European House of Handball

The organisation of European handball entered a new era on 15 December 2024, with the European Handball Federation, the sport’s continental governing body, opening its new headquarters in Vienna.

The Austrian capital has been the federation’s residence since 1992. The new ‘European Handball House’ in Neu Marx in Vienna’s third district opened officially on 15 December, with more than 400 guests attending as part of the final weekend of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024.

With an area of more than 5,700 square metres, the 'European Handball House' will serve as a hub for the international cooperation between the EHF, its 50 Member Federations and their more than 350 clubs participating in European Cup competitions. With office space for up to 120 employees, as well as a 250-square-metre auditorium, several meeting rooms and its own TV studio, the building meets the highest standards of a modern working environment.

The building utilises cutting-edge technologies to minimise its carbon footprint. Heating and cooling are achieved using thermal groundwater and thermal component activation, providing efficient heat storage. Additionally, energy is generated via almost 250 square metres of photovoltaic pergolas, not only producing clean energy, but also offering shading.

Building systems equipped with heat recovery further optimise energy use. For its energy efficiency and ecological quality, the building will receive the gold standard ‘klimaaktiv’ certificate issued by the Austrian government on the day of the opening.

The ‘European Handball House’ was jointly realised by the EHF together with real estate developer Raiffeisen Property Holding International (RPHI) and Austrian construction company Strabag as general contractor. The Vienna-based architects of Burtscher-Durig ZT GmbH were entrusted with the general planning.