Multi-purpose arena in Tampere

Location Tampere, Finland

Client/operator SRV Rakennus Oy

Architect & Principal Designer Studio Libeskind US – 10038 New York www.libeskind.com

Local partner ARCO Architecture Company Aihio Arkkitehdit

Ice hockey boards Vepe Oy www.vepe.fi

Author Studio Libeskind

Photos Hufton + Crow

WRAPPED IN METAL SCREENS

MULTI-PURPOSE ARENA IN TAMPERE

The Nokia Arena sits atop Tampere’s railway tracks in the heart of the city. The mixed-use programme includes a multi-purpose ice hockey arena, a 273-room hotel and five mixed-use blocks topped by five residential towers. The urban-scale development creates a new livework-play complex and creates a connection between the historic city and the 20th century extension. Studio Libeskind, along with SRV Rakennus, and local partner ARCO Architecture Company / Aihio Arkkitehdit, have achieved LEED Gold, Nokia Arena being the second building to be completed on the mixed-use development site.

It is located in a dynamic urban nexus that is the epitome of a thriving European city – where the railways reconnect on all axes with the new multi-purpose arena, and where the historic fabric all comes together. Once the development is complete, it will stitch the urban fabric back together again, connecting East to West, creating a new vibrant hub of highquality living, working, leisure and culture for the city of Tampere and Finland.

The arena, which occupies one fifth of the complex, has the capacity to accommodate 17,000 fans. With its casino, bars and restaurant at deck level, the arena redefines its pivotal function as a hub for diverse urban activities. There is a total of approximately 82,000 m² of mixed-use programme area, including 64,500 m² of arena space, 5,800 m² for the practice hall and an 11,600 m² hotel with three roof-top saunas. Connecting the historic city “The Nokia Arena creates a new landmark for Tampere with an iconic, yet contextual, design that evokes the spirit of the Finnish people,“ says architect Daniel Libeskind. “The arena serves as an anchor of the surrounding development and will create a vital connection within the city and the country with its proximity to the railway tracks, which previously separated this neighbourhood

from the city. The dynamic shape of the building has been enhanced by the bands of metal slat screens that wrap the building in spiral movements,“ Libeskind adds.

Spiral movements The curved building appears to consist of looped bands of metal screen. Studio Libeskind created a varied palette of cladding to break up the massing of the large arena that is tucked into the urban-scale development. The bold form is unified by a subtle range of cladding materials including black metal panels and black-washed concrete panels. A screen of anodised aluminium vertical slats in three neutral shades wraps around the façade of the arena.

The highly sustainable design has achieved LEED Gold rating. Features include the high-density location that is well connected to public transport and highly walkable. The practice field features a green roof.

UNIQUE LED BOARDS AT NOKIA ARENA

VEPE BRINGS UNPRECEDENTED ICE HOCKEY DASHER BOARDS TO THE MARKET

Author Vepe Oy Peltonen, FI – 04300 Tuusula, www.vepe.fi Photos Vepe Oy, Tappara / Tamhockey Oy watch the video!

Vepe Beta NextGen ice hockey boards raise the existing flexible board standard to a totally new level by making it possible to install LED screens in the whole set of boards. The new screens offer great new potential for visual effects and entertaining spectators in a spectacular way, as well as changing the whole concept of advertising and marketing in the boards themselves.

“Videos and constantly changing content make it possible to use different content in advertising as well as in the game itself. The board screens support a variety of events, thus enabling visible and targeted content on an event-specific basis for just that audience and the moment it is intended for. This solution changes the behaviour of advertisers, clubs and arena organisations, and brings added value to all parties,” says Vepe CEO Antti Terkomaa.

Jussi Maaniitty, Director of Digital Business of Nokia Arena, is excited about the new screen technology. “It’s great to be a pioneer of new technologies. In addition to advertisements, we can create something unique with the LED screens. It can mean different atmospheres at events, such as the Northern Lights at a dinner gala,” he envisions.

Patent pending The LED screens in an ice hockey dasher board are exposed to violent blows, tackles and puck impacts against the boards. In the Vepe NextGen boards, however, the LED screens are installed very close to the playing surface, thus granting the best visual conditions and the best spectator experience from every seat. The starting point of design and development has been modern flexible boards that are of the utmost quality, user-friendly and safe – both for players and other users. “Integrating LED screens into flexible board frames on such a large scale has been a challenge. We have filed for a patent,” says Terkomaa.

Ilves-Hockey and Tamhockey involved in the acquisition Finnish know-how led to the first-ever ice hockey dasher boards including more than 160 m of LED screens integrated into modern flexible boards. “We want to thank the Nokia Arena organisation, the main constructor SRV and the Tamhockey and Ilves-Hockey clubs for trusting in Vepe and having the courage to be the first in the world to take this step”, is Terkomaa’s appraisal. “Vepe LED boards will offer us new opportunities to make money and, most of all, to have screens that we can use in a comprehensive way at match events”, comments Risto Jalo, Managing Director of Ilves-Hockey. “With this innovative solution, all display surfaces in the Nokia Arena are now digital. It allows us a creative and flexible use of displays in marketing as well as in making the match events more exciting” says Tamhockey CEO Mika Aro.