Prototype sports complex for Angola

• Program
  Hotel facilities with soccer fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, athletics track, hockey field and indoor sports hall
• Client
  Angola Business Center
• Team
  Karel Steller
  Theo Hauben
  Marco Vermeulen
  
• Location
  Site less
• Area
  87500 m2
• Date
  2007-08-01

In the field of sport, football and basketball are predominant in Angola. Both sports are played by people across the entire social spectrum, but for decades all facilities including the sports facilities in the country have been neglected. Now that work is possible on the advancement of the country, outdated sports facilities can be brought up to standard again. This is also necessary because, in 2010, Angola is organising the 27th African Cup of Nations, the final round of the biennial African football championship. In addition to refurbishing the stadiums new facilities for this event are to be laid out to accommodate the various national teams. In the same year the final round of the football world championship will be held in South Africa. The expectation is that non-African national teams that take part in this final round will wish to stay near South Africa in the lead up to the tournament to get used to the climate and the conditions.

The point of departure is a compact and efficient resort that can be built quickly and simply at a number of locations in the country. The resort is suitable for individual sportsmen and women and for teams. They can stay here with the accompanying staff for a trainings camp, for example. For these users there is a hotel right next to the entrance of the complex. In addition to comfortable rooms, this hotel also has diverse meeting and instruction rooms, massage facilities, fitness rooms and a swimming pool. The complex is also expressly intended for local sportsmen and women and teams. In this way local sports facilities are improved and good sporting facilities are created across the entire country for all disciplines of sport. This benefits the sports climate and sporting performance of the country.

The biggest area of the complex is taken up by the most popular sport in the country: football. The three training pitches and the match pitch all have artificial turf and comply with international regulations. A facilities building is situated between these pitches with changing rooms, massage facilities and instruction rooms for the football teams. For the visitors there are reception rooms and catering facilities in the same building. There is an arena on the roof with a PannaVeld that can also be used as an open-air auditorium.

The other popular sport, basketball, also has ample practise/training facilities. In addition to three separate basketball courts the complex has two multi-functional playing fields and a sports hall (both also suitable for football, handball and volleyball). The complex also has an athletics track, a hockey pitch and five tennis courts. Between the sports fields, under the shelter of the palm trees, there is sufficient space for reviewing training instructions or resting after exertion.