Originally used for the 2006 Winter Olympics, the Speed Skating Venue is now a sub divisible exhibition space for eight months of the year.
The trickiest aspect of this building was the roof, which spans over 100m curving from east to west and is 220m long. It had to be capable of carrying substantial snow loads, yet have a lightweight appearance. The ice also had to be very fast – a black art in speed skating circles!
I moved to Milan to live and work on the project with our local collaborators in early 2003 and was responsible for architectural design coordination, working extremely closely with our structural and mechanical services team, whilst working for HOK Sport Venue Event.
The Oval was the winner of the prestigious Gold IOC/IAKS award in 2007.
Role: design coordination
Award: Gold IOC/IAKS award, 2007
Architect: HOK Sport Venue Event, Studio Zoppini
images © chris jopson
