Multifunctional ice rinks designed for year-round venue value

A multifunctional ice facility should not be designed only around the winter season. The same floor may need to support public skating, hockey or events during part of the year and exhibitions, training, concerts, leisure activities or other uses when the ice is removed or covered.

SPORTWAVE develops multifunctional concepts around the complete annual programme: ice-floor technology, refrigeration, boards, changeover method, drainage, floor loading, storage, building services, heat recovery and operating staff. The objective is to create a venue that performs well both with ice and without it.

Start with the annual activity calendar

The first design question is not “which rink system do we install?” but what must happen in this space during all twelve months?

A useful multifunctional brief should identify:

• how many months per year the venue will operate with ice;
• whether the ice remains continuously or is removed between events;
• which non-ice activities must use the same floor;
• required changeover time;
• maximum floor loads outside the ice season;
• vehicle or stage access;
• board removal requirements;
• storage space for removable rink components;
• annual heating, ventilation and dehumidification modes;
• staff available for conversions and maintenance.

These answers determine whether a permanent, semi-permanent or fully removable system makes operational sense.

Permanent refrigerated floor — best when ice is the primary function

A permanent refrigerated slab is the logical direction where the venue operates ice for long periods each year and rapid restart is more important than complete removal of the refrigeration surface.

The main benefits are stable geometry, long service life and direct integration with the building. The trade-off is that the floor construction remains part of the rink infrastructure even when another activity takes place above it.

For multifunctional use, the floor finish, flatness, loading and protection strategy must therefore be considered together with the refrigeration pipes and insulation.

AST IcePhalt® — a multifunctional permanent-floor approach

AST IcePhalt® is designed for permanent indoor and outdoor ice applications where the surface also needs to support alternative use. The refrigeration pipework is embedded in an asphalt-based structure with elastic properties intended to tolerate temperature variation and reduce cracking risk.

This makes IcePhalt® particularly relevant where the area must function as a robust non-ice surface outside the skating season rather than remain visually or physically dedicated to an ice rink.

The choice still depends on structural loading, finish requirements, drainage and the exact summer use of the area.

Semi-permanent EPDM — when flexibility matters more than a fully embedded slab

AST EPDM mat systems can also be integrated into semi-permanent concepts. This can be useful in retrofit situations or venues where refrigeration infrastructure is retained while the top use of the space changes between seasons.

The advantage is greater reversibility than a conventional embedded concrete slab. The design must still account for mat protection, connections, storage or integration details and repeat access for maintenance.

Fully removable mobile ice — maximum seasonal flexibility

Where the venue must return completely to another function after winter, a removable mobile system can be the strongest option. EPDM mats, IceBox modules, boards and refrigeration equipment are installed for the ice period and removed afterwards.

This minimises permanent intervention in the floor but increases seasonal logistics: transport, storage, installation labour and repeated commissioning become part of the operating model.

For public squares, event venues and leisure centres, that trade-off can still be commercially attractive because the same high-value area is released for another revenue-generating use.

Ice cover or full removal?

Some arenas convert from ice to non-ice events by covering the ice rather than melting it. This can reduce changeover time and preserve the rink for rapid return to skating, but it changes the thermal balance.

ASHRAE notes that insulating covers reduce heat transfer to the ice, while the building may simultaneously be operated at warmer event temperatures. The refrigeration and humidity-control strategy must therefore be adjusted rather than left in normal skating mode.

Ice cover is useful for short conversions; complete removal can be better for long non-ice periods. The correct strategy depends on event frequency, changeover time and energy cost.

Changeover time is an engineering parameter

A venue may be technically multifunctional but commercially impractical if every conversion takes too long or requires too much labour.

The changeover sequence can include:

• ice covering or controlled thawing;
• board and glass removal;
• bench and penalty-box removal;
• resurfacer relocation;
• rubber-floor removal or protection;
• drainage and drying;
• floor protection for staging, vehicles or exhibition loads;
• temporary seating and event equipment installation;
• storage and labelling of rink components.

These operations should be timed during design so that the venue owner understands the real labour and downtime between uses.

Boards should be selected for repeated conversion

A multifunctional rink often benefits from board systems that can be removed or reconfigured without damaging the surrounding floor or requiring major reconstruction.

Gate positions, glass handling, storage racks and lifting access should be planned from the beginning. A board system that works perfectly for hockey but requires excessive labour to remove may undermine the economics of a venue that changes mode frequently.

Floor loading must include the non-ice events

The structural design should account for the heaviest expected summer or event use, not just skaters and rink equipment. Stages, temporary seating, exhibition stands, service vehicles and lifting equipment can create concentrated loads that exceed normal skating conditions.

Where the ice floor remains below the event surface, protection layers must distribute those loads without damaging pipes, mats or the finished surface.

Multifunctional venues require multiple HVAC modes

An ice arena and a warm event hall are very different indoor environments. Ice operation requires controlled humidity, low radiant loads and carefully managed air movement; concerts or exhibitions may require substantially warmer air and different ventilation rates.

The HVAC and controls should therefore support defined operating modes rather than one compromise setting. This reduces both condensation risk during ice operation and unnecessary energy use during non-ice events.

Energy should be reused across the venue

The IIHF treats refrigeration, heating, dehumidification, ventilation and lighting as one interacting energy system. In a multifunctional building this interaction is even more important because the required operating mode changes through the year.

Heat rejected by the refrigeration plant can potentially be reused for domestic hot water, ventilation heating, changing rooms, resurfacing water or other building loads. During non-ice periods, the same building may shift to a very different heating and cooling balance.

The control strategy should therefore follow the annual calendar rather than optimise only the skating season.

Multifunctionality can improve the business case

A dedicated ice arena carries building, financing and staffing costs even when the ice is not being used. A well-designed multifunctional venue can distribute those costs across more activities and more days of the year.

The commercial benefit comes only if conversion is practical. Extra technical complexity that saves one day of changeover but adds large capital or maintenance costs may not be justified. The correct concept balances utilisation, conversion time, labour and lifecycle energy.

Seasonal outdoor spaces can be multifunctional too

Multifunctionality is not limited to indoor arenas. Parks, restaurant terraces, public squares and leisure complexes can operate as real-ice attractions in winter and return to another outdoor use in spring and summer.

Mobile or semi-mobile AST systems are particularly useful in these cases because the permanent value of the site is preserved instead of being sacrificed to a dedicated rink slab.

Regional multifunctional references

• LIDO Riga — large seasonal outdoor ice attraction where the area could return to wider leisure use outside the winter season, using a semi-mobile refrigeration-mat concept.
• Jūrmala City Stadium — 58 × 28 m / 1,624 m² ice arena integrated into a wider sports environment with multiple activity requirements.

These references represent two different multifunctional models: seasonal ice added to a broader leisure environment and an ice arena integrated into a wider sports complex.

How to choose the right multifunctional concept

The final choice depends on the annual programme, structural requirements, changeover target and lifecycle economics.

What we need for a multifunctional concept

• annual activity calendar;
• ice and non-ice uses;
• required number of conversions per year;
• maximum acceptable changeover time;
• floor construction and maximum loading;
• indoor climate and HVAC concept;
• available electrical and thermal infrastructure;
• storage space for boards and removable components;
• access for resurfacing, staging and event logistics;
• heat-recovery opportunities;
• operator and maintenance staffing model.

From these inputs, SPORTWAVE can compare permanent, IcePhalt®, semi-permanent and removable concepts and identify the solution that gives the best balance of ice quality, conversion time, energy use and year-round venue value.