Hardtgenbuscher Kirchweg, Cologne, Germany

Hardtgenbuscher Kirchweg school sports facilities in Cologne-Ostheim

BRINGING COLOUR INTO PLAY

As a district of Cologne, Ostheim is primarily a residential area for the neighbouring industrial zones of Kalk and Mülheim. Ostheim is shaped by residential neighbourhoods with dense high-rise construction and social housing.

In 1981, a new school centre was built on Hardtgenbuscher Kirchweg to accommodate the rapidly increasing population, comprising the Heinrich Heine Gymnasium and Albert Schweitzer Realschule secondary schools. In addition to three multi-purpose halls, the school complex has a large outdoor sports facility, which is also used for external sports events.

The outdoor sports facility was completely renovated and remodelled in 2022/23. Various Polytan surfaces were used as part of the design. Nowadays, Hardtgenbuscher Kirchweg is home to a large synthetic turf playing field with an athletics track running around it, facilities for long jump, high jump, shot put and javelin, as well as a multifunctional playing surface that combines two courts each for handball, basketball, volleyball and tennis.

The large football pitch was equipped with the Polytan LigaTurf Cross synthetic turf system, which combines smooth and textured filaments. Both textile fibre types combine to create a single hard-wearing surface, with a look and feel that is barely distinguishable from natural football turf and is used successfully in professional sport worldwide. Thanks to its textured filaments, LigaTurf Cross ensures low and easy maintenance, as well as greater infill stability and an increased turf volume.

The football pitch is surrounded by a four-lane running track, which can also be used as a sprint track on one of the long sides, for which two additional lanes have been added. Like the javelin throwing facility a little to the side, it is laid in sky blue Rekortan M. Our Rekortan M is a genuine high-speed synthetic surface designed to support top sporting performance. The combination of an elastic base layer and a solid construction not only makes it fast, but also guarantees optimum conditions for professional athletes and discerning amateurs alike.

Both curved sections of the athletics track are also used – on one side, there is a gymnastics area with fitness equipment and high jump facilities, while on the other side, there are provisions for long jump and shot put. Both are also made of Rekortan M, but laid in different colours. Brown and beige were used in the gymnastics area, while beige and orange alternated in the long jump.

In addition to the running track, our high-precision system for professional performance diagnostics – Polytan SMART – was installed. The Polytan SMART system consists of integrated, maintenance-free, magnetic timing gates that are permanently and securely installed in the ground. It is accompanied by a sensor weighing only 15 grams and the tried-and-tested diagnostics software from Polytan’s partner, Humotion. Even amateur athletes can benefit from the system by using the free Smart Run by Humotion app on a smartphone, which is worn on the body using a running belt. The measurements – such as distance, time, number of steps and step frequency – are evaluated and analysed directly in the app. In Ostheim, a total of 6 magnets have been embedded in the surface, two in the running track and four in the sprint track.

The multifunctional playing field is based on PolyPlay S since different colours make the court playable for handball, basketball, volleyball and tennis. While the primary colour is beige, the four handball goal areas on two parallel handball courts are finished in sky blue. The rectangular zones under the four hoops on both basketball courts are a striking bright orange colour. The volleyball playing surfaces are shaded brown. The lines for the four different ball sports are drawn in red, yellow and white.

The school sports facility in Ostheim shows once again that Polytan offers a broad portfolio of high-quality sports surfaces that are suited to the most varied requirements. On the multifunctional playing field, the colour scheme and coloured lines also demonstrate that different sports can be played compactly on one and the same surface. One thing is certain: Polytan has brought a whole host of colour into play in Ostheim. The outdoor sports facility is used for school sports and by SC Köln 2000 e.V., a club that offers its members a wide range of sporting activities.