A sports park that connects the generations
Mülheim an der Ruhr is surprisingly green – the first mining-free city in the Ruhr area. Unsightly brownfield sites have been transformed into green spaces. The city has invested a lot of money in drawing young and old hobby athletes outdoors. Its focus is not just on the classic disciplines: for example, the annual dragon boat festival, a fun sport regatta on the banks of the Ruhr, is hugely popular. The Sportpark Styrum will be a multigenerational and family-friendly sports and leisure park. The central feature of the facility: the Tengelmann Arena, a multifunctional open-air sports hall that can be used all year round for all kinds of activities.
The modern sports park will replace an ailing gravel pitch. Neighbouring sports clubs, institutions and residents, as well as athletes, school pupils and kindergartners, were all involved in the planning process. The result is a sports park and activity centre with many different sport and leisure activities for all generations. The architectural firm DTP Landschaftsarchitekten was responsible for the detailed planning and implementation of the project. The first part of the build was completed in 2019 already, while the entire sports park is expected to be completed with a second part in 2021.
At the centre of the Sportpark Styrum is a multifunctional open-air hall, constructed by McArena. This type of hall was chosen for its multifunctional use, year-round in all weathers, and its high costeffectiveness. It has no need for a heating system and is illuminated with LED spotlights. A photovoltaic system with an output of 100 kWp is installed on the roof, which generates more energy than the Sportpark Styrum itself consumes.
The robust, low-maintenance playing field is sustainable too. It features Poligras Mega CoolPlus, a fully artificial turf system that is suitable for multifunctional use, including football. The surface is dense and uniform, ensuring that the ball is not affected any unintended changes of direction. The Polytan CoolPlus function prevents the surface from heating up too quickly or intensely in the summer.
Directly adjacent to the Tengelmann Arena is a partially covered outdoor sports area. It features our all-round floor covering, PolyPlay S in medium grey. The seamless surface was installed directly on site by our specialists: a 25-mm-thick elastic layer made of recycled rubber material, followed by a 10-mm-thick layer of EPDM granulate. This constructions guarantees consistent cushioning and deformation values. PolyPlay S is also slipresistant and waterpermeable. As a result, the playing field dries quickly and can be used year-round in all weathers. In the calisthenics area, we have installed a PolyPlay FS 2.5 fall protection surface in the matching colour. The cushioning surface has an overall thickness of 132 mm, which is optimally adapted to the fall height.
The second part of the build, which was funded by the federal and state governments as part of the “Investment Pact Social Integration in the Quarter 2018”, has now been completed. It offers a total of 23 different activities for sports enthusiasts of all ages in Styrum. For children and young people, these include balance paths, an asphalt wave park, a climbing ramp and a parkour facility. There is plenty on offer for adults, too: a throwing and jumping area, a 100 and 500-meter running track, two beach volleyball courts, a streetball court, an interactive goal wall, a fitness and gymnastics area with calisthenics equipment and fitness containers, as well as two bowling greens.
The 100-metre sprint track and long jump facility were constructed using Polytan’s Rekortan M, our professional sports surface for athletics stadiums, school sports facilities and competitive running tracks. The waterproof, pour-coated surface is characterised by excellent acceleration and high tread elasticity. The miniature playing field, an amateur football field, was re-topped with Rekortan M RT. During the re-topping process by Polytan, used and worn synthetic surfaces are technically and cosmetically restored. This is an extremely economical solution for the renovation of sports facilities, as the existing elastic substructures remain in place, allowing them to be used sustainably rather than being disposed of.
As well as many different sports activities, the sports park also offers visitors and guests plenty of opportunities to socialise. These include all kinds of seating areas, mobile chairs, benches, and concrete steps and walls. Martina Ellerwald, Head of the Mühlheim SportService says: “The Styrum sports park is more than just a sports facility. It is a social space and a place for all people in Styrum to get together.”
The Styrum sports park celebrated its opening on 30th April 2022, and has since served as by far the number-one attraction in the Styrum district of Mühlheim.
Further information about our partner McArena and the project in Mülheim an der Ruhr can be found at: https://mcarena.de/b2b/referenzen/freilufthalle-sportpark-styrum
