In the fall of 2018 a brand new ice hall will be ready replace the iconic Jordan Amfi hall in Oslo, Norway. In the meantime a fully functional temporary facility built by O.B.Wiik will tend to the icy needs of the community.
The modernisation of a landmark
Even though there are Vålerenga ice hockey devotees who are mourning the loss of the historic ice hockey arena, the decision to replace Jordal Amfi with a new arena provided with modern facilities has been made. The first hall was built for the Olympic Games in Oslo in 1952 and no longer meets modern requirements.
The process leading to the construction of the new Jordal Amfi began in January 2017, and completion of the new building is scheduled for September 2018. However, this does not mean that the Jordal district will be short of an ice rink for 18 months – O.B. Wiik has already set up a fully functional ice dome to meet the local community’s temporary needs.
A complete ice dome – in a week and a half
When O.B. Wiik won the tender to build a temporary ice dome at Jordal Amfi, the project was somewhat behind schedule. To make up for lost time we made sure to have double shifts ready when we built the hall, which was erected in record time. In fact, getting the building up and running took as little as a week and a half.
The hall measures 30 x 72 metres and the walls are seven metres high. We have supplied changing rooms for women and men, and toilets with disabled access. The hall is equipped with 300 lux lamps which offer flood lighting. O.B. Wiik has also provided all-round fire and burglary protection which is hooked up to a security centre.
All-year use
The temporary Jordal Amfi ice rink has been erected with insulating sheets which will keep the heat out during the summer and allow for use around the year, making the hall a fully functional option for the duration of the new building’s construction period.
“The plan is to use this hall for 24 months, i.e. two years, but it all depends on when the new Jordal Amfi is completed,” sales consultant Rune Paulsen at O.B. Wiik explains.
Not a venue suited for premier league ice hockey
The temporary ice hall at Jordal Amfi is not designed for premier league ice hockey matches, but to facilitate ice-related sports for the local community.
“Premier league ice hockey can be relocated to a different ice hall – but there was a need to serve all the other ice rink users,” says Stein Helset Nordal of Sweco Norge. He has been the project manager for the Jordal Amfi Temporary Project and was hired by Kultur- og idrettsbygg, the City of Oslo’s agency for managing its cultural buildings and sports facilities.
“Specifically, I am thinking of training, para ice hockey, figure skating, etc. In order to keep up services for all non-premier league users, a decision was made to erect a temporary ice dome,” he elaborates.
Pleased with the result
The speedy delivery and the quality of the completed construction have been noticed by the project management, who are very pleased with O.B. Wiik’s temporary facility.
“O.B. Wiik has very much been a collaborative contractor – a company that is focused on finding solutions and good at doing what it takes,” concludes Helset Nordal.