The sum of all good ideas
Ahrensfelde on the outskirts of Berlin is a fine example of a sustainable sports facility. The sports facility of SV Ahrensfelde shows what is also possible in terms of sustainability with existing facilities. The difference to other sports facilities is the holistic approach that the club has taken. The ideas being implemented here have gained prominent supporters, including the North-East German Football Association.
But what makes Ahrensfelde so special? Those in charge knew that they had to replace one of their three football pitches. The natural-grass side field had to be renovated. In addition, weather-related closures repeatedly meant training sessions being cancelled. Therefore, it was decided to use a much more resilient synthetic turf pitch. But that’s not all, the running track around the main pitch also had to be renewed. Regarding both the football field and the running track, those in Ahrensfelde chose solutions that are as ecological as possible, but which do not restrict the sporting activities, but on the contrary offer more opportunities. For example, the climate-neutral synthetic turf LigaTurf Cross GTzero was largely produced from renewable raw materials. It is water-permeable, the drainage water is filtered through the layers under the turf and the surface water is purified by mineral filters. 390,000 litres are no longer needed annually to irrigate the old pitch, but rather the opposite is the case. Soil pollution also decreases because no fertilizer or weed killer has to be used. For the running track, a product made from at least 80 % recycled materials was selected. A binding agent was also used to remove CO2 from the environment during production.
An energy-saving LED floodlight system and a concept for separating waste were implemented instantly as part of the measures. The consistency with which the topic of ecology has been considered in Ahrensfelde is demonstrated by the compensation areas, which are created as orchards and offer endangered animal species food and a new home. This also helps with the CO2 levels.
Another important aspect in Ahrensfelde was the topic of digitalization. Both for the running track and in the new synthetic turf pitch, timing gates were installed in the ground, which form the basis for a state-of-the-art performance diagnostics system. Equipped with a sensor or alternatively with a smartphone, athletes can use Polytan SMART to measure, document and analyse their training progress.
The sports facility of SV Ahrensfelde is proof that a modern sports facility can already be designed very sustainably today. It is the sum of all the ideas of the individual partners that makes the facility one of the most ecological of its kind in Germany.
