Aurial Padel Bratislava

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The conversion of the original athletics hall into the National Padel Centre is based on a comprehensive transformation of the interior space. The architectural design addresses the brief through a restructuring of the layout and operational flows, directly respecting the existing load-bearing framework. Newly designed functions—a restaurant, a retail store, and a VIP lounge—are integrated into this volume, establishing a direct operational connection to the sports floor. The visual language adopts sports-inspired elements, translating them into the interior architecture through materiality, colour palette, and layered grids that recur throughout the space down to the meticulously crafted details.

The core layout concept is derived from the building's main architectural axis. The new entrance is positioned along this axis, flanked by the restaurant on one side and the retail store on the other. Both zones are oriented to maintain direct visual contact with the playing area while allowing a fluid transition for both spectators and players entering the sports hall. Positioned in front of these two zones is a new spectator grandstand, which serves as a shared foreground and is situated symmetrically relative to the axis of the sports floor.

The restaurant and shop spaces are scaled to accommodate both daily routine operations and increased traffic during tournaments. In addition to its dining function, the restaurant serves as a multifunctional space for events, while the retail store doubles as a bistro zone providing quick refreshments for players in transit. Connected to these ground-floor operations, a VIP lounge is located on the mezzanine level, complete with an outdoor terrace and a direct view of the courts.

The sports zone, spanning 4,300 m², integrates an orthogonal grid of twelve glass-walled padel courts fitted into the hall's original curved layout. The arrangement of the courts strictly respects the grid of the existing steel structure, structural load limits, and required clearance distances, maximizing the efficiency of the available space.

The central motif of the interior design is a metal grating inspired by the mesh grid of padel court nets. This element recurs throughout the interior as wall cladding, partition screens, the structural backing for the retail display system, and custom shades for circular light fixtures in the restaurant. Replacing the original solid partitions in the retail area with this perforated material opens up the space, enhancing the visual connection to the sports courts. The material and colour palette plays on the contrast between cool galvanized metal, shades of blue derived from the court surfaces, and warm oak wood utilized predominantly in the restaurant.

The cohesion of the interior is supported by custom detailing, with all interior elements and furniture designed and fabricated to measure. The bar and tables in the restaurant, along with the counters in the shop, feature cladding inspired by the movement of a tennis ball. Benches, counters, and modular shelving units in the retail zone fully leverage the functional properties of the steel grating grid. The project also includes a meticulously detailed retail display system tailored to each specific product category.