Hockey Park

In our endeavour to create an atmosphere which was exciting and inviting for players and audiences alike, even when turnout is low and crowd noise less intense, one idea informed our design: the notion of ancient arenas as they were built and still stand in Greece and Italy. This is a design which makes noise resonate to a fever pitch. Constructing the venue in this manner should ensure that the stadium remains lively and loud, even if only the lower section is occupied. The Hockey Park has made Mönchengladbach home to Europe’s largest hockey stadium.

The complex is divided into a main and a secondary playing field, each with appurtenant structures and sharing a central multipurpose building. The main pitch is surrounded by stands on all four sides that seat a capacity crowd of 9,000. Temporary seating erected behind both goals raised the capacity to 14,000 during the world championships. The secondary pitch is behind the grandstand; its earthen stands of grass-covered steps accommodate 850 spectators.
The huge variation in crowd sizes at hokkey matches posed a particular challenge. Some games draw only around 1,000 spectators, while big matches can attract as many as 10,000. In our endeavour to create an atmosphere which was exciting and inviting for players and audiences alike, even when turnout is low and crowd noise less intense, one idea informed our design: the notion of ancient arenas as they were built and still stand in Greece and Italy. This is a design which makes noise resonate to a fever pitch. Constructing the venue in this manner should ensure that the stadium remains lively and loud, even if only the lower section is occupied. The Hockey Park has made Mönchengladbach home to Europe’s largest hockey stadium.