Curated by ArchiRev Editorial | Feature Story | Published July 14th, 2026 | Source: Snøhetta
Project Details
Architect: Snøhetta
Location: Tingbjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Typologies: Sports Hall, Community Centre, Public Building, Recreation
Themes: Community Architecture, Public Realm, Timber Construction, Social Sustainability, Inclusive Design, Recreation
Status: Completed
Year: 2020
Client: City of Copenhagen
Photographer: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST
Public buildings have the ability to influence a community to a much larger extent than the purpose they serve. Buildings in socially and physically transforming communities have the power to act as tools of connectivity, which allow the residents to participate and feel more connected to each other.
Tingbjerg Multihal acts as such a tool by reinterpreting a typical sports hall in terms of being a place where recreation and education take place along with the life of the community itself. It was designed by the architectural firm of Snøhetta as a civic building in the regeneration of Copenhagen’s Tingbjerg district. The building is not treated as an independent sports hall but rather as a continuation of the urban environment around it.
Exterior architecture and public forecourt © Snøhetta
The architecture of the building is expressed through its simplicity, warmth, and transparency. Covered mostly in wood, the sports hall creates a strong visual connection with the landscape around it, introducing a new materiality that is both inviting and durable.
Large areas covered with glass merge the interior and the exterior spaces of the building, enabling people outside to see what is going on inside the building. This transparency turns sports into a civic event. The people who walk past the sports hall can either watch or join the activities happening inside the building.
Timber façade and entrance sequence © Snøhetta
Arrival happens in open spaces for gathering before one enters the grand hall. These spaces serve as an extension of the building, providing scope for social activity all year round. It is not just a functional need; the journey from street to interior is planned as a process of arrival within the civic space. The entry sequence is a manifestation of openness, in keeping with the intent of creating an inclusive architecture.
Main sports hall and interior atmosphere © Snøhetta
In the centre of the structure is a versatile multi-use sports hall that can cater to a wide variety of sporting and leisure activities, competitions, education schemes, and events within the community. The large interior space is defined through exposed timber structures, plenty of natural light, and well-balanced proportions, making the interior equally suited for organized and informal sport.
The hall is not designed around one specific program but caters to shifting patterns within the community, which ensures that the building maintains its activity all year round and at all times during the day.
Flexible community spaces and circulation © Snøhetta
Auxiliary spaces have been organized in such a way that interaction is not limited just to physical activities. Conference spaces, common areas, and common circulation spaces promote interaction by facilitating the process of education, collaboration, and socialization. Such spaces help in extending the use of the building outside its primary function of being a sports facility into educational and cultural events. Such a program represents a modern conception of civic architecture that recognizes the need for multiple uses of a public building through a single program.
Timber interior and structural detail © Snøhetta
The use of wood is important not only as the main material of the structure but also as the main character of the architecture. Visible structure gives the feeling of warmth, texture, and human scale inside the project, making it more comfortable and welcoming at the same time. The details highlight the natural beauty of the material, proving that structures add quality to space instead of hiding behind its walls. Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, the use of wood strengthens the environmental aspect of the project.
Public spaces surrounding the sports hall © Snøhetta
The dialogue between architecture and landscape does not end at the building’s envelope. Areas for outdoor recreation, pedestrian paths, and landscapes as places for gathering create ties to the neighbourhood and encourage movement on the site. In this way, the sports hall does not separate itself from the outside world but weaves the two into one civic landscape. This allows the building to stay alive even when it is not hosting sports events.
Evening view of Tingbjerg Multihal © Snøhetta
Tingbjerg Multihal provides a prime example of architecture’s ability to make a significant contribution to the regeneration of a community through the focus on people, participation, and public life in its design. By means of its friendly architecture made from timber, flexible programming, and a close connection to the landscape around, Snøhetta has managed to turn the sports hall into a community hub, which goes far beyond simply playing sports.