SAP Garden: fluid curves in Munich’s Olympic Park

Munich’s Olympic Park, designed by Behnisch & Partner, is the setting for SAP Garden, a new sports arena built for the city’s ice hockey team, EHC Red Bull Munich, and basketball team, Bayern Munich. Commissioned by Red Bull and designed by Danish studio 3XN in collaboration with CL MAP and landscape architects Latz + Partner, the arena is an example of contemporary architecture that both respects and enhances its historically significant setting.

SAP Garden occupies 62,500 m² on the site of the former Olympic Velodrome near the famous Olympic Stadium designed by Frei Otto and Günther Behnisch.

The key challenge for 3XN was to create a large building in a setting with its own finely tuned balance between architecture and landscape. To do it, the practice designed a fluid and organic structure in which the asymmetrical oval shape of the arena integrates harmoniously with the surrounding land.

SAP Garden: fluid, organic architecture

The façade of SAP Garden features vertical pilaster strips that soar upward, each with its own unique geometry. The largest is over 18 m high and weighs a metric ton. Echoing the curves of the surrounding hills, this dynamic façade gives the building a fluid appearance.

The structure is crowned by a green roof that blends harmoniously into the park’s undulating landscape, making the building almost invisible from above. An artificial hill extends the park’s existing paths to preserve the visual continuity of the landscape. Hidden beneath it are three ice rinks. Open throughout the year to schools, sports clubs, and the public, the rinks help strengthen grassroots sport in the local community.

A multi-use arena for sports and the community

SAP Garden is not only the new home of ice hockey team EHC Red Bull Munich and basketball team Bayern Munich, but also a meeting place for the local community. With a seating capacity of 10,700 for ice hockey and 11,500 for basketball, the facility can host sporting events and more.

One of the most innovative features of the arena is its flexible stands designed to adapt to the needs of different sports. A system of mobile stands makes it possible to quickly transform the configuration from a hockey rink to a basketball court, therefore optimizing the use of space and the venue’s versatility. Lighting and digital media can transform the colors and mood, adapting them to the event or required branding.

As well as spaces for sporting events, SAP Garden provides a series of services for the public, including three levels of VIP areas, merchandise shops, an e-games room, a restaurant with a panoramic terrace, and a conference room. This variety of functions transforms the arena into a hive of activity even outside match days.

>>> Also discover Barreca & La Varra's Tortona Citadel of Sports

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SAP Garden - 3XN

Photograpy by Bruno Dietrich, courtesy of City-Press GmbH Bildagentur

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photograpy by Bruno Dietrich, courtesy of City-Press GmbH Bildagentur

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photograpy by Flo Hagena, courtesy of 5SeeMedia

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photography by Angelo Kaunat, courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photography by Angelo Kaunat, courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photography by Franco Casaccia, courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photography by Franco Casaccia, courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photography by Franco Casaccia, courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Photography by Franco Casaccia, courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Rendering courtesy of 3XN

SAP Garden - 3XN

Rendering courtesy of 3XN

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