The low energy-use building of the Nīca Sports Hall built by MONUM four years ago was put into operation. Since its opening in July 2016, it has become a popular meeting place for the most active residents of Nīca and for sports enthusiasts from Liepāja and the region alike. The Sports Hall serves as a venue not only for local competitions – last year a match was held between the Latvian indoor football team and Azerbaijan.

The Pride of Nīca

Prior to the construction of the new sports hall in Nīca, there was a Soviet-era sports infrastructure that did not meet the active recreation needs of the residents. It is not without reason that the sports hall is now called the Nīca millennium building, and it is the pride of the people of Nīca. Ingars Kalējs emphasises that the biggest contribution of the building is the investment in the health of the population; in addition, the sports hall is connected to the school building, which means that comprehensive sports classes can be provided for schoolchildren on a daily basis.

100% load

Ingars Kalējs, the manager of the sports hall, admits that initially there were concerns about whether and how the sports hall will be filled. The experience so far has been successful, as the sports hall has been used intensively since its opening. The schedule is already running smoothly: in the morning there are sports classes for schoolchildren, while in the afternoon adults come here to do sports. Private companies have also appreciated the opportunities for active recreation available in the Nice Sports Hall and are making reservations for their employees.

Among the most popular sports are basketball and football, but recently there has been a growing interest in tennis. From time to time, various events and sports competitions are held in the sports hall. Last year’s most notable event at the Nīca Sports Hall was the Latvian indoor football team’s match with Azerbaijan, which gathered full stands and was also broadcast on television.

A building with high added value

Already at the design stage of the building, there was an intention to build the sports hall in Nīca as an energy-efficient structure, which would ensure significant resource savings for its proprietors in the long term. In accordance with modern construction trends, the construction of the building involved solutions and materials, which in the long run would provide substantial resource savings in terms of the building’s operating costs.

The walls of the hall are thicker than in the conventional solutions. The building is equipped with an efficient ventilation system, insulated glazing and entrance doors with particularly high thermal storage capacity. In turn, the hall does not have windows, thus additionally saving heat; in addition, the athletes are not disturbed by changing daylight. The hall is fitted with an energy-efficient artificial lighting system. The thermal insulation layer in the roof part is made of 360 mm thick polyurethane, which has a very high heat storage coefficient.

Ingars Kalējs admits that compared to other similar buildings the energy costs of operating the Nīca Sports Hall are significantly smaller. Electricity consumption figures are also lower. The manager of the sports hall is convinced that the construction of the building will certainly pay off in the long run. The proprietors of the building are also pleasantly surprised by the excellent acoustics of the sports hall – the surrounding noises do not interfere with conversation during trainings.

About the project

The one-storey building measuring almost three thousand square metres has a sports hall with stands for 420 spectators, a gym, rooms for group fitness and aerobics, as well as separate locker rooms for visitors and staff. The building also has a bath house with auxiliary rooms and utility rooms, as well as a spacious lobby with a cloakroom. According to the regulations, the Nīca Sports Hall is suitable for organising sports competitions in volleyball, basketball, floorball and indoor football. The contracting authority is Nīca Regional Council. The construction of the building was carried out in 2015 and 2016.