September 2026. At the end of August, MOVECITY opened Switzerland’s largest multisport venue for freestyle and action sports. The first project of its kind in Europe operates as a shop-in-shop model and relies on high-end technology. As part of MOVECITY, the innovative ASB GlassFloor is available for public booking for the first time, demonstrating that it is far more than a modern sports floor. Thanks to programmable LED technology, it transforms large areas into adaptable experience spaces—unlocking possibilities that extend far beyond sport.
Large spaces need new ideas. Traditional retail and event spaces are looking for additional reasons to attract visitors and more flexible ways to use their facilities. At the same time, demand is growing for places where people do not simply consume, but experience something together. MOVECITY, which opened in Affoltern am Albis in August 2026, is a sports and activity space that should capture the attention not only of sports enthusiasts, but also of urban planners, architects and public authorities—because MOVECITY rethinks the way space is used. Covering almost 13,000 square metres, the new venue combines physical activities with workshops, creative spaces, meetings, events, hospitality and areas for people to spend time together. The result is not simply a sports hall, but an experience-driven meeting place.
Experience becomes a location factor
MOVECITY is representative of a broader development. Retail properties, shopping centres and large commercial buildings are increasingly being conceived as places that combine multiple functions. CBRE’s “European Retail Outlook 2026” identifies experience-oriented retail concepts as one of the key trends in the European retail market. The EHI Retail Institute has also observed the growing importance of mixed-use concepts: 20 per cent of the shopping centres surveyed plan to reduce retail space in favour of other uses. Leisure facilities are already among the non-retail offerings available in 39 per cent of shopping centres.
This is not simply about finding new tenants for existing spaces. The key is to make shopping malls, commercial districts and city centres more attractive and create new reasons for people to visit them. MOVECITY operates precisely at this intersection. Guided by the idea that “Movement Connects”, it creates a vibrant world of experiences designed to bring together people of different ages and interests. Alongside the so-called Move Zones, the concept therefore includes workshop, meeting and creative spaces, event areas and food and beverage offerings.
The floor becomes an interface
The technical and spatial centrepiece is the Arena by ASB GlassFloor, a collaboration between Michael Jacobsen and ASB Arena and Event Services AG. Measuring 28 × 15 metres, the digital glass floor is the size of a standard multisport hall, yet it is not restricted to any particular use or design. Controlled via the GlassCourt OS software platform, the entire area can be given a new appearance and function within a short space of time.
Court markings can be displayed alongside animations, graphics, logos, sponsorship content and live data. This makes the floor more than a functional surface: it also serves as a visual medium, a wayfinding system and a digital stage. Content is not shown on additional screens installed around the venue, but becomes an integral part of the space itself.
GlassCourt OS makes it possible to manage and adapt digital floor designs, replace sponsor logos in real time, and position and scale content directly on the floor. The integration of external data also allows statistics and other information to be visualised.
The space itself can also become interactive. A tracking system records players’ movements and translates them directly into digital applications. This creates games in which virtual content on the floor is combined with real physical movement—the users control what happens not with a controller, but with their own bodies. Far beyond sport, this principle opens up new possibilities for interactive brand experiences, gamified learning formats, events and immersive visitor experiences.
“The future of large spaces does not lie in simply assigning them a new fixed function. Their true value comes from the ability to support multiple uses,” says Christof Babinsky, Managing Director of ASB GlassFloor. “A space can be a training area in the morning, an interactive gaming environment in the afternoon, an event stage in the evening and a brand experience at the weekend. ASB GlassFloor not only makes these transitions possible—it makes them immediately visible and tangible.”
One space, many programmes
With the Arena by ASB GlassFloor, a technology previously used primarily in professional venues and at major sporting events is now publicly available to book for the first time. Groups, sports clubs, schools, companies, event organisers and content creators can use the digital space for a wide range of formats.
This accessibility is precisely what makes MOVECITY such an important reference project: the space is no longer built for a single purpose—it is programmed. For companies, this creates exciting opportunities for product presentations, workshops and team-building activities. Event organisers gain a stage whose appearance can be transformed without complex structural changes. Brands can integrate content directly into the spatial experience instead of limiting it to banners or individual screens. For creative and educational formats, the floor becomes an interactive surface for playing, learning and presenting.
A blueprint for new spatial concepts
What begins at MOVECITY as an arena for activity and experiences can be transferred to many other environments. In shopping centres and mixed-use properties, digital surfaces can create constantly changing reasons to visit. Showrooms can bring products and brand worlds to life within the space. Hotels and corporate headquarters can flexibly adapt reception, conference and event areas to different target groups and occasions. Museums, cultural institutions, exhibition halls and public buildings can also benefit from new possibilities for information, wayfinding and interaction—and with its digital glass floors and walls, ASB GlassFloor provides the right technology to make them possible.