graz

New training centre for Graz football club.

The new training centre for the GAK football club is situated on the north-western outskirts of Graz in a charming landscape between the river and an A road. Construction was hampered by water conservation requirements and the confined site. For example, it was only possible to accommodate the five football pitches in a single constellation. The position of the club-house and stand between the two main pitches was also dictated by the lack of space. The club-house is essentially based on the same design idea that was already elaborated for Stattegg and Bad Aussee, with functional separation of the various areas playing an even more important role, which – in addition to the sophisticated layout of rooms – increases the overall complexity of the building task. The player areas, with separate structures for amateurs and pros, are situated on the ground floor of reinforced concrete with plaster façade and large glazed zones.
This section is accessed internally and from the north-east in order to separate visitor and player paths. The upper floor is a low-energy structure of timber system elements, with three-ply panels in the club’s red lining the building and additionally serving as sliding shutters for sunshading. A long ramp leads visitors up from the south-west to where the ticket booth and stand entrances are located. The pro rooms are situated in the southern part of the upper floor, with offices, sanitary facilities, kitchen and a restaurant with a terrace and view of the pro pitch housed in the northern section. In order to ensure functional efficiency, the kitchen supplies the restaurant, visitor catering services, and the pros’ dining-room, which can also be used as a seminar room and restaurant extension. A small patio between the restaurant and “player homes” creates an important visual link into the player areas on both storeys, bringing light into the centre of the building.

adress: 8046 Graz-Weinzödl, Austria
client: GAK Stadion Betriebsgesellschaft mbH
general planner: hohensinn architektur
site area: ca. 66.700 m²
built-up area: ca. 1.400 m²
gross floor area: ca. 2.200 m²
planning time: 04/2002 – 09/2003
construction time: 12 months, 10/2003 – 09/2004
construction costs of the complex: ca. EUR 7,0 Mio.

structural consultant: Graber–Szyskowitz ZT GmbH; JR Consulting Riebenbauer
construction physics: Rosenfelder & Höfler GmbH
Sports facility planning: Hamid Monadjem
solar concept: AEE INTEC

nominated in the category public buildings: styrian timber construction award 2003
prize: IOC/IAKS AWARD 2007, mention