MARJAN SARAB ARCHITECTURE

Thialf Ice Skating Stadium
Heerenveen, Netherlands

2015

 

Thialf is the biggest ice-skating stadium and one of the most impotant in the world. Duo to the age of the current building, the quality of ice have been jeopardized. Therefore on 2013 there was a design competition held for the New Thialf.

 

On 2013 Zwarts & Jansma architecten won the competition. the design was started on beginning 2014 and delivary time was end of the year for the construction to be started on February 2015 and ready to use for the winter season on 2016.

 

The new design only uses the exiciting construction, basement and some parts from grand floor. The main concept is for all the important functions to be around and have the view to ice, while functions such as traffic spaces and toilets are pushed to the facade. The new Thilaf’s form follows its function. The facade express the ice in an abstract way. An extra level has been added to the building and also all the vertical traffic function that are now outside of buidling will go inside the shell of the new building. The circulation space for the tribune where the bars and cafes are located, also has an secondary functions as the museum which shows the pictures and history of Thialf.

 

Thialf has successed to intergrate architectural, installation and technical approach in order to have the best quality of ice; a design where the components up to reinforce each other: a building skating experience and perception facilitates optimal, a central plant concept, smart constructionn and installation technical zoning with ‘everything to the ice, “modular design, a durable, (largely) self energy concept and a building with the necessary flexibility.

 

Quick and easy installation make it possible for systems and spaces to be moved, resized, added and/or replaced. The multipurpose use second floor is a good example. A mono-functional building in which everything revolves around the ice, but multifunctional. This results in a new Thialf an unprecedented level: an ice stadium of enduring quality.