After New Zealand’s successful USA versus Canada ice hockey series last winter, the specially constructed portable ice skating rink was split in two and travelled the country offering an outdoor ice skating experience.
The rinks are owned by a Netherlands based company, Ice World International (IWI) and installed and managed by Christchurch based events company, Douglas Webber Group (DWG), with the support of local council who were keen to enhance the areas.
The fast pull-down refrigeration system was supplied by Aggreko.
The rinks measure 35 x 15 metres, but can be assembled in different dimensions due to their modular design according to their manufacturers at IWI. They have been installed with an open-air feel to maintain a traditional outdoor skating atmosphere such as that of New York’s Central Park. The brand new equipment includes 1,000 pairs of skates and is presented with the city landscape a priority, drawing thousands of additional visitors to local businesses over the period. Music completes the experience, making ice skating the perfect occasion for adults, children, school groups, corporates, locals and tourists alike.
The popularity of ice skating exceeded the expectations of all the stakeholders during the first of what is now a planned regular event, with 33,396 visiting Wellington and 19,462 in Hamilton.
Events specialists, Douglas Webber Group, selected Aggreko due to their temperature control expertise and solid reputation for speedy installation and maintenance of applications.
The original three-tournament ice hockey competition required one rink to travel between the three differnt locations for setup and pack down for each match.
Event organiser Gareth Webber of Douglas Webber Group said, “a major challenge was the deadlines imposed through venue availability. We had access to the venue for approximately two days for each event. On day one, we would need to move in, build the ice rink, freeze the ice and ensure that the entire venue was ready opening to the crowd at 7pm. If we were delayed in any way, the show would be over, disappointing fans and causing significant losses to the teams and our company” he said.
Following the show, the venue needed to be packed down, melt the ice and dismantle the rink in order to exit the venue on time.
To meet the requirements of the job, Aggreko supplied two 600 kilowatt air cooled fluid chillers that operated at -120C. The chillers were hooked up using a flexible hosing system that enabled Aggreko to circulate 8000 litres of propylene glycol through the ice rink. The system uses 33000 litres of water.
Due to the stringent deadlines imposed by the venue owners, Aggreko was on hand to facilitate to speedy pack down requirements. Heating up the ice while ensuring the on-site chillers are not impacted by the warming chemical process is a complex task.
Douglas Webber Group is now taking the ice rinks to communities around New Zealand that don’t have ready access to one. “We didn’t need such a large rink, so we can split it in two. With the assistance of Aggreko’s engineering experts and chillers, we are bringing ice skating and ice hockey to kids and communities around the country.”
Hamilton and Wellington were the test cities for the New Zealand City Tour and proved a great success with 53,000 people flocking to both cities for the chance to show their talent on ice skates. DWG is extending the City Tour to seven New Zealand cities in 2012 with an expected 250,000 skaters expected. The next city will be Rotorua in June.
Chiller services are increasingly utilised for events industry applications, including HVAC for building services and comfort cooling, and in this case, snow and ice-based events where maintenance of freezing temperatures are critical.