VIP area SAP Arena
Meixner Schlüter Wendt Architekten, Frankfurt
VIP entrance and exit areas, 2014, photo: © SAP Arena
When an arena wants to impress its VIPs
Two VIP lounges, one arena and a tight schedule from March to the end of August 2014. The SAP Arena Mannheim wanted to upgrade its west entrance and east exit and chose Arnold as its general contractor. Together with a glass specialist and a lighting designer, we completely took over both areas from the initial planning to completion.
The VIP entrance west measures around 18.5 by 7.5 meters, the exit east around 10.5 by 9.5 meters. Together, the two areas cover around 460 square meters of glass and almost 180 square meters of roof area.
Detail view - VIP entrance area, 2014 Photo: © SAP Arena
Steel supporting structure, glass shell
The heart of the structure is a hot-dip galvanized and painted steel construction that sits on strip foundations and is also connected to the existing façade of the arena. The ceiling and floor levels were designed to support the structural requirements of the large-format glass façades.
And the glass surfaces are what made this project really challenging: 82 panes of laminated safety glass, each with two layers of 10 millimeter white glass with PVB interlayer, rounded, between 3.8 and 4.9 meters high and installed over a total of around 120 linear meters. Each individual pane had to be manufactured, transported and installed with a precise fit. Sound and sun protection are directly integrated.
Photo: © SAP Arena
Integrated LED lighting characterizes the VIP Lounge in the SAP Arena Mannheim. 2014. Photo: © SAP Arena
A façade that adapts to the mood
The lighting concept is a defining feature of the lounges’ design. The ventilated glass elements contain controllable, multicolored LEDs. This creates the effect that brightness and color do not strike the façade from the outside, but instead radiate from the inside through the transparent surfaces. Depending on the occasion and the desired mood, the atmosphere of the space can be carefully curated.
From the outset, this was a close triad of steel construction, glass and light - which is precisely why we brought everyone involved together at an early stage. When statics, glass geometry and lighting technology are interdependent, all trades must be perfectly coordinated - from planning to the last pane.
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