Paul Schröders

In July 2021 the Geul flooded. A flood that affected the Euroregion with far-reaching consequences. This is the starting point for the design of a new sports grounds for the community of Meerssen. (Marsana latin for swamp)

The Geul Valley is one of the most extensive Natura 2000 areas in the Netherlands. The area is characterized by height differences and of high ecological value with various idyllic small-scale landscapes with hedges, hay meadows, hillside forests, hollow roads and orchards.

The flooding was a manifestation of a changing climate that we will increasingly have to adopt to.

While the current site is now an unplanned plot of land with great emphasis on parking and predominantly ad hoc spatial decisions. 
The design takes the larger movement of continuing nature reserve, as a missing link before the Geul flows into the Meuse, as water buffer, and recreation area.

By reorganizing and clustering the volumes and considering the whole as an ensemble,  stronger connections are created, but the site is also opened up for nature, pedestrians and cyclists who are given access to the area. Parking is tucked half-underground so that in the event of high water, the buildings are not flooded. The landscape will be naturally folded against the parking creating a tribune for the sporting fields.

From an in-depth study, fueled by my own fascination with Gothic architecture, a reinterpretation was chosen as the theme for developing the volumes and spaces. The vocabulary developed was applied in the spatial tectonic development of the gymnasium from the beam connections to applying buttresses, clerestory’s etc.

The larger volumes bed themselves in the landscape by the large roofs, known from typology of the nearby big carré farms.

In materialization, the constructions and facades are made out of wood, the roofs are clad in aluminium.

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