Ice rink design and engineering before equipment is ordered

The most expensive ice-rink mistakes are usually not made during installation. They are made earlier, when rink size, building layout, refrigeration concept, plant location, spectator capacity, utilities and operating model are defined independently of one another.

SPORTWAVE develops the ice-rink technical concept around the real project: intended users, site, operating season, building conditions, energy strategy and future service. For AST-based projects, we coordinate the rink technology with AST while acting as the regional technical contact for the client and local design team.

Planning decisions define most of the project cost

The 2024 IIHF Ice Arena Guide states that approximately 80–90% of project implementation costs are determined during the arena planning phase. It also notes that the most important lifecycle-cost decisions are made at the beginning of the process.

This is why the correct starting point is not “which chiller do we buy?” or “which ice mat do we use?”. The first task is to define what the facility must do and what level of arena is justified by its users, business model and future development.

Engineering note
IIHF recommends a feasibility study before arena planning, followed by a concept plan defining the business objectives, requirements and necessary functions.

Source: IIHF Official Ice Arena Guide 2024.

Stage 1 — define the operating concept

We begin by translating the client’s idea into an engineering brief. The same 1,500–1,800 m² of ice can belong to very different projects: a public-skating attraction, hockey practice arena, competition facility, multifunctional venue or temporary professional event.

The operating concept should define:

• primary users: hockey, figure skating, public skating, curling, events or mixed use;
• season length and daily operating hours;
• expected visitors, skaters and fixed spectator capacity;
• competition or federation requirements;
• permanent, multifunctional, seasonal or temporary operation;
• required ice quality and resurfacing frequency;
• commercial and community functions around the rink;
• future expansion or change-of-use expectations;
• staffing, maintenance and service model.

This stage prevents a common problem: designing a technically impressive facility that is larger, more complex or more expensive to operate than the programme actually requires.

Stage 2 — choose the rink size and arena class

Rink dimensions, spectator capacity and arena type are connected decisions. The IIHF Arena Guide classifies facilities from small practice arenas with 0–300 spectator places through small and large competition arenas to modern multi-purpose arenas above 5,000 fixed seats.

SPORTWAVE uses this type of classification as a planning framework, not as a reason to force every project into a standard template. A client may require a compact practice rink, a 60 × 26–30 m competition surface, public skating with high visitor throughput or a custom geometry where sports rules are not the governing factor.

The question is: what is the smallest and simplest configuration that fully supports the required operation today while leaving sensible options for tomorrow?

Do not build unnecessary area or volume

IIHF identifies optimisation of gross building area and rink-hall volume as a core principle of cost-effective arena design. Unnecessary floor area and excessive internal height increase construction cost and create more space that must be heated, ventilated, dehumidified, lit and controlled.

At the same time, the structural and functional concept should consider future expansion where regional demand may grow. Good engineering therefore means avoiding both overbuilding and short-term design that blocks future development.

Engineering note
Efficient arena design is not the maximum amount of technology inside the maximum amount of building. It is the minimum complexity and space required to deliver the required function reliably.

Source: IIHF Official Ice Arena Guide 2024.

Stage 3 — establish the site and building interfaces

Once the operating concept is clear, the rink has to be fitted into the real site. We review the information that can constrain or reshape the technical solution:

• site dimensions, access and logistics;
• indoor, covered or outdoor conditions;
• foundation, floor build-up and structural concept;
• roof and building envelope for indoor arenas;
• available electrical capacity and connection point;
• water supply, drainage and resurfacing-water requirements;
• refrigeration-plant location and hydraulic route;
• heat-rejection location and airflow;
• noise restrictions and nearby sensitive buildings;
• ventilation, dehumidification and heating interfaces;
• service access, replacement routes and maintenance space;
• local planning, fire and building-code requirements handled with the relevant project designers.

For indoor facilities this coordination is particularly important. ASHRAE notes that building conditions can materially affect refrigeration load and specifically calls for close cooperation between HVAC and refrigeration designers.

Stage 4 — select the ice-floor and refrigeration concept together

The ice surface and refrigeration plant are not separate packages. The choice between AST EPDM mats, IceBox, SkateWay®, IcePhalt® or a concrete-integrated system changes the hydraulic circuit, floor construction, installation method, future flexibility and plant requirements.

At concept stage we establish:

• ice-floor technology and construction principle;
• preliminary refrigeration heat load and design conditions;
• refrigeration architecture and heat-rejection concept;
• secondary-fluid temperatures and hydraulic strategy where applicable;
• manifold and connecting-pipe concept;
• plant and pump locations;
• control and monitoring philosophy;
• redundancy level appropriate to the consequence of downtime.

Only after these interfaces are understood does equipment selection become meaningful.

Stage 5 — design the energy concept, not only the cooling system

An ice arena simultaneously needs cooling at the rink and heat elsewhere in the building. Its energy concept should therefore connect refrigeration with the building rather than allow each discipline to optimise independently.

For permanent projects we assess the interaction between:

• building envelope and ceiling radiation;
• refrigeration efficiency and ice-temperature setpoints;
• pump energy and hydraulic pressure loss;
• ventilation and dehumidification;
• lighting and internal heat gains;
• refrigeration heat recovery;
• domestic hot water, showers and resurfacing water;
• space heating and ventilation-air heating;
• snow melting and underfloor frost protection where required;
• control, scheduling and energy monitoring.

This is where lifecycle cost is influenced most strongly. A heat-recovery connection or low-temperature heating circuit is far easier to design into the building at concept stage than to retrofit after the plant room and services are fixed.

Stage 6 — design the rink around daily operation

An arena can meet every theoretical capacity calculation and still be difficult to operate. The design must follow the daily workflow of staff, athletes and visitors.

We therefore coordinate practical elements such as:

• resurfacer entry and turning space;
• snow disposal and snow-melting route;
• resurfacing-water filling point;
• board gates, player benches and penalty areas where required;
• skate-rental, storage, drying and sharpening workflow;
• rubber-floor circulation around the rink;
• equipment storage and workshop space;
• safe access to pumps, manifolds, controls and plant;
• operator visibility, alarms and daily measurement points.

These details are relatively inexpensive to solve on a drawing and expensive to solve after the building is complete.

What SPORTWAVE engineering can define

Depending on project scope and design stage, our work can include:

• site and technical feasibility review;
• rink type, dimensions and technology recommendation;
• technical concept and system architecture;
• refrigeration heat-load basis and equipment sizing inputs;
• hydraulic concept, flow and connection requirements;
• ice-floor construction requirements;
• board and operational-equipment concept;
• plant location and service-space requirements;
• electrical load and connection information for rink equipment;
• water, drainage and resurfacing interfaces;
• heat-recovery concept and required building connections;
• controls, monitoring and energy-management concept;
• technical coordination with AST and local architects, structural, HVAC and electrical designers;
• installation and commissioning requirements.

The exact deliverables depend on whether SPORTWAVE is providing a temporary rink, an equipment package, a permanent ice system or a wider turnkey scope. Statutory building design and disciplines outside our contracted scope remain coordinated with the relevant licensed local project designers.

Design freeze before procurement

Before major equipment is ordered, critical assumptions should be frozen and documented. At minimum this normally includes rink dimensions, design climate, operating profile, ice-floor concept, refrigeration capacity basis, plant location, electrical supply, hydraulic routes, board configuration and major building-service interfaces.

This reduces late changes that can otherwise cascade through refrigeration equipment, electrical supply, structural openings, pipe routes and construction work.

Engineering also applies to existing arenas

A modernisation project begins differently from a new build. Before replacing a chiller or controls, we assess what is actually limiting performance: refrigeration capacity, hydraulic balance, ice-floor condition, pumps, condenser performance, humidity, controls, ice thickness, operating practice or building conditions.

This helps separate equipment that genuinely needs replacement from problems that can be solved through controls, balancing, maintenance or system integration.

From engineering into installation and commissioning

The value of design is proven during commissioning. The installation stage should verify that the system built on site matches the engineering assumptions: pressure integrity, flow balance, temperature behaviour, controls, alarms and ice build-up performance.

SPORTWAVE can continue from technical concept into installation, commissioning, operator training and lifecycle service so that the information developed during design is not lost between project stages.

What we need to start the engineering process

A complete architectural design is not required for the first discussion. Useful starting information includes:

• project location;
• new build, retrofit, seasonal or temporary project;
• approximate rink dimensions or available site area;
• intended sport and public use;
• expected skater and spectator capacity;
• planned operating season and daily hours;
• indoor, outdoor or covered conditions;
• available electrical power;
• available plans, sketches or site photos;
• known noise, access or planning constraints;
• expected project schedule and procurement stage.

From this information, SPORTWAVE can identify the decisions that must be made first, the calculations required next and the most appropriate technical route for the project.