Sports Center Sargans, In Sargans, a Swiss town located in the Rhine Valley, near the border with Liechtenstein, a new sports center replaces a triple gymnasium that was no longer state of the art.
© Roman Keller
The new construction consists of a quadruple gymnasium with various Fitness rooms. Because the marshy site cannot bear large loads and the existing pile foundations were to be reused, a lightweight wood structure was the ideal response to the design problem.
© Roman Keller
The client, the canton of St. Gallen, wanted a sustainable building that employs local building materials and would only require a short construction phase; these stipulations only served to underscore the suitability of wood. Not only the building exterior, but also the interior, are characterized to a great extent by the use of this material.
© Roman Keller
The serial and dense structure goes through all parts of the building and emphasizes the architectural and spatial qualities of the main rooms: entrance foyer, gymnasium, fitness rooms. It is made out of spruce wood and is composed of 40 thin and close to one another glued-laminated timber frames. The floor slabs in the two-story part are made with a wood-concrete composite system and a combined ash/spruce glued-laminated load bearing beams.
Project Info
Architects: HILDEBRAND, Ruprecht Architekten
Country: Switzerland, Sargans
Area: 4860 m²
Year: 2012
Photographs: Roman Keller
Manufacturers Blumer Lehmann, Glas Trösch, Glunz AG, Knauf, Plaka, Saint Gobain Isover, Serge Ferrari: Blumer Lehmann
Project Team: Marcel Baumann, Reto Giovanoli, Massimo Della Corte, Katrin Pfäffli, Diana Zenklusen
Client: Hochbauamt Canton St. Gallen
Facade Planning: Pirmin Jung, Ing für Holzbau
Execution Woodwork: Blumer Lehmann
Hvac Engineer: Waldhauser Haustechnik
Building Management: Ghisleni Planen Bauen
Lead Architects: Eva Herren, Rafael Ruprecht, Thomas Hildebrand
Structural Engineer: Walt + Galmarini AG
Anastasia Andreieva is an accomplished Architectural Projects Editor at Arch2O, bringing a unique blend of linguistic expertise and design enthusiasm to the team. Born and raised in Ukraine, she holds a Master’s degree in Languages from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Her deep passion for architecture and visual storytelling led her to transition from translation and editorial roles into the world of design media. With a keen eye for conceptual clarity and narrative structure, Anastasia curates and presents global architectural projects with precision and flair. She is particularly drawn to parametric and digital design, cultural context, and emerging voices in architecture. When I’m not analyzing the latest architectural trends, you’ll probably find me searching for hidden gems in cityscapes or appreciating the beauty of well-crafted spaces. After all, great design—like great connections—can be found in the most unexpected places. Speaking of connections, because architecture isn’t the only thing that brings people together.