When it’s full the National Ice Sports Centre in Melbourne’s Docklands plays host to thousands of people in pursuit of ice sports, including ice skating, hockey, dancing and curling. Some of the skaters will be aiming high, looking to events like the Winter Olympic Games. But before they enter the rink, performance already been a major factor in the construction of the Centre – thermal performance that is.
The building, completed in February, houses two full-size ice rinks which are 60m x 30m each in size. Both ice rinks require a controlled internal environment to enable ice formation. As Amanda Barker of Cox Architects and Planners explains, this demands a building fabric that delivers a high level of thermal performance.
“The use of 5000m2 Kingspan Foil Backed (FB) insulated roof sheeting helped to achieve the thermal rating required of the rink roof. Acoustics were also an issue within both large rink spaces. The entire ceiling is covered with acoustic panels and insulation above”, says Barker.
Cox’s design for the building incorporates a solid ‘moraine’ precast concrete base to the building, with an ‘ice’ layer above made from corrugated fibreglass sheeting and Kingspan roofing.
As project manager, John Lin of Hansen Yuncken comments, the special needs of ice making meant that the total R value needed was 5.5, which was achieved through a combination of the Kingspan FB, and straw panels which also helped achieve the acoustic requirements.
“The choice of Kingspan panels was determined because it was pretty well the only product available that we could join to produce a 45-metre length with the necessary insulation value. The patented Kingspan joining process made for a seamless job”, said Jason Close of roofing specialist Close Commercial Services.
“Due to the tight site constraints on this project it was not possible to use on-site rolled roof sheeting, so the Kingspan roof sheeting was an obvious choice to allow a continuous roof profile. Being an all in one system meant that the installation time was a lot quicker too.The end lapping detail possible with the Kingspan roof sheeting gives the impression that the 45m long roof spans were made from single sheets of roofing.”
“The challenging part of the job was dealing with the height of the building. We built the sub-structure of the roof on the ground, craned it up with a lifting frame and then we were able to lay the panels straight out of their packs. Putting it together went smoothly “
Kingspan is a global leader, designing and manufacturing sustainable, high quality, fire safe insulated roof and architectural wall panel systems.
Project: National Ice Sports Centre
Location: Melbourne, Docklands
Product: Kingspan KS1000 FB (Foilback)
Architects: Cox Architects and Planners
Contractor: Hansen Yuncken
Installer: Jason Close Commercial Services
Building Use: Ice sports