Sportspark Escamp

Research for the reconversion of an existing sport park into a mixed use neighborhood park

Sportpark Escamp is a prototypical modernistic island-like sports park, situated right in the middle of a post war extension neighborhood: introvert, isolated, mono-functional, with a low density and intensity of use. Most of the park is occupied by football fields out of natural grass. They are used mainly on weekends and in the evening. The rest of the time the park is empty and inaccessible.

Typical example of the sportpark as a isolated and inaccesible island
Typical example of the sportpark as a isolated and inaccesible island

This project turns Escamp into a multifunctional urban sports park that combines a variety of outdoor sports with recreational facilities and routes that are strongly linked to the surrounding urban fabric.
By introducing football fields out of artificial grass – which allow for a more intense use – space is liberated for new functions without sacrificing the football-capacity of the park. The intensity of use is further strengthened by the addition of extra sports facilities (tennis, skateboarding), a play garden, and a school with daycare that uses the sports fields for gym and their annual sports day. These programmatic interventions strengthen the neighborhood function of the park and animate it also during weekdays and at daytime.

From monofunctional, isolated sport park, to an integrated sport neigborhood park

A new system of elevated routes, which continue the pedestrian network of the surrounding neighborhood, opens the location for recreational use. This public armature is designed as a body of earth that incorporates functions like parking, dressing rooms, storages and tribunes.

Different uses on and under the elevated parkzone
Different uses on and under the elevated parkzone
Axonimetric drawing of activity on the new sport park
Axonimetric drawing of activity on the new sport park
Users of the elevated park are in direct contact with the sportactivities
Users of the elevated park are in direct contact with the sportactivities

It creates two park levels: a lineair and informal park on the same level as the surrounding neighborhood and a sunken and formal park with several well defined outdoor sports fields. This landscape concept guarantees attractive visual relations between athletes, spectators and people strolling through the elevated park.

Flyover showing the elevated informal park landscape andt he lower formal sport zones
Flyover showing the elevated informal park landscape andt he lower formal sport zones

Credits

  • Assignment

    Research for the reconversion of an existing sport park into a mixed use neighborhood park

  • Year 2012
  • Client

    Municipality of the Hague

  • Location The Hague
  • Program Sport and leisure facilities
  • Status research
  • Team
    • Thijs van Bijsterveldt
    • Oana Rades
    • Harm Timmermans
    • Davide Prioli
  • Sponsor

    Creative Industries Fund NL