LIDO Riga Outdoor Ice Arena

The LIDO Leisure Centre project in Riga is one of the strongest Baltic references for large-scale recurring seasonal ice. Introduced in 2003, the installation covered approximately 5,200 m² and used a semi-mobile AST refrigeration-mat system designed to return each winter while allowing the site to serve other leisure uses outside the ice season.

The project is especially valuable because it goes beyond the standard rectangular-rink model. The ice was developed as a destination attraction with custom shaped areas and ice hills, showing how refrigeration technology can be integrated into a broader visitor concept.

Project at a glance

5,200 m² changes the project from “rink” to infrastructure

At this scale, the project is not simply a larger version of a small seasonal rink. A 5,200 m² outdoor ice surface creates a different level of engineering and operating complexity.

A project of similar scale today would need to coordinate:

• large refrigeration capacity based on the real outdoor heat load;
• hydraulic zoning and balanced distribution across a very large mat field;
• multiple installation and service access points;
• surface drainage and base preparation;
• visitor circulation across several ice zones;
• resurfacing routes and snow handling;
• public safety and separation from technical equipment;
• seasonal installation and dismantling labour;
• storage of a large quantity of flexible refrigeration material;
• electrical infrastructure and chiller positioning.

The key lesson is that area affects much more than refrigeration tonnage. It changes logistics, hydraulics, maintenance and the way visitors use the site.

A recurring seasonal project should be designed for the second season, not only the first

The LIDO concept included a permanent seasonal-storage solution: after winter, the refrigeration mats could be rolled back into dedicated channels until the next season.

This is important because recurring seasonal projects often become inefficient when the first installation is designed as a one-off event. If the rink returns every year, the owner should plan the complete annual cycle:

1. pre-season inspection;
2. unrolling and layout;
3. hydraulic connection;
4. pressure testing;
5. refrigeration start-up;
6. controlled ice build-up;
7. winter operation;
8. shutdown and defrost;
9. cleaning and inspection;
10. controlled rolling and storage;
11. repair or spare-part replacement before the next season.

When that cycle is designed from the beginning, seasonal flexibility becomes a repeatable operating model rather than an annual construction problem.

Storage is part of the technology selection

A flexible rink system can be attractive because it is removable, but removability creates its own requirements. For a large field, poor storage can damage the same equipment that made the project flexible.

A modern recurring installation should define:

• where mats and hoses are stored;
• how they are dried and cleaned;
• how tightly they may be rolled;
• how connectors are protected;
• whether storage is weather-protected;
• how rolls are identified for the next installation sequence;
• what lifting or handling equipment is required;
• which spares and repair materials remain on site.

For frequent EPDM handling, tools such as the AST Sherpa can be evaluated from crew hours, mat area and lifecycle handling risk rather than treated as an automatic requirement.

Explore AST Sherpa EPDM Handling

Custom ice geometry changes visitor experience — and engineering

LIDO was deliberately designed as an attraction rather than a conventional sports rectangle. Shaped ice zones and ice hills created a more dynamic recreational experience.

Custom geometry can increase the commercial and visitor value of a rink, but it affects:

• refrigeration-mat layout;
• hydraulic circuit lengths;
• board or edge treatment;
• visibility and supervision;
• resurfacing access;
• queue and circulation patterns;
• beginner and experienced-skater separation;
• emergency access;
• how the site is used outside the ice season.

Practical lesson: custom shape should be designed together with refrigeration and operation. It should not be added as an architectural outline after the technical system has already been selected.

Large outdoor refrigeration must be sized from weather exposure

Outdoor ice is affected directly by air temperature, solar radiation, wind, rain and humidity. These loads can vary significantly over a winter season and across a large site.

For a 5,200 m² attraction, SPORTWAVE would review:

• design outdoor temperature and expected warm-weather periods;
• direct sun exposure during operating hours;
• wind across the open ice surface;
• rain and meltwater management;
• surrounding buildings and shading;
• target ice temperature;
• daily opening hours;
• resurfacing frequency;
• hydraulic distance between refrigeration plant and zones;
• available electrical capacity.

ASHRAE’s simple area-to-capacity ranges are only a check of a calculated heat load. At a large outdoor attraction, using area alone would be particularly misleading.

Hydraulic zoning becomes a design tool

A large flexible mat field should not be thought of as one undifferentiated circuit. Hydraulic zoning can help make the system easier to balance, commission and troubleshoot.

For a modern project, useful design questions include:

• how many hydraulic zones should be created;
• whether circuit lengths are reasonably balanced;
• how flow can be measured or verified;
• where manifolds and isolation points should be placed;
• how air can be removed during filling;
• whether individual zones can be isolated for service;
• how temperature uniformity will be checked during commissioning.

This reduces the risk that one poorly balanced part of a very large rink affects the complete attraction.

Resurfacing strategy must match the geometry

A large non-standard ice attraction may require a different resurfacing approach from one 30 × 60 m hockey rectangle.

The operator needs to know:

• which areas can be reached by a powered resurfacer;
• where turning is possible;
• whether narrow or shaped sections need smaller equipment or manual tools;
• where snow is dumped;
• how long a full maintenance cycle takes;
• how the attraction is divided into operating sessions during maintenance.

The more complex the ice landscape, the more important it is to design the maintenance route before opening.

Large seasonal attractions need a visitor-flow concept

The technical ice surface is only part of the customer experience. A project of this size may need separate planning for:

• entry and exit points;
• skate rental;
• rubber-floor routes;
• beginner areas;
• rest zones;
• supervision;
• first-aid access;
• spectator areas;
• food / leisure interfaces;
• peak visitor control.

For recreational skating, ASHRAE gives a preliminary planning range of approximately 2.3–2.8 m² of ice per person actually skating. On a 5,200 m² surface this should not be used as a legal capacity calculation, but it shows why visitor management can become a major operating system at this scale.

Source: ASHRAE Handbook — Refrigeration, Chapter 44: Ice Rinks.

Semi-mobile, IceBox, SkateWay® or permanent construction?

A modern project inspired by LIDO should compare the seasonal operating model rather than copy the original technical arrangement automatically.

For very large attractions, a hybrid concept may also be appropriate, with different technologies serving different zones.

What a client can learn from LIDO

1. Design recurring seasonal projects for repeated use. Storage and dismantling are part of the technical concept.
2. Large ice areas need hydraulic and operational zoning. Bigger is not simply more kW.
3. Custom geometry can create destination value. But it must be coordinated with resurfacing, safety and refrigeration.
4. Off-season use should be protected. Seasonal ice can coexist with another leisure function when the infrastructure is planned accordingly.
5. Visitor flow becomes a technical design input. Skate issue, access, maintenance and supervision can limit the practical capacity of the attraction.
6. Outdoor weather drives refrigeration design. Area alone is not enough.

When a LIDO-type concept may be a strong fit today

This approach deserves consideration when the client wants:

• a large winter destination rather than a standard rink;
• repeated annual operation on the same site;
• custom shapes or recreational ice features;
• the underlying area returned to another use after winter;
• reusable seasonal refrigeration infrastructure;
• a visitor concept integrated with an existing leisure, hospitality or entertainment destination.

SPORTWAVE perspective

LIDO demonstrates the upper end of what seasonal flexible ice can become: not simply a temporary rink, but a reusable winter infrastructure and visitor destination. For current projects, SPORTWAVE would use the same project-first logic while selecting the most appropriate modern combination of EPDM, IceBox, SkateWay®, refrigeration, controls and operating equipment.

Explore Ice Worlds & SkateWays  |  Mobile Ice Rinks  |  Discuss a large seasonal ice project