Sports Centre, Komárom

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

Project idea

The design site is located in Komárom, on the grounds of the former textile factory ("Lengyár"), where today only the main building remains, as all other structures have been demolished.
Since the southern part of Komárom does not have a city center, the Municipality aims to rehabilitate the area and create a renewed, vibrant environment that functions as a cultural and recreational hub. This space is intended to host various cultural and sports activities, serving as a new focal point of the city. The goal is to provide a setting where both indoor and outdoor spaces are enjoyable for young people, while also offering activities tailored to the interests of the area's current residents, including the elderly and socially isolated generations.
The area will primarily support pedestrian and bicycle traffic, with parking and limited car access provided.
My design focuses on the sports hall.
The building is planned for the northwestern part of the design area, adjacent to the city cemetery and a smaller hall building. To the northeast, within the same development program, a residential park will be established, and along the southern and eastern boundaries of the site, a park will be situated.
Urban research has shown that the city is in need of a sports facility.
Despite having nationally successful floorball and handball teams, Komárom still lacks its own sports hall. Currently, the teams use high school gyms, which are also insufficient in terms of spectator seating.
The new sports hall will enable these sports to be practiced at a higher level and will even allow for the hosting of international competitions, with proper spectator stands included. Due to the size and location of the main sports field, the venue can also accommodate larger city events.
To support the training of a larger sports club, a well-equipped gym that meets athletes' needs is also included in the design.
In addition to the main sports field, there are two squash courts—previously only available in Komárno and Szőny as part of wellness centers.
The last major room is a multifunctional hall, which can be used for various martial arts, dance, or gymnastics activities for both children and adults. It can also serve as an auditorium or event space, complete with a catering kitchen.
To serve both spectators and athletes, a buffet combined with a reception area will also be established.

Project description

The primary consideration in shaping the building mass was to follow the dynamics of the interior functions:
next to the volume of the sports hall, which requires a high ceiling, functions that require lower ceiling heights (such as the gym, squash courts, etc.) are arranged.
This resulted in the interpenetration of two cubic forms, creating a dynamic transition between the park and the cemetery.
The next step was to rotate these two volumes in order to respond to the surrounding roads and the park, while keeping the internal layout and functions in the same orthogonal system. This rotation is reflected in the articulation of the façade.
The outline of the original flatter volume is echoed by the roof, which follows its path around the building. This creates multiple covered-open spaces and canopies, allowing internal functions to extend outdoors while providing shading during the summer.
This is particularly important, as large openings and curtain walls are located at the main entrance points, allowing continuous visual and spatial connection with the surroundings.
Along the sports field, however, shading for the curtain walls is not provided by the canopy but by blade walls that reflect the tectonic articulation of the building.
To preserve the cube analogy and reintegrate vegetation, the horizontal closure of the building is designed as an extensive green roof with integrated solar panels.
The sports field, along with its associated storage rooms, changing rooms, and restrooms, is all located within the main hall. The changing rooms divide the corridors into zones for street shoes and sports shoes, while doors also allow passage between the two.
Above the changing rooms is a reinforced concrete grandstand, accessed by two double-flight staircases. From here, visitors can reach the lower spectator area or the ventilation equipment room. The grandstand can accommodate 250 people and is situated within the same open space as the sports field.
The hall is covered by visible GLT (glued laminated timber) trusses, which, in combination with exposed brick, create a warm and familiar atmosphere.
The remaining rooms are housed in the other section of the building, organized in blocks to ensure easy accessibility between them. The long corridor gradually widens as it progresses inward, providing space for squash spectators as well as visitors looking to relax.

Technical information

Brick:
I visited Komárom many times in the past, as some of my relatives live there, and we usually drove over from Tata.
What stuck with me most from these trips were the large, heavy red-brick buildings visible along the way—such as the Almásfüzítő railway station or the alumina factory. These appeared like landmarks scattered along the road and helped me orient myself; they held a prominent place on my mental map.
Because of this, I decided to design a red-brick building in the heart of the city—one that would serve a similar landmark function for its users.
The brick cladding wraps around the building at the height of the lower volume, with rounded corners. This design choice stems from the fact that the aforementioned buildings are remnants of a bygone, harsher era, and brick is often associated with that period.
To break away from this attitude, I wanted to give the material a new, friendlier appearance—making it more welcoming and integrated into the living urban fabric.

Aluminum:
Above the large expanse of brick cladding—on the hall and the canopy—a vertical, standing seam metal cladding appears to soften the building’s horizontal massing.
The purpose of this is to prevent the brick from visually weighing too heavily on the space, giving the structure a lighter overall feel.
Its color is a monochromatic shade of brick red, signaling that it’s not a completely separate function, but rather a complementary part of the whole.

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