Ice Stadium Davos

Davos, Switzerland

Photo © Ruedi Walti

Architects: Marques Architekten AG

Location: Davos, Switzerland
Year: 2020
Time: Contracted study, 1st Prize | 2016 - 2020
Realisation: in 3 stages, each over the summer months - ongoing operation
Architecture: Daniele Marques & Rainer Schlumpf
Collaborators: Ioannis Piertzovanis, Dipl. Ing. Arch. Univ. Fabian Wahlen, Dipl. Arch. FH

In terms of urban planning, the renovated facility of the Davos ice rink is part of the public buildings on the Kurgarten. The docked volume of the walkway on the first floor communicates spatially better with the surroundings and mediates in scale between the large hall and the surrounding buildings. The project cleans up the additions and structures of the main building that have grown over the decades. The introduction of the surrounding, octagonal volume creates an all-connecting approach. The originally symmetrical hall is extended on the north side in favour of the new space, where the new main entrance is also formed. Through the passageway on the first floor, the audience can move into the respective sector and find the corresponding snack bars and break areas. The four former polycarbonate facades in the gable roofs give way to new wooden facade surfaces with a fine structure. They are adapted to the spatial requirements and are glazed on the north and south sides and closed on the east and west sides. Behind them, the stands were rebuilt to the primary structure and spatially optimised. The new galleries are located in the east and west wings. In the north and south wings, there are rooms for restaurant for restoration operations, boxes, administration and media. Through the conscious, reduced use of materials, the original and unaltered structures are incorporated into the design. A reduction to simple and natural materials such as wood and concrete strengthen the original character of the hall, both inside and out. It is a building that is shaped by its location and its high alpine environment.