Welcoming recreational building planned to connect sports and everyday life

Tenderstream member Benthem Crouwel Architects, together with LD - ARCHITECTEN, has won the contest to design the new sports complex at Sportpark Hilversum. The jury praised the proposal for its strong and integrated vision, in which architecture, public space, landscape, and the experience of sport come together as one. The design draws inspiration from Hilversum’s rich architectural heritage and its garden-city character, with greenery, daylight and human scale playing a central role. 

The new complex is conceived as an open and welcoming place connecting sport, education, and everyday life, bringing together athletes, students, residents, and visitors. At the heart of the design is the ‘3D Sport Path’. This continuous route links the green forecourt, the central atrium, and the different sports facilities. Along the way, it creates opportunities to move, play, watch, meet, and spend time together.

The building opens generously towards the city, allowing sporting activity to become visible from outside the complex, while throughout the interior, views towards the landscape keep the surroundings present. By setting back the façade at ground level, a spacious public square emerges in front of the complex. Here, the sporting experience starts before entering the building, encouraging movement and activity while also offering a place to stay. From there, the public realm flows naturally into the interior.

Saartje van der Made, architect and partner at Benthem Crouwel Architects, stated: “For us, this project is about creating much more than a sports building. We want it to become a place that truly belongs to Hilversum - somewhere athletes, students, residents and visitors naturally come together. The ‘3D Sport Path’ connects sport, architecture and landscape, transforming the complex into a genuine third place: a place that invites people to participate, stay and connect.”

Lucy Nordberg

Tenderstream Head of Research

This tender was first published by Tenderstream on 05.11.2025 here