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adidas ARENA

Herzogenaurach, DE
2014–2019
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. A large, modern building with a sloping, grid-like facade features it is a specially designed sun protection and shading system. The main building is elevated and stands on stilts. People walk along a wide yellow path leading to the entrance.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. A large, modern building with a sloping, grid-like facade features it is a specially designed sun protection and shading system. The main building is elevated and stands on stilts. People walk along a wide red path leading to the entrance.
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Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. A large, modern building with a sloping, grid-like facade features it is a specially designed sun protection and shading system. The main building is elevated and stands on stilts. People walk along a wide yellow path leading to the entrance.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. A large, modern building with a sloping, grid-like facade features it is a specially designed sun protection and shading system. The main building is elevated and stands on stilts. People walk along a wide red path leading to the entrance.

The adidas ARENA forms a landmark on the adidas World of Sports campus in Herzogenaurach. The new office and reception building defines the main entrance of the campus, welcoming visitors to the adidas group’s World of Sports headquarters and establishing a strong visual identity. The ARENA’s architecture is both functional and expressive, with its sculptural form reflecting the passion for sports that adidas embodies.

Site Plan

A floor area of 52,000 square meters provides nearly 2,000 employees with flexible and sustainable workspaces. The ARENA is informed by a finely calibrated interplay between the landscape, transparency, and a contemporary approach to work—one that emphasizes interaction across professional fields as well as adaptability to future developments. The result is an abstract volume containing three floors of workspace that appears to hover above a sculpted, sloping landscape. It accommodates the building’s entrance area, part of which is publicly accessible, leading to a bright atrium suitable for a variety of events.

Level 1

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Large open atrium with exposed concrete walls, stairs and walkways, skylights and people in the entrance area.
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Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Large open atrium with exposed concrete walls, stairs and walkways, skylights and people in the entrance area.

The heart of the structure is the dramatic floating staircase in the atrium. Rising through the spacious light well, it takes employees up to the three-story workspace section and offers exciting views into the atrium, across the open-air level out over the campus, and up to the office floors. A central main street links these three levels both vertically and horizontally, creating a vibrant space in mid-air. On each floor, this circulation area is adjoined by six kitchen hubs that serve as metaphoric cities. These hubs are characterized by distinctive materials, colors, and furnishings, giving each an individual identity within the building. Work areas alternate with spaces for formal and informal meetings, as well as recreational zones. They are organized as clusters around light wells of different sizes optimized to supply ample natural light.

Client
adidas AG World of Sports
Architects
Behnisch Architekturbüro
Address

Adi-Dassler-Straße 1
91074 Herzogenaurach
Germany

Competition

2014, 1st prize

Gross Area

52.000,00m² / 560,000 ft2

Gross Volume

259.000 m³ / 9,146,500 ft³

Photography

David Matthiessen

Certification

LEED Gold

Awards

2019 Ingenieurpreis des Deutschen Stahlbaus
2019 European Steel Design Award, finalist
2019 Best of the Year Interior Design, winner
2020 Architizer A+ Award, finalist
2020 Architizer A+ Award, special mention
2020 Dezeen Award, longlist
2020 The Plan Award, finalist
2020 WAN Award, gold winner
2020 Mies van der Rohe Preis, shortlisted nminated
2020 IDA Award, Category: Commercial Building, silver
2021 Rethinking The Future 2021, second award
2021 Green Good Design Award
2021 DNA Paris Design Awards, winner
2021 German Lighting Design Award 2021, special price daylight
2021 The International Architecture Award, The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design
2021 World Architecture Festival, shortlist
2022 Preis des Deutschen Stahlbaues 2020, winner

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Modern office lounge with sofa seating and tables, glass meeting room behind, and yellow “phone room” booth on the right hand side.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Open-plan office with desks and computers, and an orange meeting booth where three people sit around a table working together.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Interior corridor with timber ceiling structure, long high table and stools. People are socializing in this area. On the right side there is a balcony walkway overlooking atrium.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Lounge area with blue seating and small tables, two people working on devices, large windows in the background, indoor plant, and shelving with objects.
swipe
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Modern office lounge with sofa seating and tables, glass meeting room behind, and yellow “phone room” booth on the right hand side.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Open-plan office with desks and computers, and an orange meeting booth where three people sit around a table working together.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Interior corridor with timber ceiling structure, long high table and stools. People are socializing in this area. On the right side there is a balcony walkway overlooking atrium.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Lounge area with blue seating and small tables, two people working on devices, large windows in the background, indoor plant, and shelving with objects.

Section

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Brief concept outline on the topic of the specially designed sun protection and shading system.

Facade Diagram

The facade is wrapped in a specially developed sun control and shading system adapted to the orientation of each facade. Designed to maximize light transmission—including in winter—the fixed external shading system is also minimizing heat gain. Thanks to its implementation of up-to-date energy-efficiency standards and extensive use of recyclable materials, the building has been submitted for LEED Gold certification. Posing a significant challenge in terms of structural engineering, the design was realized using steel-and-concrete construction combined with a system of slanted steel and concrete supports. For its achievements in structural engineering, the ARENA building was honored with the Engineering Award of the German steel construction industry association bauforumstahl e. V. early in 2019.

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Brief concept outline on the topic of form finding.

Facade Detail

Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. Grid-like facade features it is a specially designed sun protection and shading system.
Project by Behnisch Architekturbuero, adidas ARENA. A large, modern building with a sloping, grid-like facade features it is a specially designed sun protection and shading system. It is reflecting in the surface under a clear sky.

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