Polytan: A broad spectrum at the Revierpark Vonderort, Oberhausen
In the midst of transformation
The Revierpark Vonderort in Oberhausen is designed as a family-friendly local attraction: in the middle of an expansive park landscape, various immersive worlds with sports, swimming and wellness facilities invite visitors and guests to experience leisure with all their senses – from sports and games to relaxation and action, all the way through to cultural experiences and nature – the park has it all. Activities and nature discovery are given equal emphasis under the slogan “Park in motion”.
In the course of the renovation and revitalisation of what is known as the “exercise hill”, the concept of a multisports area was developed. It offers a wealth of different sports activities, including pump tracks for children and adults, a parkours and calisthenics area, a running circuit and a sprint track. A miniature playing field and various team sports fields invite guests to try out fun and trendy sports disciplines together. The goal of the project, which cost around 1.33 million euros, was to motivate as many target groups as possible to move more by expanding the existing, mostly monostructural sports facilities in the Oberhausen area with new, freely accessible leisure opportunities. Alongside the standard, traditional sports, the new facilities were to accommodate popular new trend sports as well. We installed suitable surfaces in several of these modern, innovative sports facilities.
The sprint track, running circuit and one of the two miniature playing fields, which is designed for basketball and volleyball, feature our “classic” Rekortan M in the colour brick red. The poured in-situ surface is suitable for athletics stadiums, competitive running tracks and school sports facilities, and is loved by professionals and amateurs alike – not least, thanks to its exceptionally high, joint-friendly shock absorption. It is ideal for running disciplines in particular, as it is suitable for spikes and lends itself to speed.
The second miniature playing field, which is intended for football and hockey, and the multipurpose arena are equipped with Poligras, complete with CoolPlus function. We developed this unfilled synthetic turf system to meet the requirements of a professional hockey turf. Its outstanding properties include high wear resistance, good water storage, and permanent crimping. Poligras stands out for its extraordinary volume and durability – and yet, despite this robustness, the surface is exceptionally soft and feels pleasant to the touch. The special Polytan CoolPlus function prevents the surface from heating up too quickly or intensely in strong sunlight. This reduces water consumption, helping ensure environmentally friendly use.
In future, the multipurpose field will be used as a Yalp arena, appealing to the youngest athletes. Yalp is “play” backwards and refers to the integration of technology in games, sport and outdoor education. In the compact, interactive arena, children and young people get to move with lots of opportunities for ball contact. Since the game takes place within a small space, every player is involved at all times. The slanted corners and four goals on each side of the arena keep the game and all its players in motion.
The fitness area and calisthenics facility are secured with our PolyPlay FS GT fall protection surface, which has a cushioning effect for maximum protection against injuries underneath the sports and gym equipment. The sky blue surface on the exercise hill is bulk-coated and water-permeable, as well as exceptionally low-maintenance. Optimum resistance to weathering and decay are the basis for its long service life and low maintenance costs. Fall protection surfaces are known to be the more hygienic, lower-maintenance and, above all, safer option, compared with sandpits.
With the renovation of the exercise hill, the project orchestrators from the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR) have not only provided a wide variety of sports and exercise opportunities for young and old, but responded to increasingly apparent general trends in sports behaviour. Many sports clubs and municipalities have observed increasing disinterest in traditional organised club sports, and in its place, the growing popularity of self-organised sports in the public sphere. The facility at the Revierpark Vonderort was completed in summer 2022 and is now open free-of-charge to young and old sports fans alike.
📐 Dipl.-Ing. Wolfgang R. Mueller (Landschaftsarchitekten BDLA); Dipl.-Ing Norbert Seeger (Seeger Landschaftsarchitektur)
