Site development Schalker Feld, Gelsenkirchen (GER)

project new construction of a fan and visitor centre with ideas for FC Schalke 04 club grounds awarding authority FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V. (GER) team WW+, Esch-sur-Alzette/Trier (LUX/GER), Baumschlager Hutter, Dornbirn (AUT) ufa 2.400 m² total area 8,5 ha competition phase 09/2011 - 11/2011 restricted competition participation

design, text and graphics by Baumschlager Hutter

The traditional FC Schalke 04 club has its home in the Gelsenkirchen district of Schalke. The club grounds house not only the ‘VELTINS-Arena’ stadium and the training grounds, but also the club’s entire administration consisting of several buildings, including a merchandising shop, gastronomy facilities and a service centre. As a result, even outside of games, the club grounds attract several hundreds to thousands of people on a daily basis. The task of the competition was to further develop and optimise the existing potential. The key objective of the competition was thus to create a design for a new fan and visitor centre or ensemble of buildings to be integrated into the club grounds under the metaphor of ‘Tor auf Schalke’ and also to compile ideas for the further development of the club grounds. The new building is to herald the main entrance to the club grounds and therefore represent the central focal point for visitors and fans in the daily traffic that passes through the club grounds. The fan and visitor centre is to accommodate all the publicity-related products and service facilities of the club or else to lead into them. The following, among others, are to be combined: central ticketing desk, fan assistance, member support, a shop, gastronomy facilities as well as the ‘treasure chamber’.

Concept

The grounds of FC Schalke make up a large campus, the particular feature of which is the artificial landscape and its topography. Embedded in this is a three-dimensional path system, which currently provides minimal structure to the grounds. The suggestion for the site and the shape of the new ‘Tor auf Schalke’ is for it to be visible from all directions while simultaneously creating a clearly defined central ‘common space’. The new site can be used in a variety of ways: as a market place, a place for public viewing, a meeting point, a waiting area, etc. The modelling of the landscape aims to create clarity within the campus system – with the site also being defined via the large media wall featuring images that are visible from a distance. It also takes into account the ‘large number of spectators’ outside the football pitches, providing them with a central orientation point and additional entertainment. The building itself takes a back seat and is figuratively embedded into the site, thereby embodying an integral element of the site itself. With the new construction, the large surface area thus extends to the hill while at the same time revealing it. Ongoing reflections regarding the organisation of the ‘Schalke Campus’ result from the idea of clarity and order of the site’s various user groups. The two main points: spectators and game/training activities move spatially closer, necessary divisions for organisational and security-related reasons will continue to be taken into account and improved through the new organisation.