Studio Zoppini Associati and Buro Happold have designed two major venues that form part of Sochi’s successful bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
The Milan-based architects Studio Zoppini Associati and consulting engineer Buro Happold are part of an international team that developed Sochi’s bid and have designed two important facilities: the Oval (8,000 seats) for the speed skating competitions and the Arena (12,000 seats) for the short track and figure skating competitions.
Studio Zoppini Associati and Buro Happold have previously collaborated on the award-winning Oval Lingotto speed skating venue that was used for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Alessandro Zoppini, who runs the office in Milan together with his father Pino, said: “Our designs derive from the recent experience of Turin 2006. We designed two facilities, which assure the highest functional quality of the main sports event and put athletes in a position to obtain the best performances, while on the other hand allow for wide multi-purpose use in the post-Olympic period.
“The Oval structure is clad with timber and will give spectators the impression that they are in a wide artificial forest, while the materials used for the Arena will make spectators feel like they are within a huge ice block. A great advantage of the two facilities is the simultaneous view of the mountains to the north and the sea to the south.”
Buro Happold provided the structural engineering, building services engineering and acoustic design for the two venues. Associate Matthew Birchall describes the structural engineering design for the venues as particularly challenging, as the site is on poor ground and prone to severe seismic activity. Both buildings also require very long clear spans over the main arena spaces, achieved by using a combination of shallow arches and profilled trusses. The primary and secondary roof structures are sculpted into folded three-dimensional forms that form the profile of the ceilings through which the services are carefully integrated.
Buro Happold associate director Steve Macey said: “The designs for Sochi’s Oval and Arena were very much informed by the team's previous experience of desigining the Oval Lingotto for the 2006 winter Olmpics held in Turin, with the technical aspects being developed holistically to achieve an elegant synthesis of engineering and architecture. We are delighted that Buro Happold’s efforts have contributed to Sochi being chosen as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.”
Sochi, on the coast of the Black Sea in Russia, was announced as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games by the International Olympic Committee on July 4 in Guatemala City. Other shortlisted cities were Salzburg, Austria,and Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Ends
Note to editors:
Images of the Oval and Arena are available on request.
Buro Happold
Press office and practice information at www.burohappold.com
Louise Gaiger
Press officer
Tel +44 (0)1225 321764
Fax +44 (0)8707 874148
Email louise.gaiger@burohappold.com
Studio Zoppini Associati
More information at www.studiozoppini.it
Oriana Cremella
Tel +39 027530009
Fax +39 027533027
E-mail oriana.cremella@studiozoppini.it