Gymnasium American School of The Hague

Housed in an impressive building on the outskirts of Wassenaar, the American School of The Hague has approximately 1,200 students spread across three departments: Elementary School, Middle School, and High School. In addition to providing high-quality education, ASH encourages children to develop their full potential and develop their talents in art, music, theater, and sports. The sports hall plays a central role in this. It hosts sports competitions, special events such as graduation ceremonies, and, of course, daily gym classes.

Increased Student Number

To host international sports competitions and provide sports instruction for the growing number of students, ASH needed additional space. This proved challenging, as the location itself offered relatively limited room for expansion. By utilizing the land behind the existing iconic blue wave wall, the desired space—an additional playing field, a fitness room, and a multifunctional hall—was realized. The 1,985 m² sports hall was expanded by 863 m², bringing the total to 2,814 m².

Wooden Stands

Because the sports hall attracts large crowds during various ASH sporting matches and other events, another requirement was to make the stands a permanent fixture. Based on the principle that students should be able to fully concentrate on their athletic or creative achievements, we created a setting where the stands are strategically positioned along the playing fields. The freestanding stands have been removed and replaced by a permanent stand made of birch wood that extends onto the wall for acoustic dampening. This allows the children to focus on their game, and the spectators have a perfect view of what's happening in front of them. To further professionalize and expand the fitness room, a fully transparent additional floor has been added on the side of the stands. This floor also accommodates a multifunctional room used for a variety of sports. The fitness room's dividing wall is also made entirely of glass, creating strong visual connections with the lower playing fields and stands. To minimize disruption to the existing design, the red structure has been continued above the roof of the first floor. Due to its position behind the blue wall and the three red trusses, the building hardly changes visually.

A New Showpiece

To align with the new building, the walls of the existing section of the sports hall are being refurbished. The outdated systems are being replaced and adapted to accommodate the large numbers of people who can be present in the sports hall during international events and parties. All systems are integrated into the Frenger ceiling: data, music, lighting (adjustable per court), and fire protection systems. The three courts can be separated by acoustic walls, making it easy to hold separate lessons. Thanks to this new installation concept, the sports hall meets all the high standards required of sports and events halls. Besides being the beating heart of the ASH community, the sports hall is now also the new calling card of the American School of The Hague.