OYM – Centre of excellence for elite athletics and research, Cham

Client Dr. Hans-Peter Strebel, Luzern
Architects Axess Architekten, ZugLüscher Architekten, Zürich
Planning 2016-2017
Execution 2017-2020
Construction cost 100 Mio. Fr.
Services Façade, structure and excavation:
Design phase
Tender documentation phase
Execution phase
Photos Regine Giesecke
Topics SportEducationFacadesStructural steelworkConcrete construction

The centre of excellence for elite athletics and research in northern Cham (CH) was completed by 2020. This eight-storey building with a rectangular footprint measuring 100 m × 50 m and a height of 24 m above ground level houses a variety of sports facilities, both specific to ice hockey and cross-discipline. To meet the challenge of combining this mixture of uses in a compact structure, the structural design boasts a combination of structural systems in the individual parts of the building. Economic and time constraints necessitated a high degree of prefabrication. The long-span structures of the ‘stacked’ ice rink, athletic training space, and triple gymnasium are steel framework structures with steel–concrete composite floors. The main building is a frame construction with prefabricated floors, steel–concrete composite beams, and reinforced concrete columns, while the underground car park, the stiff cores and the main staircase were executed as reinforced concrete constructions. Various unusual solutions, such as a steel truss serving as localized bracing for the accommodation wing, Slim Floor beams above the entrance area, and steel ties for suspending the sprint track, complete this complex structure. Concrete encasement and fire-resistant cladding and coatings ensure the fire safety of the structural steel elements.