One step closer to a new sports hall in Bromma

FOJAB is helping Hemsö develop a new sports facility in Bromma with a focus on girl-dominated sports. The ambition is an ice rink for figure skating and a gymnastics arena for team gymnastics.

There is a great need for ice rinks in Stockholm and Hemsö's ambition is to build an ice rink for figure skating with a foyer and stands for around 400 people, with a gymnastics arena for team gymnastics on top.

The sports facility is planned to be approximately 16,000 square meters BTA and will be located right next to Bromma Airport. FOJAB has assisted Hemsö with the work in the early stages, detailed planning and design of the building. The plan proposal has now been submitted for review.

- We have worked closely with the Swedish Figure Skating Association and the Swedish Gymnastics Association to understand their conditions. Just as important as the building meeting their sporting requirements and wishes is that it should be socially well-functioning," says architect Anna Belfrage.

Many of the children and young people come straight from school, train in long sessions and spend a lot of time in the sports hall. Making life easier for them and their parents has therefore been an important focus. There should be a place to do homework and eat snacks or heat up their evening meal - a bit like a leisure center. Directly adjacent to the sports hall there will also be parking spaces where parents can easily and safely pick up their children after training.

The sports facility will be located right next to one of the runways at Bromma Airport, which has clearly influenced its design. The height of the building varies from 11.5 meters on one side to 25.5 meters on the other - a result of the fact that it must not obstruct air traffic.

- We have used the height differences for the different needs of the activities. For example, gyms and changing rooms do not need as much ceiling height as exercise rooms with trampolines," says Anna Belfrage.

Great care has also been taken to make the large building fit into the urban context of the city. The rear has a folded facade to avoid interfering with air traffic control radio waves, and the fold follows around the entire building at ground level to create life at street level. On the two longest street facades, one of the folds becomes slightly deeper and cuts through the building, breaking up the large volume. The notch also marks the entrances.

Upstairs, the facade is clad with a wooden grid for variety and rhythm. Large windows provide a view and insight where passers-by can suddenly see a gymnast doing a flip inside the hall. A gymnastics hall on top of an ice rink means special conditions in the form of large spans. FOJAB has worked with Tyréns to optimize the design and minimize the amount of steel. The gymnastics floor is suspended in floor-high trusses with halls inserted in between. It is a solution that provides significantly thinner floors and leaves a lot of room volume for the activities.