ICE RINK ENGINEERING • RENTAL • EQUIPMENT • SERVICE
Ice rink solutions engineered around the site, use and operating model
SPORTWAVE develops seasonal, permanent, professional and multifunctional ice-rink projects in Lithuania and Latvia — combining local engineering, AST technology, installation, commissioning and lifecycle service.
Official AST Partner for Lithuania and Latvia.
The starting point is not a catalogue product or a generic price per square metre. It is the question: what does the rink need to do, where will it operate and how will it be used?
Start with the operating model
Which type of ice-rink project are you planning?
Different uses lead to different rink technology, refrigeration, boards, operating equipment and lifecycle costs.
| Project need | Typical technical direction | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal city-centre or Christmas-market rink | Mobile real ice using EPDM / IceBox, portable refrigeration and leisure boards. | Mobile Ice Rinks |
| Temporary project with defined operating period | Turnkey rental including rink technology, refrigeration, boards and operating equipment. | Ice Rink Rental |
| Permanent hockey, figure-skating or public arena | Permanent refrigerated floor, building integration, HVAC coordination and lifecycle energy design. | Permanent Ice Rinks |
| Professional competition or major event | Sport-specific ice, professional boards, redundancy, event logistics and strict commissioning. | Professional & Event Ice Rinks |
| Park, destination or custom skating route | Connected ice zones, curves and SkateWay® layouts designed around visitor flow. | Ice Worlds & SkateWays |
| Venue used for several activities during the year | Permanent, IcePhalt®, semi-permanent or removable concepts compared against the annual activity calendar. | Multifunctional Ice Rinks |
| No space for refrigeration, insufficient power or no practical water connection | Synthetic ice may be more realistic than forcing refrigerated real ice into the site. | Synthetic Ice Rinks |
Engineering first
The same ice area can require a very different system
Rink dimensions alone do not define the solution. Refrigeration and operating requirements change with climate, solar exposure, indoor humidity, sport, resurfacing frequency, ice temperature, floor construction and the available electrical infrastructure.
For refrigeration, ASHRAE gives preliminary capacity ranges only as a check of a full heat-load calculation, not as a design formula. This is why SPORTWAVE does not select a chiller from a simple kW-per-square-metre rule.
For public skating, ASHRAE also gives an early planning range of approximately 2.3–2.8 m² of ice per person actually skating. This helps compare the proposed ice area with expected peak demand before visitor-flow and safety requirements are developed in detail.
Source: ASHRAE Handbook — Refrigeration, Chapter 44: Ice Rinks.
Decisions made early matter most
Good ice-rink economics begin during planning
The IIHF Official Ice Arena Guide states that approximately 80–90% of project implementation costs are determined during the planning phase. The same early decisions also influence lifecycle costs.
That is why SPORTWAVE starts with the operating concept, required ice programme, site constraints and future use before the floor technology or refrigeration equipment is fixed.
Source: IIHF Official Ice Arena Guide 2024.
Three common starting points
Build, rent or improve an existing rink
Build an Ice Rink
For a new seasonal, permanent, multifunctional or professional project, start with the operating model and site conditions. SPORTWAVE can coordinate concept development, rink technology, refrigeration, boards, installation and commissioning.
Rent an Ice Rink
For a defined season or event, rental can place the specialist technology, installation and technical responsibility into one project scope without requiring the organiser to own the complete system.
Upgrade an Existing Rink
If the rink already operates, the correct next step may be refrigeration optimisation, controls, board replacement, resurfacing equipment, hydraulic correction, operator training or staged modernisation rather than complete reconstruction.
AST + SPORTWAVE
Global ice-rink technology with local project responsibility
AST has worked with mobile and permanent ice-rink technology for more than four decades. Its current portfolio covers seasonal public skating, professional sport, permanent arenas, Ice Worlds, boards, resurfacing, energy management and specialist equipment.
AST’s rental documentation reports approximately 300 rental ice rinks per year with partners worldwide, with projects ranging from standard seasonal attractions to ice landscapes exceeding 9,000 m² and stadium events for up to 70,000 spectators.
These figures describe AST’s global experience, not SPORTWAVE’s local project count. SPORTWAVE’s role is to bring that technology into projects in Lithuania and Latvia through local assessment, coordination, installation, commissioning and service.
Source: AST Rental Ice Rinks documentation.
One system, one lifecycle
From first site information to long-term operation
- 1. AssessUse, site, climate, power, water, access and constraints
- 2. EngineerRink technology, heat load, hydraulics, boards and equipment
- 3. DeliverEquipment, logistics and site coordination
- 4. InstallIce system, refrigeration interfaces, boards and accessories
- 5. CommissionPressure integrity, flow, controls, temperature behaviour and ice build-up
- 6. TrainDaily checks, resurfacing, ice temperature and alarm response
- 7. SupportWarranty, diagnostics, maintenance, spares and optimisation
Equipment selected around the rink
Refrigeration is only one part of reliable operation
SPORTWAVE’s equipment scope can include refrigeration systems, leisure and professional boards, ice resurfacers, skates, sharpening, skating aids, rubber flooring, MESHICE® graphics, EasyCHILL controls and specialist EPDM handling tools.
The correct equipment depends on rink size, daily operating hours, sport, visitor throughput, gate dimensions, storage, electrical infrastructure and service capability.
Lifecycle efficiency
Do not treat energy efficiency as a chiller specification
In permanent arenas, refrigeration, heating, dehumidification, ventilation and lighting interact as one energy system. Ice temperature, ice thickness, resurfacing water, pump power and heat recovery can materially change annual consumption.
SPORTWAVE therefore evaluates energy from the complete operating system — from correct plant sizing and hydraulics to controls such as AST EasyCHILL and useful recovery of refrigeration heat.
Regional experience
Projects should prove decisions, not only show photographs
SPORTWAVE project references in Lithuania and Latvia include permanent shopping-centre arenas, municipal outdoor rinks, seasonal rental projects and custom public-space ice. Each case is being documented around the real site conditions, technical solution and operating scope.
Resources
Use our technical guides before fixing the solution
Planning a seasonal rink?
Check site area, power, chiller location, rink capacity, boards, resurfacing and installation timing.
Rent or buy?
Compare number of seasons, storage, labour, maintenance and lifecycle responsibility.
Which ice technology?
Compare EPDM, IceBox, concrete slab, IcePhalt® and SkateWay® from the operating model.
What should you send us for a first project assessment?
- project location;
- available area or preferred rink dimensions;
- indoor, covered or outdoor use;
- planned operating period;
- public skating, professional sport, event or mixed use;
- expected peak skater or visitor numbers;
- available electrical power, water and drainage if known;
- site photos, drawings and possible technical-equipment location;
- whether you are considering rental, purchase or both.
These inputs are enough to identify the next engineering questions. You do not need to know the final technology before contacting us.
Have a site, a drawing or only an early idea?
Send us what you already know. SPORTWAVE will help determine the correct next step instead of forcing an early product choice.