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After two years of renovation, Thialf Ice Arena in Heerenveen will officially open its doors. On January 27th, the king of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, will inaugurate the renewed ice arena with an opening ceremony for the short and long track race competition.
In the renewed Thialf Ice Arena in Heerenveen, designed by ZJA Zwarts & Jansma Architects, everything is all about the ice skaters and the ice experience. In the renewed ice arena, top athletes have access to the fastest ice and the best 400-metre lowland track. Innovation and sustainability play an important role in the renewed Thialf. Moreover, the temperature and humidity are easy to adapt to specific requests and needs. The experience is enhanced by using blended white and blue colours, and the transparent promenade surrounding the competition area. After two years of renovation, Thialf is again the fastest and most modern lowland ice arena where skating records are broken.Purity and dynamics
Skating at top level consists of two elements: purity and dynamics. These two elements form the inspiration for ZJA’s design of Thialf. The dynamics of entering Thialf are expressed in the design of the entrance, together with the shaping of the stairs. Two “arms” of glass extend outwards in order to welcome the stream of visitors. The purity of the ice rink is reinforced by flawless white and the continuous shape of the competition area. The experience of purity and dynamics is further enhanced through the pattern, inspired by ice crystals, on the façade of the skating rink.
The ice rink as focal point
The design by ZJA is an extension of the oval structure of the existing building. All facilities - stand, press, hospitality, restaurants, offices and elite training facilities - are positioned around the ice, with a glass wall separating the surrounding promenade from the competition hall. Due to this glass wall around the 400-meter ice rink, all areas overlook the ice. This gives top-level sport a central position and stimulates maximum interaction between top athletes, recreational athletes and the public. Furthermore, the philosophy “everything is all about the ice” has led to a compact design with a logical ordering of functions and an iconic appearance inside as well as outside. The new complex was gradually built around the old complex. Outside, the ice arena has been given a new façade. Inside, the ice arena was completely modernized while maintaining the characteristic Thialf atmosphere. The ice rink in Thialf is the focal point. From this perspective, a blend from white to dark blue was used for in the interior.
The promenade and the glass wall
The promenade is the connecting element of all functions. During events, all visitors can easily access all the stands via this promenade. Serving points and public meeting places are located along the promenade. The underlying groups of toilets can also be easily accessed via the promenade. A 400-meter long glass wall separates the promenade from the competition area, with all areas overlooking the ice of Thialf. In addition, all facilities are positioned around the ice, stimulating interaction between athletes and the audience. The glass wall with transparent blue foils determines the experience in the new Thialf.
Climate areas
The promenade isolates the unpredictable outside weather from the competition area and allows for a better control of the indoor climate in Thialf. In the renewed Thialf, moist air, brought in by wet coats, is dispersed outside. This creates climate segregation by an air curtain between the public and the competition area. Thialf has different climate areas within the ice rink, stand and the promenade that can be managed separately. These new climate areas are one of the key new enhancements of the renewed Thialf.
Sustainable ice arena
The renewed Thialf has completely been renovated and made sustainable. As such, ice is made using solar energy. The new Thialf roof has over 5000 solar panels, making it the largest sunroof on a stadium in The Netherlands. This allows the stadium to provide in its own energy needs to the utmost extent. Previously, the warmth of the freezing machine was not used and lost. Nowadays it is used to warm up the entire building. In addition, by making use of an underground heat and cold storage in a layer of sand, a large amount of energy is saved. Furthermore, the stadium makes use of energy efficient lights that produce little heat. Also, the stadium is extremely well insulated. Thialf has the intention to fully provide in its own energy needs in the near future. (Stadiaworld, 25.01.2017)
